Fellows Profiles Listed by Partners

Since the program’s inception in 2001, 172 skilled graduate students have served nearly 80 public and nonprofit organizations in the Lehigh Valley through the Community Fellows Program.
Since 2012, Community Fellows have served the following partners (click on an agency name to learn more about these students’ experiences):

Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley
2020-2021
Leo conducted research for PNLV on criminal justice reform and restorative justice, focusing on the ways to best support residents’ reintegration. This required interacting with community members, elected officials, and stakeholders on a weekly basis, and participating with End Mass Incarceration, a local advocacy group.
Community Action Development Corporation - Bethlehem
2020-2021
While Emma was at CADCB, she developed and implemented a public input process to guide the new Southside neighborhood strategic plan, as well as a strategy for engaging residents, local businesses and other community stakeholders in the plan. She helped the organization report its work accomplished in five impact areas: Business & Economic Sustainability, Housing, Development, Outdoors & Wellness, and Transforming Community Image.
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
2020-2021
Claudia spent her fellowship as a Development Assistant at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA. The Center provides life-enriching arts and culture events, fundamental youth programming, critical health services, vibrant pride events, and essential supportive services to the LGBT community of eastern Pennsylvania. Through her work grant writing, managing donor relations, and coordinating fundraising events, Claudia was critical to the financial stability and longevity of the Center and its programs.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2020-2021
Amanda spent her fellowship at St Luke’s University Health Network, writing and researching for the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). For this, she worked closely with Census data, ALICE data, and multiple mapping systems, all to assess the social determinants of health in each of the health network’s service areas. She also gathered information for Substance Use Disorder grants and helped with transportation mapping in Schuylkill County.
City of Allentown, Planning and Zoning Bureau
2020-2021
As a Community Fellow, Lorena filled the role of Project Manager with the City of Allentown’s Department of Planning and Zoning. She was responsible for the development and implementation of resident-driven “Neighborhood Scale Projects,” as well as the resident training and empowerment necessary to make those projects successful. To do this, Lorena worked closely with community leaders, non-profit organizations, and local institutions.
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
2020-2021
Julie’s fellowship was with the Environmental Planning division of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC). She researched how LVPC has integrated climate mitigation and adaptation strategies into its existing plans and planning processes. She also helped update several stormwater plans and ordinances for municipalities within the Lehigh Valley.
Valley Youth House
2019-2020
Danielle is a Community Fellow with Valley Youth House. She works closely with Project Silk, a youth drop-in center in Allentown that provides sexual health programming for LGBTQ+ youth of color. She aids in the development and delivery of Project Silk programming by collecting participants’ feedback through surveys and focus groups. Additionally, Danielle does agency-wide data analysis of client, parent/guardian, and customer satisfaction surveys, working to improve data collection methods and data analysis reporting. This work on quality assurance aims to directly benefit Valley Youth House staff in program improvement as well as create a more streamlined process for survey analysis in the future. Danielle is an M.A. candidate in Sociology.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2019-2020
As mandated by the Affordable Care Act and as part of the 2022 St. Luke's University Health Network’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), Marilyn is tasked with building a new template for the network's 11-campus CHNAs. Combining epidemiological data analysis with user-friendly design, her template will ensure a public health resource for both hospital professionals and community members. At the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley (HCLV), Marilyn supports grant writing and development where she was instrumental to securing $60,000+ in grant funds within the first 60 days of her fellowship. Joint HCLV-SLUHN projects focus on Marilyn's passion for health equity, including conducting background research for SLUHN diversity models, and program evaluation of SLUHN healthcare pipeline programs. Marilyn is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Bethlehem Area School District
2019-2020
Hayden is a Community Fellow with the Early Learning department in the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD).  He is working on aligning preschool and childcare centers with BASDs kindergarten standards, and has performed site visits, and leads focus groups with various stakeholders surrounding PreK and preparing children for Kindergarten. His goal is to create a preschool task force on the Southside.  He is active on the United Way’s Talk-Read-Sing Committee, PBS 39 Ready to Learn committee, and Lehigh Valley Reads programming.  Hayden is an M.A. student in Political Science with an interest in educational policy.  
Lehigh Valley Planning Commission
2019-2020
Mahdis is a Community Fellow at the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC). As a Community Fellow she is assisting with a major 2019-2020 LVPC initiative, helping 30 municipalities plan for growth and development in their communities. Mahdis has been mapping data by GIS, researching zoning ordinances, contributing to transportation studies, and helping to modernize the content, structure and layout of plans. These updates support communities with implementation of their visions, which Mahdis will help to bring from broad goals to implementable policies through community engagement and working with LVPC staff. She also will be picking up additional tasks within the plans in spring and summer. Mahdis is an M.A. candidate in the Environmental Policy Program, with a concentration in Urban Policy and Planning.
Valley Against Sex Trafficking (VAST)
2019-2020
Kirsten is a Community Fellow with the Valley Against Sex Trafficking engaging in program evaluation and policy analysis. In the fall she focused her efforts on evaluating the effectiveness of the first annual Lehigh Valley Anti-Trafficking Week, which was comprised of documentary showings, coffeeshop conversations, and art installations, all with the purpose of highlighting the stories of trafficking survivors and raising awareness about human trafficking in the Lehigh Valley. This semester, she is focusing her efforts on expanding the advocacy and action of VAST in the Lehigh Valley by strengthening the bonds with local government and expanding the organization’s trafficking awareness training. Kirsten is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, Allentown
2019-2020
As a Community Fellow, Chloe Goldstein serves as the Business Relationship Manager for the Downtown Allentown Business Alliance (DABA), a program of the Allentown Chamber of Commerce. Chloe has conducted personal interviews with over 30 small businesses within the Hamilton District and developed a survey to track mutual needs in the business community. Survey data will help to facilitate future business development workshops and seminars and help to create more connectivity to the City of Allentown and DABA. The end goal of the program is to develop an ecosystem in support of the businesses, inclusive of marketing, accounting, business financial planning, legal, etc.  Chloe functions as an adjunct staff member of the DABA and the Allentown Chamber of Commerce and attends board of directors meetings for both organizations. She also serves on the DABA Retail Committee reporting on her progress to the business owners and helping to plan innovative small business events. Chloe is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.
City of Bethlehem, Department of Community and Economic Development
2019-2020
Leah is a Community Fellow with the City of Bethlehem’s Department of Community and Economic Development, working to help implement some of the City’s major objectives including Northside 2027, blight remediation, climate action planning, and establishment of proposed student housing policy. Leah is utilizing ArcGIS as a mapping tool to provide visuals that reveal the story behind numerical data to better inform policy decisions made by the city. She has also assisted in the completion of several grant applications including the 2019 PA Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund (PHARE) and PennDOT Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) Grants. Leah is an M.A. Candidate in the Environmental Policy Program, with a concentration in Urban Policy and Planning.
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
2019-2020
Reilly is a Community Fellow at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA. The Center provides life-enriching arts and culture events, fundamental youth programming, critical health services, vibrant pride events, and essential supportive services to the LGBT community of eastern Pennsylvania. Reilly’s role at this non-profit is in the development office where she writes grants, manages donor relations, coordinates fundraising events. Her efforts are crucial for the financial stability and longevity of the Center and its programs. Reilly’s focus is grant writing, and one of the most notable grants Reilly has secured is from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and supports one of the Center’s health screening campaigns. Reilly is an M.A. candidate in Sociology.
Community Action Development Corporation - Bethlehem
2019-2020
Connor is the lead organizer of the Southside Garden Alliance, a group he created in collaboration with the Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem. This year he has founded a Seed Library and Tool Library at the South Bethlehem Public Library, organized community garden programming, led a workshop series on organic gardening, and supported Farm to School programming in South Bethlehem schools. He has also partnered with St. Luke’s University Health Network to help build a strategic plan for their Adopt-a-School Garden program and will be working with Broughal Middle School on their greenhouse curriculum. His work is at the intersection of community health and environmental sustainability, and involves forging diverse partnerships to solve complex challenges. Connor is an M.A. candidate in the Environmental Policy Program, with a concentrations in Environmental Health and Sustainable Agriculture.
Center for Community Engagement, Lehigh University
2018-2019
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.
Lower Macungie Township, Department of Planning and Community Development
2018-2019
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.
Nurture Nature Center
2018-2019
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.
City of Bethlehem, Department of Community and Economic Development
2018-2019
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.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2018-2019
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.
City of Easton, Department of Economic Development
2018-2019
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.
Bethlehem Area School District
2018-2019
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.
Bethlehem Area School District
2017-2018
Amy spent her Community Fellow at Broughal Middle School, near Lehigh University in South Bethlehem. She oversaw the pilot year implementation of the Broughal Farm to School Program. This involved helping with the program’s logistical setup, connecting the program to students’ classroom experiences, and conducting community engagement.
Center for Humanistic Change
2017-2018
Joseph’s Community Fellow was with the Center for Humanistic Change. He served in all facets of the non-profit’s operations, he focused on grant writing, creating video documentaries, making public presentations, and policy development.
County of Northampton, Department of Community and Economic Development
2017-2018
As a Community Fellow, Sveitavit developed a county-wide blight initiative, including targeted code enforcement and incentives for commercial and industrial investment. He also worked to secure federal grants for transportation initiatives and cultural development.
Community Action Development Corporation - Bethlehem
2017-2018
As a Community Fellow, Kavei interviewed key stakeholders, organized and facilitated neighborhood meetings, and conducted resident surveys at community events to highlight resident-identified housing assets and challenges in South Bethlehem. She also put together program and policy recommendations for CADCB and city officials.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2017-2018
Reilly also assisted with the Affordable Care Act-mandated Community Health Needs Assessments, helping build the foundation of the report by gathering and organizing secondary data. Reilly also created integrated medicine resource maps for the St. Luke’s Cancer Center, conducted elder health focus groups, and worked on a dental planning and development grant.
City of Bethlehem, Department of Community and Economic Development
2017-2018
Michael was tasked with helping the City fill vacant residential and commercial buildings. He analyzed public records, mapped various indicators of distress, and attended monthly Blight Steering Committee meetings. He also contributed to economic development, aiding in efforts to recruit new businesses. Michael’s work informed policymakers and helped shape the City’s approach to blighted property.
Lehigh Valley Social Impact Center
2016-2017
Sandra spent her Community Fellowship supporting strategy development and devising new ways of improving collective impact among collaborating nonprofits, government and private sector organizations in the Lehigh Valley. Her work included conducting research on existing organizations and associations, social impact metrics, and new forms of capital formation like crowdfunding and venture philanthropy. Sandra also helped write, edit and develop grant budgets and proposals.
City of Allentown, Planning and Zoning Bureau
2016-2017
Matt was a Community Fellow in the City of Allentown’s Bureau of Planning and Zoning. There, he worked on a variety of projects, including grant writing and plan review, and collecting information for the annual Capital Improvements Plan. He worked with city staff on a bike share program in Allentown, and created maps for various projects.
Community Action Development Corporation-Allentown
2016-2017
Sara worked on CADC’s Jordan Heights Revitalization project and for the Upside Allentown Arts & Culture Committee. She collected and analyzed data on the Jordan Heights community, from physical conditions, to public services, and key stakeholder perspectives about the neighborhood. She also researched grant opportunities for arts organizations in Allentown.
City of Bethlehem, Department of Community and Economic Development
2016-2017
Kali worked on Bethlehem’s efforts to reduce blight and raise the standard for quality housing in the city. This required collecting, analyzing and mapping a range of data, researching best practices from other communities engaged in similar work, and making comprehensive policy recommendations to city staff and elected officials.
Lehigh Valley Hospital, Department of Community Health
2016-2017
As a Fellow, Emily did research and collected data on homelessness and housing insecurity in the Lehigh Valley to help LVHN determine how it might address these issues to facilitate a healthier community. Her work included interviewing LVHN community health and social workers to better understand the difficulties of providing proper resources to patients who are homeless or housing insecure, and she visited local homeless shelters and soup kitchens as part of her research, as well. From these interviews and site visits, Emily developed policy and program recommendations.
Safe Harbor Easton
2015-2016
Erika worked for Safe Harbor Easton, a transitional homeless center which provides case management, employment services, and recovery resources for residents. She developed a community garden program at the shelter. To support this, she researched grant opportunities as well as the therapeutic benefits of gardening, and developed partnerships with Easton’s West Ward Neighborhood Partnership, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, and Penn State Master Gardeners. Erika also worked on volunteer recruitment and developing content for the Safe Harbor Facebook page.
Bethlehem Area School District and the Bethlehem Area Education Foundation
2015-2016
As a Community Fellow, Catherine assisted the district in their social media outreach, public relations, and media coverage of events throughout the school year. She was also a project manager for key fundraising events aimed at raising money to support innovative educational projects within the Bethlehem Area School District. Additionally, she wrote a series of columns on district initiatives for local publications, and worked on improving district communication and transparency with the greater Bethlehem community.
Family Connection of Easton, Inc.
2015-2016
Housed in Easton’s Paxinosa Elementary School “Community School” office, Kristen developed outreach protocols, volunteer information and training manuals, and designed a volunteer training and contact database. She also recruited volunteers for the school's special events.
Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV)
2015-2016
Kate worked for Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV), an advocacy organization committed to bringing Smart Growth principles to the Lehigh Valley. While diving into all facets of local government and politics, she worked on promoting the organization's goals of farmland preservation, food sustainability, smart transportation, and education and awareness. She was also involved in large-scale event planning, social media expansion, website development, and community organizing.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2015-2016
Samantha worked on data collection, analysis, and writing for the Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) reports for each of St. Luke's hospital campuses. She integrated primary data from focus group interviews and community surveys, and conducted secondary data analyses in order to create seven cohesive reports outlining the health needs faced by the communities each hospital serves. Samantha even developed a CHNA implementation guide, designed to streamline the assessment process in the next cycle.
Lehigh Valley Community Land Trust (LVCLT)
2013-2014
Andy worked for the Lehigh Valley Community Land Trust (LVCLT), an organization committed to providing affordable homeownership to residents of the Lehigh Valley. LVCLT achieves this goal by purchasing houses, renovating the properties, and selling them to potential homeowners while holding the land in trust, ensuring the home remains affordable. Andy’s work at LVCLT included creating and implementing a plan for member development and supporting the Land Trust’s Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation program.
Lafayette College’s Landis Center for Community Engagement
2013-2014
Gelmar worked with Lafayette College’s Landis Center for Community Engagement, fostering community partnerships between the college and the cities of Easton and Phillipsburg. As a Community Fellow, he facilitated student-led programing and aided in collecting and analyzing data to expand civic engagement among students.
United Way’s Alliance on Aging
2013-2014
Ybelka’s main role was planning, implementing and launching the Alliance’s version of the Gatekeepers Program. The program uses non-traditional referral sources (community members whose jobs put them in contact with older adults, such as grocery store clerks or postal employees) to identify and refer isolated older adults who are not connected to non-profit or government programs, so they can receive the services they need to stay in their homes. She met with community focus groups, created a presentation and training guide, as well as marketing materials, for this program.
Family Answers, Inc. and Pinebrook Family Services
2013-2014
Natalie served not one, but two Lehigh Valley nonprofit human service organizations: Family Answers, Inc. and Pinebrook Family Services. She reviewed their policies, procedures, communications and other administrative work; met with board members and staff; and developed and implemented recommendations for each organization to strengthen their operations and efficacy.
West End Alliance
2013-2014
Gabe worked with the West End Alliance, a 501(c)(3) organization that looks to stimulate revitalization in the West End Theatre District of Allentown through the support of local businesses and by promoting a pedestrian-friendly community atmosphere. Gabe’s main responsibilities included interacting with stakeholders, promoting business development, managing electronic media content, preparing budgets, supporting community events, strengthening the organization’s master plan, and facilitating neighborhood outreach.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2013-2014
Sara worked closely with the Hispanic Center of the Lehigh Valley on promoting health equity in the local community. Her work included assisting with strategic planning, capacity building, and data analysis. She also helped develop a new program aimed at increasing the engagement of fathers in their children’s lives, and with the St. Luke’s Community Health Needs Assessment.
Bethlehem Area School District
2013-2014
Joseph worked at the central offices of the Bethlehem Area School District, where he coordinated communications, organized events, and provided feedback on school district policy. He wrote op-eds with the superintendent and profiles of programs administered at the local schools. He also prepared multiple legislative briefs and presentations for the administration, the school board, and teachers.
Bethlehem Area School District
2014-2015
Ellie focused her Community Fellowship on the school district’s Climate and Sustainability Commitment to improve environmental sustainability in district operations and implement more sustainability-oriented curricula. She managed a district-wide curriculum inventory of existing sustainability-oriented curricula to identify gaps and potential areas for improvement.
Muhlenberg College, Institute of Public Opinion
2014-2015
Cristiano worked with the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, serving as a research assistant to Professor Christopher Borick. At the Institute, he developed polling instruments, ran statistical analyses, wrote data-specific opinion pieces, and synthesized study results into briefs used for public outreach and media engagement. His projects included the Lehigh Valley quality of life survey, a regional health survey, and an expansive national survey on attitudes toward climate change.
Nurture Nature Center
2014-2015
Brooke was also at the Nurture Nature Center (NNC), supporting the organization’s efforts to raise awareness of local environmental risk. Brooke helped with program development, event coordination and promotion, community engagement, environmental educational outreach, and grant-writing and research, and oversaw NNC volunteers and interns. In addition, she worked on a community needs assessment, which sought to understand environmental concerns and awareness in the Easton community.
Bethlehem Area School District
2014-2015
Julissa’s Community Fellowship was at Donegan Elementary School. She worked on the “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program, tracking student attendance, and with family social services to determine whether such support helped increase school attendance. Julissa also worked on school-wide vision initiatives, ensuring that every student in need of a pair of glasses received one, and she facilitated two programs that promoted literacy in the neighborhood.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2014-2015
Marissa worked on collecting and analyzing data for the 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) required under the Affordable Care Act. She gathered primary and secondary data for the study, led community focus groups, and developed surveys. She assisted in writing the final report, creating trend diagrams and tracking and summarizing demographic and health disparity statistics for the six hospitals in the St. Luke’s network.
Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley
2014-2015
Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley (PNLV) is a community development organization committed to the success of children from cradle to career. Elena managed the organization’s expansion into Bethlehem. This required collecting and analyzing data on Bethlehem’s education, safety, economy, and health, and conducting community meetings to share this data and get residents’ feedback.
City of Bethlehem, Department of Community and Economic Development
2014-2015
Jenny’s Community Fellowship involved collecting, analyzing and mapping data about the City’s housing stock and housing trends. This information helped city staff assess various housing programs and set goals for the future. Additionally, Jenny researched potential partnerships, similar communities and additional funding sources that could assist with the City’s objectives.
Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders
2010-2011
Paige is a Community Fellow at Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders (CDUEL), where her role is two‐fold. Paige is helping to facilitate a $3 million grant CDUEL received to strengthen current principal leadership in the Allentown School District, which includes the recruitment and training of aspiring urban principals for the district. Paige assists CDUEL in fostering collaboration between the grant’s five partner organizations, developing selection and recruitment criteria for aspiring leaders, and researching and employing turnaround leadership practices. Paige also works in the Family Center at Broughal Middle School, a Community School where Lehigh serves as the lead partner under the guidance of CDUEL. Here Paige tracks data for after‐school programming, is assisting in the development of a tutor training program and will be working to establish a Parent Academy for adult programs within the Community School. Paige is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
City Council’s Office, Allentown, PA
2010-2011
John is a Community Fellow for the City Council in the City of Allentown. John serves in the Council Clerk’s office, where he is working to re‐establish the City Youth Council to foster greater communication between the Council and the city’s youth. As part of this long term objective he has been involved with the leaders of recreation and after‐school programs within the city to determine the level of awareness and interest students have for existing programs. He has run focus groups in local schools and organizations, and will provide the city with recommendations about how the city can most effectively address some of its younger population’s more pressing concerns. John has begun to meet with a pilot group of Youth Council members, working with the students to develop the organization's structure and purpose before they begin planning for activities in Fall 2011. John will also assist in the development of the Partnership for Youth website, in conjunction with his Council work. John is an MA candidate in Political Science.
Muhlenberg College, Institute of Public Opinion
2010-2011
Katherine is a Community Fellow working with Muhlenberg College’s Institute of Public Opinion in Allentown, where she is involved in all aspects of public opinion research. Katherine’s main responsibilities include programming surveys, data collection, analyzing results, providing statistical analysis and tables, and writing reports based on the surveys conducted. Her first task was working on tracking polls for the Morning Call’s 2010 election coverage, analyzing data, and preparing it for the next day’s publication. Katherine is currently overseeing two major polling projects. One is a national survey on global climate change, and the other is a survey of Lehigh Valley residents on gambling. She will also be working on creating a survey with a local agency in the near future. Katherine is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
LVAIC’S Lehigh Valley Research Consortium
2010-2011
As a Community Fellow with the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium, Rachael works primarily with the LVRC’s Community‐Based Information System, which houses a wide array of community indicators, describing life in the Lehigh Valley. Yearly, new data and indicators are added as acquired. In addition, the LVRC’s releases two newsletters each year, as well as a status report, entitled “The State of the Lehigh Valley Report.” This year’s report was released January 13, 2011 in a community meeting held at Lehigh University, as a way of engaging the community and truly developing a picture of the state of the Lehigh Valley. This spring, as well as working with the CBIS, Rachael is also working on developing and researching a project of her own, related to life in the Lehigh Valley. Rachel is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders
2010-2011
Allison is a Community Fellow for Lehigh's Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders (CDUEL), where her work focuses on Lehigh's Community School Initiative with Broughal Middle School. Broughal is the newest of the Lehigh Valley's twelve Community Schools under the umbrella of COMPASS of the United Way, and Lehigh serves as the "lead partner," providing a variety of academic and after school supports and programming assistance. Allison works with the Community School Coordinator at Broughal where her tasks range from tracking after-school program interest among students to assisting with the management of after school programs. Allison designed a Needs Assessment survey to determine what types of programs adults in the Southside Community are interested in and will be helping to establish and run those programs. Allison will be helping to design and coordinate health-related projects at Broughal executed by Lehigh students in an Introduction to Public Health course this spring. She has also gotten members of the university community involved with Broughal students and their families in a number of programs, and will be developing an annual publicity and marketing strategy for informing Lehigh students, faculty, and staff about opportunities to engage with the Community School. Allison is a M.A. candidate in Sociology.
Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley
2010-2011
Jullie is a Community Fellow with Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley. She has taken an active role with their leadership team in developing and implementing strategies for Capital Growth and Business Development. This has involved strategic and operational planning, research and analysis of data and market trends, application of continuous process improvement methods, direct outreach and marketing, and basic project management as it relates to both organizational operations and home construction. Her responsibilities have included event planning, procuring and developing corporate/financial relationships and cultivating donor relations. Additionally, she oversees the production of monthly and quarterly income comparison reports. She is focusing on streamlining the state and federal grant writing process this spring semester. Jullie is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
New Bethany Ministries
2010-2011
Angela is a Community Fellow with New Bethany Ministries, a non‐profit organization serving the needs of the poor, the homeless, and mentally ill individuals of the Lehigh Valley. Angela is working on a variety of development projects designed to increase social awareness of New Bethany’s clients and its mission, while engaging younger members of the local community with New Bethany’s work. During the fall semester, Angela’s accomplishments included the planning, organization, and execution of the “Willet Snow on Christmas?” benefit concert, which raised funds and awareness of New Bethany’s mission while bringing together an audience of Lehigh students, staff and New Bethany clients. This spring Angela is working with board members on New Bethany’s 25th Anniversary Committee, which is developing a springtime celebration in honor of the work that New Bethany Ministries has accomplished over the past two and a half decades. Angela will also serve as a grant writer to assist in the acquisition of future funding in order to support the numerous programs managed by New Bethany Ministries and will work on policy analysis and research, some of which are directly linked to her development work. Angela is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2010-2011
Christina is a Community Fellow with St. Luke’s Community Health Department, working in the Fowler Family Center at Bethlehem’s Donegan Elementary School. She assists with the “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program funded by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. Christina works with the Fowler Center’s family development specialists to collect information concerning the students enrolled in the program, and maintains and updates a database for the enrolled students regarding their academic progress and social service needs. She also contributes to the Family Center’s bi‐monthly board meetings to discuss activities, programs and progress, and is assisting with the Family Center’s community needs assessment. Christina is able to connect with Donegan students in school, as well, through programs such as “Reading Rocks!” This spring she is working on developing other academically‐connected programs or initiatives with Donegan and the Fowler Family Center. Christina is a M.A. candidate in Sociology.
Lehigh County Men’s Community Correction Center
2011-2012
Lauren is a Community Fellow with theLehigh County Men’s Community Correction Center, a facility that houses work release participants in the Lehigh Valley. This program allows individuals to secure work prior to release, assisting them in paying their bills while encouraging strong work ethic. Lauren is involved with many aspects of the center specifically within the employment department. Some of her main responsibilities include collecting data for future grants, organizational programming, and project management relating to needs of the facility. Her first two projects included surveying all of the inmates to create a privilege system within the center and designing the curriculum for a new employment readiness class. This spring, Lauren will facilitate programming classes and acquire her own caseload to manage. Lauren is a M.A. candidate in Sociology.
Northampton County Children's Advocacy Center
2011-2012
Dominique is a Community Fellow with The Department of Human Services, County of Northampton. She is assisting the Director of Human Services and other department staff in the development of a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) which will serve the children of Northampton County. Children’s Advocacy Centers are child-focus, facility-based programs in which representatives from various disciplines: law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health, medical and victim advocacy –work together making team decisions about the investigation, treatment, management, and prosecution of child abuse cases. Dominique currently serves as the programs administrative officer of the CAC project. She will research how other CACs around the country operate, write policies and procedures for the new CAC, and assist in the incorporation and organization of the CAC. Dominique is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders
2011-2012
Molly is a Community Fellow at Broughal Middle School, where her responsibilities involve the development of school initiatives through writing-based work. As a community school, Broughal (with the help of its partners) plans and organizes programs and services available to students, their families, and the local community. Many of the initiatives and projects Molly is working on support and promote Broughal’s mission and shape its impact as a hub for the community. Molly is writing and designing Broughal’s new monthly newsletter, and is planning a curriculum for and helping to coordinate the “Rocket Writers” afterschool program. She has written a grant proposal for one of Broughal’s community service programs and will continue to research and write purposeful grants for educational programming. Throughout the year, her work will include conducting qualitative research for the assessment of program needs and services and the implementation of marketing strategy to better connect Broughal with Lehigh’s student body. Molly is an M.A. candidate in Sociology.
Historic Bethlehem Partnership
2011-2012
Elena is a Community Fellow for Historic Bethlehem Partnership, a local Smithsonian-affiliated nonprofit, working to preserve and present Bethlehem's three centuries of history to the community and its visitors. Elena will be working to improve HBP's communications and create new outreach programs, including business sponsorship and membership outreach models. In addition to research and analysis on the role of cultural nonprofits in healthy communities and economies, she will help HBP reach out to local business leaders and underserved member bases in an effort to concretely link Bethlehem's cultural capital to its economic success. Her responsibilities include cultivating relationships in the community, developing long-term strategies for development in these areas, and writing direct communication materials to members, sponsors, and visitors. Elena is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Bethlehem Community Collaborative
2011-2012
Brittany is a Community Fellow with the Bethlehem Community Collaborative, undertaking two youth- focused projects this year. She is coordinating volunteer-based after school enrichment programs at Donegan Elementary School where she will develop a sustainable volunteer-based model for after school programming. Brittany is also working with students from Freedom and Liberty High Schools to develop the new Bethlehem Area Youth Council, a BCC project designed to engage and empower youth in the city. She will facilitate meetings, serve as a resource for the students, coordinate events with local government, educational and business leaders, and assist the students to create and develop their own leadership project on an issue of their choice throughout the year. Brittany is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2011-2012
Rachel is a Community Fellow with St. Luke’s Community Health Department, working in the Fowler Family Center at Bethlehem’s Donegan Elementary School. She assists with the “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program funded by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, working with the Fowler Center’s family development specialists to collect information concerning the students enrolled in the program, maintaining and updating a database for the enrolled students to track their academic progress and social service needs, and analyzing data for the YSS annual report. Rachel connects with Donegan students in school as a program coordinator for “Reading Rocks!” and "Reach Out and Read" and will develop other academically-connected programs or initiatives with Donegan and the Fowler Family Center this year. Rachel is an M.A. candidate in Sociology.
Center for Humanistic Change
2011-2012
Laura is a Community Fellow at the Center for Humanistic Change (CHC), a non-profit organization devoted to improving the lives of those in the Lehigh Valley area through a variety of prevention-based education programs. The Center focuses on drug, alcohol, tobacco and violence prevention education. Laura will be working on a variety of projects for the CHC. These include: grant applications and reports, health and community education-related research projects and presentations, updating and maintaining the organizations social networking sites, creating internal office policies and evaluating and strengthening current programs and testing methods. Laura is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders
2011-2012
Christina is working at Broughal Community School through Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders. At Broughal, Christina’s primary responsibility is to coordinate the Broughal Middle School Greenhouse Gardening Club and oversee the renovations of the Broughal Middle School’s greenhouse. This will involve creating a curriculum for garden club students that supplements classroom learning, developing community outreach programs to educate the Broughal Community about gardening, and grant writing to financially sustain both the greenhouse and the garden club. Christina will also be organizing health and environmental programs for Broughal families throughout the year. Christina is an M.A. candidate in Environmental Policy Design.
Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV)
2011-2012
Rachel is a Community Fellow with Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV), an organization committed to promoting smart growth and smart governance in order to revitalize our core communities, preserve open space, and establish an economically and environmentally sustainable foundation for our region’s future growth. Over the course of the next year Rachel will be working to mobilize community support for the creation of Pennsylvania’s first bi-county health department; to advance land-use and planning approaches that promote urban revitalization and vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods; foster collaborative approaches to managing the region’s water and wastewater resources and infrastructure; and to modernize how local communities are governed through state-wide collaboration. Rachel is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2012-2013
Will is a Community Fellow with the AIDS Services Center (ASC), part of St. Luke's Community Health Department. Will works to fight both the spread of HIV and the spread of stigma and misinformation about the virus. His specific tasks include giving HIV information presentations at local high schools; establishing stronger links between the ASC and local LGBT community groups and college student groups; and utilizing social media to disseminate information about HIV and safe sex. His primary objective has been to facilitate the creation of a Peer Program for ASC clients and tofoster two-directional relationships between providers and clients. Will is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Nurture Nature Center
2012-2013
Laura’s fellowship is split between The Nurture Nature Center (NNC) and Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) Greater Lehigh Valley .  The organizations share similar goals of community building and raising awareness of environmental issues; NNC focuses on community need, while BFBL focuses on local food promotion. In the fall Laura gathered and analyzed pricing data from farmers’ markets and grocery stores for a report that is published on the BFBL website; she will spend more time on NNC work this spring and summer.  She assists both organizations with event planning and execution, develops and implements strategies to gather data from a full range of community members, and contributes to grant-writing. She also represents BFBL and NNC at public events, forums, and discussions. Laura is an M.A. candidate in Environmental Policy Design.
St. Luke’s University Health Network, Community Health Department
2012-2013
Emily is a Community Fellow with St. Luke’s Community Health Department, working in Donegan Community School’s Fowler Family Center and in other Donegan Community School initiatives. Her central role is to work with Donegan’s “Youth Succeeding in Schools” program (funded by the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley), tracking the academic progress of individual student’s, along with their family’s social service needs and access to services, in order to document whether supporting a family’s basic needs leads to increased student success. She will analyze the data for the YSS annual report.  Emily also facilitates two programs that promote literacy in the Southside, and in spring Emily will undertake an organizing project to encourage parent engagement with Donegan Community School. Emily is an M.A. candidate in Sociology.
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley
2012-2013
Joe is a Community Fellow with the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Alliance on Aging, aiding in their efforts to help older adults stay as independent as possible through funding of center-based support programs and various daily assistance programs, from transportation to meal provision/preparation, and more. He is involved in crafting the United Way’s investment plan for older adult programs and the development of a comprehensive library of older adult resources, and will be involved in the analysis of forthcoming survey research regarding the older population of the Lehigh Valley. Joe is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders
2012-2013
Allen Prendergast works in Broughal Community Middle School, under the guidance of Lehigh University’s Center for Developing Urban Educational Leaders(CDUEL).  CDUEL oversees Lehigh University’s lead partnership in the Community School model at Broughal. Allen has been involved with grant writing and research and seeking funding for existing and new Community School programs and projects. This semester he is working on an employment assistance program for parents of Broughal students, and will work with teachers to assess the efficacy of the Family Center, which acts as a community hub within Broughal.  Additionally, he has helped create the inaugural Student Government Association at Broughal Middle School. Allen is an M.A candidate in Political Science.
City of Easton Department of Planning and Codes
2012-2013
Michael is a Community Fellow with the City of Easton Department of Planning & Codes.  The Department is administering a multi-year effort to rewrite Easton’s Comprehensive Plan, which outlines principles and strategies to guide Easton’s future growth and development.  Michael is facilitating public participation in the process through a variety of channels. He creates explanatory materials detailing the Comprehensive Plan Rewrite; assists in moderating community input meetings; designs surveys; and manages the social media presence for the Department of Planning & Codes.  Michael has also completed Comprehensive Plan-related grant applications and budgets, and supervised undergraduate interns within the Department.  Michael is a M.A. candidate in Political Science.
Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV)
2012-2013
Brittany is a Community Fellow with Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV), an organization committed to promoting smart growth, smart governance and revitalizing our core communities.  Over the course of the next year Brittany will be working on EnvisionLV, a sustainable growth planning project focused on access to fresh food, transportation and an employment-housing balance, aided by catalytic economic development projects. Renew’s role in the grant is to coordinate public outreach and Brittany will be organizing public meetings, updating social media outlets, designing marketing, as well as furthering Renew’s other revitalization efforts by researching sustainable growth, writing Renew’s blog, conducting surveys and preparing assessment reports. Brittany is an M.A. candidate in Political Science.

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