{"id":145794,"date":"2025-10-25T14:25:48","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T18:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145794"},"modified":"2025-10-25T14:25:48","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T18:25:48","slug":"via-of-the-lehigh-valley-welcomes-new-board-members-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=145794","title":{"rendered":"Via of the Lehigh Valley Welcomes New Board Members"},"content":{"rendered":"

Featured image from left to right: Murtaza Jaffer, Stephen Perun, and Rachel Sokolsky, Esq.<\/em><\/p>\n

Via of the Lehigh Valley Welcomes New Board Members <\/strong><\/p>\n

BETHLEHEM, PA <\/strong>\u2013 Via of the Lehigh Valley is proud to announce the appointment of Murtaza Jaffer, Stephen Perun, and Rachel Sokolsky, Esq. to its Board of Directors.<\/p>\n

Jaffer is a partner at EBC Printing & Signs in Allentown. He brings a wealth of experience in communication, brand development, and storytelling, having earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in marketing and communications from The Pennsylvania State University – Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe everyone deserves a chance to thrive, and Via\u2019s work makes that possible for so many in our community. I am honored to join the Via board and contribute to an organization that makes such a meaningful impact in our community,\u201d said Jaffer. \u201cI invite you to come see the impact firsthand \u2013 take a tour of Via, meet the incredible team, and witness the difference being made every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perun currently serves as Vice President, Commercial Loan Officer at Peoples Security Bank & Trust Company in Allentown. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from The Pennsylvania State University\u2019s Smeal College of Business and brings strong fiscal management and control, as well as budgeting skills to the Via board.<\/p>\n

\u201cVia\u2019s mission resonates deeply with me. Supporting individuals with disabilities as they pursue greater independence and opportunities is incredibly meaningful work. I am honored to contribute to an organization that uplifts and strengthens the fabric of our community,\u201d said Perun.<\/p>\n

Sokolsky is an associate attorney at King Spry Herman Freund & Faul in Bethlehem, specializing in special education law and excelling in organizational development, public speaking, and writing. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Drexel University\u2019s Thomas R. Kline School of Law in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

Sokolsky shares, \u201cVia\u2019s mission to empower individuals with disabilities aligns closely with my values and career objectives. I believe everyone deserves access to meaningful opportunities and supportive environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michael Keller, Chair of Via\u2019s Board of Directors, added:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are thrilled to welcome Murtaza, Steve, and Rachel to the Board. Their professional expertise and passion for community engagement will help guide Via\u2019s strategic direction and strengthen our commitment to serving individuals with disabilities across the Lehigh Valley.\u201d<\/p>\n

About Via of the Lehigh Valley <\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded in 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.<\/p>\n

Led by Lisa Walkiewicz, President and CEO and 2023 Chamber of Commerce Woman of the Year Award recipient, Via was named a Top Workplace in 2023 and 2024 by The Morning Call<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Each year, Via supports over 1,000 children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Lehigh, Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Bucks, and Berks counties. Services<\/p>\n

include vocational exploration, community employment, early intervention therapies, inclusive education, and recreational opportunities.\u00a0Learn more at www.ViaNet.org<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Featured image from left to right: Murtaza Jaffer, Stephen Perun, and Rachel Sokolsky, Esq. Via of the Lehigh Valley Welcomes New Board Members BETHLEHEM, PA \u2013 Via of the Lehigh … Continue reading Via of the Lehigh Valley Welcomes New Board Members<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":145795,"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-145794","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\/2025\/10\/via-board-25.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145794"}],"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=145794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/145794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/145795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=145794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=145794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=145794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}