Joanne H. Raphael recently retired as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of PPL Corporation. In addition to leading PPL’s legal department, Raphael was also responsible for PPL’s compliance, federal government relations, corporate communications and philanthropy functions.

During her 30-year career at PPL, Raphael served in a number of roles, including senior vice president and chief external affairs officer and deputy general counsel in the Office of General Counsel. Raphael guided the company’s legal, policy and communication strategies through times of major transitions, including mergers and acquisitions. She has also led the community affairs, environmental, state government relations and real estate groups.

Raphael holds degrees from Wellesley College and Stanford Law School. She also completed the Developing Managerial Excellence program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

She serves as board chair of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s board of directors. She is also a director of the PPL Foundation, which contributes millions each year to improve the lives of people in the communities PPL serves.

Dorota Gasienica-Kozak loves being a member of the United Way Board of Directors because, “we help change lives everyday.” She is also solicitor for the organization. Mrs. Kozak is a partner in the KingSpry law firm and chair of the Adoption/Assisted Reproductive Technology practice section. She also practices in the areas of Family Law and Estate Planning.

Mrs. Kozak is the Past Chair of the Board of Governors for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. She was a Girl Scouts Take the Lead honoree in 2018, a “YWCA Woman of the Year” for 2014, and in 2016, she was named a Woman of Influence by Lehigh Valley Business. A graduate of the Leadership Lehigh Valley program, Mrs. Kozak is a former member of the board and was the 2012 Leadership Lehigh Valley Alumni of the Year. She has been named a Rising Star honoree by Super Lawyer Magazine and Philadelphia Magazine.

Mrs. Kozak earned dual degrees from DeSales University in Politics and Criminal Justice. Mrs. Kozak graduated from Temple University’s James E. Beasley School of Law. She is an ardent volunteer with many community organizations including the Girl Scouts, IronPigs Charities and the Bradbury Sullivan LGBT Community Center.

Ashley Russo, president and owner of ASR Media Productions, and her husband, Joe Russo, M.D., have been named United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s (UWGLV) 2022 Campaign Chairs alongside Vince Sorgi and his wife Michelle.

Mr. Sorgi and Ms. Russo have a long tenure in UWGLV service. Both have held the role of Tocqueville Cabinet Chair and in 2018, led the donor group together. Ms. Russo has also been an active board member since 2014. ASR Media Productions boasts 100% employee campaign participation since 2019 and their team actively volunteers with UWGLV and other nonprofit organizations throughout the year.

A twenty-five-year media veteran, Ms. Russo is a four-time Emmy® award-winning executive producer and on-air host. The recipient of several leadership awards, she was most recently honored with the LifePath and PICPA Community Service Person of the Year award, recognized for Girl Scouts of Eastern PA’s Take the Lead, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s Community Builder, and received the Betsy Torrence Philanthropist of the Year from Women United. Along with the UWGLV, Ms. Russo sits on the boards of Children’s Home of Easton, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and Hospital Central Services, Inc.& Affiliates (HCSC). She is an active committee member, supporting the NCC Foundation, Wildlands Conservancy, Equili-brium, American Heart Association, and Women United.

Vince Sorgi, president and CEO of PPL Corporation, and his wife, Michelle, have been named United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley’s (UWGLV) 2022 Campaign Chairs alongside Ashley Russo and her husband Joe.

Mr. Sorgi and Ms. Russo have a long tenure in UWGLV service. Both have held the role of Tocqueville Cabinet Chair and in 2018, led the donor group together. A dedicated partner of UWGLV, PPL has offered a dollar-for-dollar employee campaign match since 2017. In 2021, the organization’s annual campaign surpassed $5 million. 

With more than 25 years of experience in the utility industry, Mr. Sorgi oversees PPL’s high-performing, award-winning regulated utilities in the United States. Penn State University’s Alumni Association named Sorgi an Alumni Fellow — the organization’s highest award — for his outstanding leadership and performance. He also received the Da Vinci Visionary Leadership Award and the 2018 Spirit of Verrocchio Mentorship Award. Mr. and Mrs. Sorgi were honored with the Philanthropists of the Year award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Eastern PA in 2020. Sorgi serves on the board of directors for the St. Luke’s Health Network, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Edison Electric Institute. He is a member of EPRI’s Executive Committee and is chair of EPRI’s Low-Carbon Resources Initiative Board Working Group and also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Da Vinci Science Center.

With more than 30 years dedicated the world’s largest nonprofit, David Lewis is humbled to serve as President of United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley since 2013. Under his leadership, the UWGLV team has raised and invested record-setting amounts to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents throughout Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties. In 2021, UWGLV made the most significant community investment in the organization’s 103-year history, a record breaking $22 million. With a passion for helping people in need and a gift for partnership building, Lewis has raised more than $300 million throughout his career.  
 
During his tenure as President, UWGLV has been recognized among the top 40 of 1,800 United Ways located around the world, specifically as a Center of Excellence. Using innovative and collaborative leadership, Lewis has led the Greater Lehigh Valley to adopt a Collective Impact model and mobilize around three, bold and common goals. Since setting those goals in 2014, third grade reading rates have improved, 17,000 more people have access to affordable food and 50 percent more seniors can stay safe and healthy at home.
 
Lewis spent the early part of his career as a social worker with middle and high-school students and later transitioned to fundraising to reach more people in need. He began working with United Way in 1988 as campaign director in Southeastern Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), served as Vice President of Resource Development in Camden County, New Jersey and was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in Lancaster County. He joined UWGLV in 2012 as Vice President, Resource Development.
 
Lewis holds a B.S. in social work from Elizabethtown College and M.S.W. in social work administration from Rutgers University. He’s been recognized by Lehigh Valley Business as a Game Changer – Most Admired CEO of a Nonprofit and honored with The Salvation Army’s Spirit of the Lehigh Valley award.
 
Lewis has three adult children: Joshua, Jacob and Riley and a grandson Jack Elliott. He resides in Hellertown and loves living and working in a community where so many people care about helping their neighbors.

Marci Lesko is a values-driven, human-centered leader, strategist and noted public speaker. Marci currently serves as the Executive Vice President at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, one of the top performing United Way organizations in the United States.

Marci co-leads United Way to achieve its vision and purpose through organization development, strategy and planning, oversight of strategic technology, marketing and communications, grants and product development, and the lead strategist for the organization’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Marci’s background and expertise in bullying prevention, public and community health, victim services, juvenile offender mediation and education reform have provided a foundation of knowledge and skills to apply to complex social issues and systems change.

As a proud member of Women United, Marci has won five distinguished awards in the Lehigh Valley: The Human Relations Commission (2005), the Donley Award for Children’s Advocacy (2016), Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania Take the Lead Award (2017), Community Achievement Award/Lehigh Valley Business Woman of Influence (2018) and the PBS39 Fred Rogers Good Neighbor Award (2018). Marci also led her organization to receive the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Community Leadership Award (2021).

Marci co-created the Lehigh Valley Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practitioner Network, serves on the Board of Directors for LINC, as the Board Chair for Enduring Keys, LLC, as an advisory board member with Festival UnBound, as the Vice Chair of Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PA’s premiere child abuse prevention organization), and as a member of the Palmerton Concourse Club.

Marci is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Professional Services in Organization Development and Change Management at Pennsylvania State University. And finally, Marci recently completed Dr. Brene Brown’s Daring Leadership course intensive.

Paul Hurd is Chief Philanthropy Officer at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV) and is responsible for overseeing the fundraising component of the organization. His responsibilities include working with the executive team to develop key strategies to increase corporate, employee and individual giving; ensuring effective volunteer management in support of resource development goals; and building and supporting relationship management within the organization.

Most recently, Hurd has held leadership positions at Thomas Jefferson University and Lehigh Valley Health Network. He has successfully led capital campaigns and has raised millions of dollars for each organization including several million dollar-plus gifts.

Locally, he serves on the Muhlenberg College Alumni Board and is a Director of the Andre Reed Foundation. Hurd holds an A.B. in Communications from Muhlenberg College and an M.S. in Telecommunications from Kutztown University. He and Susan, his wife of over 25 years, have two adult children, Matt and Abby.

Debra Klocek is V.P. Finance and Administration for United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. Klocek has held the top finance spot at the Lehigh Valley location for the past five years after gaining 20 years of knowledge in the department. Klocek is responsible for all financial and fiscal management aspects of the organization and the development of UWGLV’s financial management strategy. She also contributes to the development of the organization’s strategic goals while overseeing operations of the organization.

Klocek is charged with overseeing United Way’s $12 million annual fund with the guidance of the Finance Committee that she manages -- a volunteer team comprised of some of the brightest financial minds in the Lehigh Valley. Other volunteer committees that Klocek oversees are the investment committee which steers handling of reserves, the 401k plan and the Board Opportunity Fund. Klocek also oversees the audit committee. She is also responsible for HR policies, endowment, capital budget acquisitions and the gift acceptance policy for United Way’s 22,000 donors.

Klocek’s extensive knowledge of United Way began in 1995 when she was hired as an Administrative Director. She was responsible for all accounting functions, accounts payable and receivables, financial reports, budget, and the coordination of the annual audit. In 2003, Klocek was named Grants Administrator and was responsible for the management of $1 million in grant revenue which increased her knowledge of Federal, State, and local government policies. She was then promoted to Controller in 2005 where she directed and managed the daily financial operations of the organization.

Professional affiliations include the Northern Lehigh Community Center and the Allentown School District Foundation Finance Committee.

Laura McHugh serves as the Vice President, Marketing and Communications for United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley (UWGLV)–the first in the organization's history. In this role, McHugh leads strategic communications as well as oversees all messaging, content, digital communications, advertising and events. 

McHugh most recently served as Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications for UWGLV. She is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist, producer and writer with an extensive background in media and nonprofit work. 

Along with her two Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards, McHugh’s work has earned her fifteen Emmy nominations, two National Educational Telecommunications Association awards and two Truth in Finances Awards from the Pennsylvania Institute for Certified Public Accountants. In October, she received the ATHENA Leadership Award from the Women’s Business Council of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. McHugh serves as President of the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-Atlantic Chapter and as a volunteer committee member for ArtsQuest.  

McHugh holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Maryland, Philip Merrill College of Journalism and has more than 15 years of reporting, producing and hosting experience in both commercial and public television news. She lives in Allentown with her husband and two children.

Jill Pereira’s professional background includes working in high-need communities in the Lehigh Valley serving diverse populations spanning the fields of mental health, juvenile justice, children and youth, public housing and public education.  Jill’s drive to positively impact the interconnectedness of systems has brought her to United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.  She has taken on increasing levels of leadership in evolving roles throughout her nine-year tenure.  She is currently responsible for overseeing UWGLV’s $5 million annual investment in education and for creating and executing on the strategies needed to improve youth outcomes across the region.    
 
Jill is passionate about working with underserved communities, building capacity and creating opportunity for change.  In addition to her own personal story connected to resilience, Jill completed a life enhancing study abroad program in Quito, Ecuador while earning her BSW degree and continued intentional work with the Hispanic community in the Lehigh Valley upon returning and completing her Master’s degree in Social Work from Marywood University in 2004. 
 
Jill has presented at numerous local, state and national conferences on the Community School model and the role a United Way can play in large-scale social change efforts.  She was named one of the Lehigh Valley Business Forty Under Forty recipients in 2015 for her work at United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.  Jill lives in Palmerton, Pennsylvania with her husband and three beautiful children.