The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) has hired a Director of Talent Supply, a new, grant-funded position that will help the organization’s staff and stakeholders better understand the region’s labor market dynamics.

Karianne Gelinas

Karianne Gelinas, a former educator who had most recently worked as Assistant Director of Literacy and Job Training at Lehigh Carbon Community College (LCCC), joined the LVEDC team on May 31.

In her new role, Gelinas will work closely with LVEDC’s Education and Talent Supply Council, and help develop and implement a sampling plan to obtain workforce supply and demand data from educational institutions and employers within the Lehigh Valley.

“Bridging the gap between workforce supply and demand is a complex puzzle to solve,” said Gelinas, who is originally from the Schnecksville area. “We need to ensure that our population has the skills necessary to ensure success in today’s work places and uncover which skills employers are looking for.

“The more information we can gather, the better we will be able to understand the landscape of the Lehigh Valley’s talent supply and needs,” she added. “The better we understand the landscape, the more we can identify and address gaps to promote alignment of the systems and spur prosperity in the area.”

Gelinas will identify, utilize, and manage private and public sources of economic data and third-party consultants to assist in gathering workforce supply and demand data. She will also create a delivery system to report findings of research to LVEDC and its stakeholders.

Additionally, Gelinas will act as staff liaison to the Education and Talent Supply Council. This partnership of regional educational institutions, major employers, and economic development and workforce agencies works to develop current workforce supply and demand data, and create regional strategies that help the region maintain a workforce and talent supply.

The council includes representatives from Lehigh Valley research universities, liberal arts college, community colleges, K-12 school districts and career and technical schools, as well as employers like Mack Trucks, Ocean Spray, and Olympus Corp.

“We’re happy to welcome Karianne into this very important position,” said Don Cunningham, LVEDC President and CEO. “The availability of trained people is the most critical factor for companies when it comes to choosing or remaining in a location, and the regions that best solve the talent supply equations are the ones that will score the big wins in economic development competition.”

The Director of Talent Supply position is funded by a Keystone Communities Program Grant for a period of two years.

Gelinas worked for seven years at LCCC. In addition to her role as Assistant Director of Literacy and Job Training, Gelinas previously worked as a General Educational Development and English as a Second Language Instructor and Professional Development Specialist at LCCC’s Allentown campus.

She also previously worked as an online course reviewer, recorder, and instructor for Penn State University via the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Adult Literacy. Additionally, she served as a first and second grade teacher at the Montecito and Westwood Primary Schools in Phoenix from 2002 to 2010.

Gelinas has a Masters in Education with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction from Arizona State University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science from Vassar College.