{"id":144559,"date":"2025-08-26T22:08:41","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T02:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=144559"},"modified":"2025-08-26T22:08:41","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T02:08:41","slug":"via-of-the-lehigh-valley-and-via-foundation-announce-leadership-transitions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=144559","title":{"rendered":"Via of the Lehigh Valley and Via Foundation Announce Leadership Transitions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Via is proud to recognize the dedicated service of two long-standing leaders as they retire from their roles: Jerry Somers<\/strong>, Chairman of the Via Board of Directors, and Brian Cook<\/strong>, Chairman of the Via Foundation Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Michael Keller<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jerry Somers has been a steadfast advocate for Via\u2019s mission, providing strategic leadership and unwavering support throughout his 16-year tenure. His guidance has helped shape the organization\u2019s growth and impact in the Lehigh Valley. Michael Keller<\/strong>, currently Marketing Manager at Barry Isett & Associates, Inc. in Allentown, PA, will succeed Jerry as chairman of the Via Board of Directors. Michael brings a strong background in communications and community engagement to the role.<\/p>\n

Brian Cook, who joined the Via Foundation Board of Directors in 2012, is also stepping down after 13 years of service. With a distinguished background in finance, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Lehigh Valley Market President of People\u2019s Security Bank & Trust, Brian brought invaluable expertise and vision to the Foundation\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jeremy Sestito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Via is pleased to announce that Jeremy Sestito<\/strong>, Director of Global Accounting at OraSure Technologies, will assume the role of chairman of the Via Foundation Board. Jeremy brings a strong financial background and a passion for community service that will continue to advance the Foundation\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cVia extends our deepest gratitude to Jerry and Brian for their many years of service. We are excited to welcome Mike and Jeremy into these leadership roles,\u201d said Via President & CEO Lisa Walkiewicz. \u201cTheir expertise and passion for our mission will be invaluable as we look to the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

About Via of the Lehigh Valley<\/h1>\n

Serving our community since 1952, Via\u2019s mission is to help people reach their full potential through a rewarding career, meaningful relationships, and an enriching community life. Via creates pathways to success through vocation, inclusion, and advocacy. Led by 2023 Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year Award winner, Lisa Walkiewicz, President and CEO, Via was named a Top Workplace in 2023, 2024 and 2025 by The Morning Call.<\/p>\n

In a typical year, Via provides services to 1,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Bucks, and Berks counties. These services include vocational exploration, community employment, educational activities, volunteer and<\/p>\n

recreational opportunities for teens and adults, early intervention therapies, and inclusive education for young children. Visit www.ViaNet.org<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n

About Via Foundation<\/h1>\n

Via Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the mission of Via of the Lehigh Valley. The Foundation provides vital resources to grow and sustain services that empower individuals with disabilities to live more independent and fulfilling lives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nChristine Bell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Via is proud to recognize the dedicated service of two long-standing leaders as they retire from their roles: Jerry Somers, Chairman of the Via Board of Directors, and Brian Cook, … Continue reading Via of the Lehigh Valley and Via Foundation Announce Leadership Transitions<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":105911,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-144559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/vis.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144559"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=144559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144559\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/105911"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=144559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=144559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=144559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}