United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley Helps Bring Northeast Region Together at Historic Conference
United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and United Way Worldwide were proud to host the first 2026 Northeast Regional Conference, which brought together 461 attendees from 88 United Ways across 13 states, stretching from Maine to Ohio, introducing them to everything that Pennsylvania has to offer with the Mummers and the various Lehigh Valley Mascots making morning appearances. It was a powerful reminder that when communities come together sharing ideas, challenges and solutions, the impact is far greater than any one organization could achieve alone.
Collaboration at the Core
A consistent message rang out across sessions: today’s most pressing challenges cannot be solved by any single organization. Lasting change depends on strong partnerships among nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, schools and community members working in concert.
Using Data to Drive Change
Participants explored how tools like 211 and ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) help communities identify emerging needs, understand service gaps and direct resources where they can have the greatest impact. When we listen to both data and community voice, we make smarter, more equitable decisions.
Innovation and Strong Leadership
Attendees also explored fresh approaches to philanthropy, volunteer engagement, workforce development and community investment ensuring United Ways across the region remain responsive as needs evolve. Conference sessions on board governance, organizational culture and crisis response reinforced that strong communities start with strong leadership at every level.
Thank you to our speakers Dr. Anita Chandra, Distinguished Chair in American Social Policy from RAND, Turtle Clan Mother Whatwehni:neh, Frieda Jacques of the Onondaga Nation, Dr. Robert Simmons, the VP of US Social Impact and Community Engagement and National Grid, Rosie Allen-Herring, Interim President and CEO of United Way Worldwide and Michael Allison, veteran and CEO/Founder of the Adversity Leadership Institute.
To our co-chairs Marci Lesko, President and CEO of the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley and Peter Gannon, CEO of United Way Greater Capital Region.
And to our sponsors: United Way Worldwide, Sunny, PPL Corp., Beyond The Horizon Technologies, Andar, UPIC Solutions and StratusLIVE, UPIC Solutions, Capital CFO+, Elizabethtown College, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Prezzee, Seabrooks, Staples, The Outreach Program, United Way of Greater New York State, United Way of the Greater Capital Region, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, Visionlink, Your Part Time Controller, UniFi, United Way of Pennsylvania, Just Born Quality Confections, United Way of Long Island, GivePulse, Milton Hershey School, HDI Wholesale, Crayola, Tech Lounge, Turnstone Creative, Dan Barnes and the Barnes Family Foundation, and Adversity Academy for helping making this event possible.
