LVEDC welcomes new Board of Directors Cindy Feinberg, Lauren Goff, Patricia Johnson and Dan McCarthy (respectively).

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) will welcome new leadership and four new members to its 2015 Board of Directors during the organization’s Annual Investors Meeting and Awards ceremony on March 18.

Cindy Feinberg, Lauren Goff, Patricia Johnson and Dan McCarthy will join the 35-member board of directors. They will be formally welcomed by Stephen Kalamar, vice president and relationship manager with TD Bank, who will become the new LVEDC board chairman.

Kalamar, who will take the helm from the outgoing chair Tom Garrity, will guide a new leadership team for the LVEDC board, which will include Vice Chair Jane Long of Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, Secretary Mark Erickson of Northampton Community College, and Treasurer Michael Gigler of Wells Fargo.

“We are excited to welcome our new members and the new leadership to the LVEDC Board of Directors,” said Don Cunningham, LVEDC president and CEO. “Tom Garrity was the right man for the right time to lead the board through a period of reorganization for LVEDC. Now, Steve Kalamar brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the banking world and is the perfect choice to lead us moving forward.”

Kalamar said the momentum LVEDC has experienced in recent years will only continue with the additions of Feinberg, Goff, Johnson and McCarthy, who bring  skills in commercial development, the power of a corporate partner, the integration of higher education into our economy and a core understanding of the importance of economic development to our region.”

“What a great time for economic progress in the Lehigh Valley,” Kalamar said. “We are fortunate to have all cylinders pounding. From leadership of our executive, Don Cunningham, to the staff that has come together, to macro-economic conditions that are fueling growth in all sectors of our local economy.”

The LVEDC 2015 Annual Investors Meeting and Awards ceremony will be held at the Olympus Corporation of the Americas in Upper Saucon Township.

New board members

Cindy Feinberg is the co-founder of Feinberg Real Estate Advisors, a real estate brokerage firm specializing in commercial and industrial brokerage, investment sales, development counseling, government relations, real estate law, closings and title insurance. She previously served as the Lehigh County Director of Community and Economic Development, where she was responsible for regional partnerships, government relations, urban revitalization, job creation and grants. She is a founding member of Crew Network Lehigh Valley and chairs the Lehigh County Industrial Development Authority.

“I’m thrilled to be formally involved with LVEDC again,” Feinberg said. “I had the pleasure of serving on the LVEDC Board as a Lehigh County official for eight years. I look forward to participating now as a Lehigh Valley commercial real estate practitioner.”

Lauren Goff is the executive director of corporate social responsibility for the Olympus Corporation of the Americas. She has been with Olympus since 2008, previously working as a staff attorney and director of the compliance department. A graduate of Penn State University’s Dickinson School of Law, Goff previously spent four years at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office before becoming an associate with Lehigh Valley law firms Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C., and White and Williams LLP.

“Olympus is proud of this opportunity to participate in board-level activities with LVEDC,” Goff said. “I look forward to collaborating with other LVEDC investors to highlight the strengths of the region and to share resources and ideas to enhance prosperity and economic growth.”

Patricia Johnson is the vice president for finance and administration at Lehigh University. She previously spent 19 years at Cornell University, where she served as associate vice president of finance and treasurer. Johnson has an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from the University of Virginia, and served as investment officer for the University of Dayton before joining Cornell. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Ben Franklin Technology Center, Manufacturers Resource Center and Centennial School.

“Upon arriving to the area, I was impressed by the way the Lehigh Valley has reinvented itself from the days of large manufacturing,” Johnson said. “I am pleased to be a part of the continuation of those efforts by becoming a member of the LVEDC board. I hope that my previous experience with an economic development board will give me some insight into programs that will work in this area.”

Dan McCarthy is vice president of corporate communications and community affairs with the PPL Corporation. With more than 35 years of experience in public relations and journalism, McCarthy’s responsibilities at PPL include public relations, community affairs, corporate philanthropy, financial communications and employee communications. A political science graduate of Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, McCarthy also has experience as a consultant for a leading East Coast media relations firm, and serves on the executive committee of the Lehigh Valley Partnership.

“Those of us who are long-time residents of the Lehigh Valley know that it is a superb place to work, play and raise a family,” McCarthy said. “I’m honored to be appointed to the LVEDC board and I look forward to working with the other board members and staff to attract new investment and family-sustaining jobs to our region.”

New chair takes the helm

Stephen Kalamar

Kalamar has served on the LVEDC Board of Directors since 2012, serving most recently as vice chair. He has worked in the banking field since 1987, with professional interests in manufacturing, higher education, municipal and not-for-profits. Garrity, the managing partner with Compass Point Consulting, is concluding his two-year term as chair and will continue to serve on the board.

“The new members of the LVEDC Board of Directors come from a wide range of backgrounds and will bring a multitude of talent and expertise to their roles,” Garrity said. “I look forward to having their perspectives on the board, and their guidance and wisdom will serve LVEDC well as we continue our mission of promoting economic development in the region.”

During the annual investors meeting, LVEDC will also recognize two outgoing board members: Bill Michalerya, associate vice president for governmental relations at Lehigh University, and Anthony Biondi, director and CEO of Merchants Bank. Michalerya had been on the board since 2004, most recently serving as second vice chair. Biondi had been a board member since 2009.