Allentown, Pa., March 26, 2024—LVCF President and CEO Erika Riddle Petrozelli, CPA, CAP®, was selected as one of this year’s Lehigh Valley Business’s Women of Influence. The designation recognizes high-achieving women for their tremendous career accomplishments. The Women of Influence honorees are selected based on professional experience, community involvement and a commitment to mentoring. See the list of recipients at: Women of Influence Awards – LVB
Erika Riddle Petrozelli stepped into the leadership role in January 2021, in the midst of a pandemic and racial justice movement. Through her steady leadership, the Community Foundation has achieved an immense amount over the last three years. A few of those achievements include: Developing a new strategic plan, diversifying the board, creating new messaging and marketing, implementing a new database system to increase efficiency, and leading the process to refine grantmaking platform. During the last three years, LVCF’s assets have grown significantly, in addition to expanding and deepening relationships.
Her entire staff supported her nomination. Her leadership style is empowering, bold, strategic, and thoughtful. She exemplifies what it means to lead with curiosity and intellect. She’s a values-based leader who sees the potential and leadership in each person. She has continuously utilized her position and role to lift up other women around her, often times women who have been unrecognized previously. She inspires her staff to not only be good at their job, but also to be good people.
Some of her current leadership roles in the community include: Board of Directors on the Bach Choir, Vice Chair of the Board of the Pennsylvania Community Foundation Alliance, Immediate Past President of the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley, member of the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley and mother of two beautiful children.
In 2023, Erika attained the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) designation, administered through The American College of Financial Services. She was a 2018-19 Rider-Pool Foundation Collective Impact Fellowship, participating in a program that trains and equips nonprofit leaders to address complex community needs and develop stronger cross-sector partnerships. In 2016, Erika completed the Leadership Lehigh Valley program at Northampton Community College. A Bethlehem native, she graduated from Lehigh University with a major in Accounting. She was awarded the President’s Scholarship and went on to earn her Masters in Accounting and Information Analysis.
She is a cherished leader by not only her staff, but also the many fundholders and partners of the community foundation.