Fellows Profiles 2018-2019

Community Fellows And Projects - 2018-2019

Katelyn (Katie) Barr Center for Community Engagement, Lehigh University Katie focused her Community Fellowship on fostering university-community partnerships and served as a central hub to promote and support engaged scholarship. She worked as managing editor on an open-access, online journal for community engagement, and tracked faculty involvement and engagement.	Vincent Behe Lower Macungie Township, Department of Planning and Community Development Vincent worked in Lower Macungie Township’s Department of Planning and Community Development. He documented commuting patterns and business trends, and investigated the possibility of expanding public transit networks to better serve companies, their employees, and the general public. His work was part of a larger effort to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs) and promote smart and sustainable growth.
Jackie Cook City of Bethlehem, Department of Community and Economic Development Jackie focused her Community Fellowship on Northside 2027, a neighborhood revitalization plan for an area on Bethlehem’s north side. Jackie helped organize public meetings, and helped create and facilitate working groups on housing and walkability. Jackie also assisted the Bethlehem Environmental Advisory Council, serving on a subcommittee for waste reduction, and will develop plans to engage community members in energy efficiency activities and education.	Lauren Fosbenner Nurture Nature Center As a Community Fellow at the Nurture Nature Center (NNC), Lauren helped develop the “6 Degrees of Connection” program for middle school students, meant to inspire an interest in STEM careers and topics. She also created a Science on a Sphere® show highlighting the personal journeys of various STEM professionals.
Karina Fuentes Bethlehem Area School District Karina worked with the school district’s Office of Minority Services and Student Affairs, conducting qualitative research on the impact of Community Schools on educational standards, BASD families and students. She met regularly with Community School coordinators, school administrators, and the United Way’s Director of the Community School Network.	Marek Tomanek City of Easton, Department of Economic Development As a Community Fellow, Marek assisted with a variety of projects ranging from analyzing the city’s commercial properties to serving on committees charged with reviewing developers’ proposals. He was also tasked with helping the city seek alignment between specific development proposals and the administration’s revitalization goals.
Chris Woods St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department Chris did research on the social determinants of health affecting communities throughout the Lehigh Valley. He helped author five sections of St. Luke’s 2016-2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), covering topics ranging from housing and blight, to food access, air and water quality. In addition to research and writing for the CHNA, Chris also assisted in the implementation of St. Luke’s pilot summer feeding program.