During its 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting last week, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) announced the election of six new private sector Board members and new officers including a new Board Chair, Stephen Hoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Crayola. 
Joining Hoff as officers elected by the LVEDC Board are Vice Chair Richard Reynolds, President, Medical Systems Group at Olympus Corporation of the Americas; Treasurer Susan Larkin, Chief Operating Officer of Allied Personnel Services; Secretary Dan McCarthy, Secretary of Lehigh Valley Partnership; and LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham.
“Lehigh Valley's momentum is stronger than ever,” Hoff said when he was introduced at LVEDC’s Annual Meeting on March 18. “Our success in working together to get things done has been held up as a model in Pennsylvania and beyond.”
Hoff succeeds Ed Dougherty, who recently retired as Senior Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer at Lehigh Valley Health Network, part of Jefferson Health. Dougherty served as Board Chair for four years. Hoff previously was Board Vice Chair.
“LVEDC was formed 30 years ago by private sector leaders to rebuild, revitalize, and reposition the Lehigh Valley's economy, while providing opportunities for those living here,” Hoff said. “At Crayola, we can relate to that. Just a few years ago, we celebrated our 120th Anniversary. Some might say we were in the Lehigh Valley a little bit before the Lehigh Valley was so cool. And we remain proud to be based here and to manufacture our products here.”
A public-private partnership, LVEDC is governed by a Board of 35 directors, the majority of whom are private sector leaders elected by the organization’s Executive Tier investors. Public sector and other regional organizations such as city mayors and county executives are on the Board through their positions.
New members elected to the Board are:
- Rob Albert, Chief Executive Officer, B. Braun of America, Inc.
- Robert Begliomini, Senior Vice President - Lehigh Valley Health Network and Regional President - Jefferson Health, Lehigh West
- Arthur Dorn, Market President Manager/SVP Northern PA & Northern NJ, Truist Bank
- Kassie Hilgert, President and CEO, ArtsQuest
- Benjamin Hussa, Vice President, Taxes and Corporate Treasurer, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
- Dr. Nathan Urban, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Lehigh University
“The significance and size of the employers and the level of their executives on the LVEDC Board has greatly increased,” Cunningham said. “We are fortunate to have such a strong coalition of the willing to govern and lead our region’s economic development efforts.”
The LVEDC Board helps set strategies that lead to the creation of employment opportunities for people of all education and skill levels and is essential in the development of LVEDC’s long-term strategic plan by defining its vision, priorities, and strategic initiatives.
In 2024, Lehigh Valley was the No. 3 ranked mid-sized market in the U.S. for the number of new economic development projects. In regional rankings, Lehigh Valley was fifth in the Northeast, among regions of all sizes.
In addition to the six new Board members, three members were re-elected. LVEDC private sector Board members serve three-year terms, with a two-term limit.
Re-elected members are:
- Gunnar Brunius, Vice President and General Manager, Mack Trucks, Lehigh Valley Operations
- Christine Martin, President, PPL Electric Utilities
- Shelly McWilliams, President, Lehigh Valley Plastics
In addition to Dougherty, five other outgoing Board members were recognized at LVEDC's Annual Meeting:
- Chris Brown, Senior Vice President and Director SBA Lending, Fulton Bank, who served as Treasurer the last two years
- Michael Landsburg, Chief Development Officer, Real Estate, NFI Industries
- Drew Lewis, Business Executive and Entrepreneur, formerly with ADP
- Michele McGrath, Director Global Engineering (Retired), Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
- Dr. Tina Richardson, Chancellor, Penn State Lehigh Valley
Dougherty, who had been Chair since 2021, was presented with a custom-engraved rocking chair for his service.
Cunningham said Dougherty has been a friend and mentor, “someone who has given so much of his time, not only to his role at LVHN-Jefferson as an executive in the health care field in the Lehigh Valley, but to the community at large, to many boards.”
“I'm fortunate to have found this special place, the Lehigh Valley, and I'm grateful that it's now my family's home,” Dougherty said. “I'm honored and grateful for being entrusted with the opportunity to help LVEDC deliver on its important mission in our region.”
LVEDC’s mission is to market the economic assets of the Lehigh Valley and to create partnerships to support the recruitment, growth, and retention of employers and the creation of jobs for people of all skill and education levels.
(Photos by Marco Calderon Photography)