Lea Glembot (left) has made a personal decision to leave LVEDC to return to for-profit real estate work. Matt Tuerk (center) will be promoted to Vice President of Economic Development and Marketing, and Jaime Whalen (right) will become Vice President of Administration and Investor Relations.

With the New Year rapidly approaching, the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation will see some leadership changes as Lea Glembot, Vice President of Economic Development and Marketing, has made a personal decision to return to for-profit real estate work and to leave LVEDC.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to return to the real estate industry in order to create greater flexibility in my schedule and to allow me to pursue several other things that I would like to do,” Glembot said. “I have been proud to work for LVEDC and feel that together with Don and the current team, we have an impressive record of success in advancing economic development in the Lehigh Valley.”

Glembot came to the Lehigh Valley from Virginia in 2014. She previously had a career in commercial real estate in Virginia, along with working at the Virginia Port Authority in an economic development capacity at the Port of Norfolk.

“Lea has been a tremendous asset to LVEDC during the last two years,” said Don Cunningham, President and CEO of LVEDC. “She will be missed very much. She’s been a good friend and a force in driving positive change in our organization.”

Cunningham immediately announced the transfer of Matthew Tuerk, currently LVEDC’s Vice President of Administration and Investor Relations, to the position of vice president of development and marketing, and promoted Jaime Whalen, currently LVEDC’s Director of Regional Finance Programs, to Tuerk’s previous position, Vice President of Administration and Investor Relations.

“We are very fortunate that we have built a strong and experienced team at LVEDC and have two great people to step into new leadership roles,” Cunningham said. “While we will miss Lea, LVEDC will not miss a beat with Matt and Jaime taking on these new positions.”

LVEDC will be advertising for the position of Director of Regional Finance Programs.

Tuerk has been with LVEDC since 2013. He previously spent five years as assistant director of the Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC). Whalen also joined LVEDC in 2013. Previously, she served as an economic development analyst in the Northampton County community and economic development department, and also worked for former State Rep. Richard Grucela for more than 11 years.

Tuerk will be responsible for attracting prospects who are interested in locating or expanding their operations in the Lehigh Valley by assisting them with site selection, the acquisition of incentives, supplying them with demographic and economic data, and connecting them with various public and private resources.

During his time at LVEDC, Tuerk helped to develop the organization’s strategic plan and put in place many of the systems to enable the organization’s work in recruitment, business outreach and communications and marketing, the core responsibilities of his new role. He has a B.S. in International Business from the College of Charleston and a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in international economic development from The Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina.

As vice president of administration and investor relations, Whalen will be responsible for managing support services at LVEDC, including corporate finance, human resources, and information systems, as well as providing assistance with corporate strategy and managing investor relations for the organization.

In her previous position, she was responsible for executing a business development plan for LVEDC’s regional financing programs, as well as managing administrative services to economic development financing organizations, including the Northampton County Industrial Development Authority (NCIDA), Lehigh County Industrial Development Authority (LCIDA), West Hills Infrastructure District Management Association (WHIDMA), and Allentown Development Company (ADCO). She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Bloomsburg University.

Tuerk and Whalen will report directly to Cunningham, and are two of three vice presidents at LVEDC, along with Vice President of Finance John Kingsley. Resumes for Whalen’s position will be due by the second week of January. LVEDC intends to fill the positon as quickly as possible, Kingsley said.