COMMUNITY ACTION ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP HIRES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact: Dannah Hartman                                                                                               Phone: 484-523-0900                                                                                                         Email: dhartman@caclv.org

COMMUNITY ACTION ANNOUNCES NEW LEADERSHIP HIRES

Community Action Lehigh Valley is proud to announce the promotion of Jessica Reimert to Deputy Executive Director for Operations, filling the role previously held by Dawn Godshall, the agency’s new Executive Director. In her new role, Reimert will be responsible for ensuring the daily functions of the organization are consistent with nonprofit standards and compliant with all contractual obligations, especially the agency’s business unit, community service, and housing initiatives. She will also handle contract compliance, operational policies and procedures, and assist with program development.

Reimert has been with the agency for more than eight years. She started in 2013 as the Human Resources Coordinator while she was pursuing her Master’s Degree in Public Administration. In 2015, she was promoted to Human Resources Director and in 2019 to Associate Executive Director for Human Resources.

“Always willing to take on new projects and tasks outside of the scope of her HR duties, Jess has been instrumental in assisting to get numerous projects done around the agency,” said Dawn Godshall, Community Action’s Executive Director. “Her knowledge of our programs, dedication to our mission, and willingness to always learn and grow with the needs of our community, made her the perfect choice as my replacement.”

Community Action is also proud to announce and welcome Jaana Kelley as the agency’s Associate Executive Director for Community Services. In this role, she will be responsible for providing leadership for the agency’s community services programs including Sixth Street Shelter, Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, Racial and Ethnic Justice, Slate Belt Rising, Community Action Development Corporation of Allentown, and Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem.

Kelley has her Master of Social Work (MSW) and Bachelor of Science in Psychology, both from Delaware State University. She comes to Community Action with experience in providing training in leadership and management, growth and development, designing competency tools and implementing process improvement strategies. She has a particular interest in diversity, equity, and inclusive work.

Godshall notes she is looking forward to working with Kelley, “Her energy and experience in helping to streamline processes for organizations to increase operating efficiencies will be a welcome addition to our team.”

Godshall, Reimert, and Kelley will all begin their new positions effective June 1, 2021.

Slate Belt Rising congratulates their scholarship recipients and wish all recent graduates success in their future endeavors! 

Jessica Reimert

Jaana Kelley

About Community Action

Community Action operates a wide range of programs designed to improve the quality of life for low-income people in the region. Those programs include the Second Harvest Food Bank, the Sixth Street Shelter, housing initiatives like homeownership counseling and foreclosure mitigation, rehab and new construction. The agency operates entrepreneurial programs that make loans and offer small business training. It also does extensive neighborhood revitalization work in downtown Allentown, south Bethlehem and the Slate Belt, ranging from façade improvements and creating pocket parks to planting trees and streetscaping. Only 32% of its budget comes from government funding, a proportion without equal among more than 1,000 Community Action Agencies in the nation. 

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