Governance & Staff
Governance
As an independent non-profit organization, LVAIC is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of the presidents from the six founding colleges and universities. It receives core funding through a formula assessment to the members. The LVAIC Executive Director serves as the consortium’s chief executive officer.
LVAIC Board of Directors
Elizabeth Meade, Chair – Cedar Crest College
James Greenfield – DeSales University
Nicole Hurd – Lafayette College
Joseph Helble – Lehigh University
Bryon Grigsby – Moravian University
Kathleen Harring – Muhlenberg College
LVAIC Audit Committee
Elizabeth Meade (Chair) – President, Cedar Crest College, emeade@cedarcrest.edu
Audra Kahr (Vice Chair)
Mark Reed – Vice President for Finance and Administration, Moravian University, reedm@moravian.edu
Deanne Fenstermacher – Controller, DeSales University Deanne.Fenstermacher@desales.edu
LVAIC Staff
Diane Dimitroff
Executive Director
dimitroffd@lvaic.org
Diane Dimitroff has served as the chief executive of the Lehigh Valley Association of Independent Colleges (LVAIC) since 2012. In this capacity, she provides strategic direction to the organization and leadership to collaborative initiatives. She is a non-voting member of the LVAIC Board of Directors, comprised of the presidents of the member institutions. Ms. Dimitroff meets regularly with the senior leadership of the members including the Chief Academic Officers, Chief Financial Officers, Senior Student Affairs Officers and other administrative planning groups. She also represents LVAIC in the Lehigh Valley community.
Ms. Dimitroff has more than 30 years of experience leading and building collaboration in corporate, nonprofit and higher education organizations. Prior to joining LVAIC, she served as the chief executive at the Brockport Auxiliary Service Corporation. Her executive and leadership experience includes positions such as Vice President of Operations at ARAMARK and Vice President of Xerox Real Estate Corporation as well as leadership positions at Xerox and the University of Rochester. Ms. Dimitroff has served in volunteer and leadership roles in many nonprofit organizations and professional associations. Currently, she serves as the chair of board the Third Street Alliance for Women and Children and the treasurer of the Association for Collaborative Leadership. She holds a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
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Janet L. Baker
Strategic Partnership Director
bakerj@lvaic.org
Janet Baker serves as the Strategic Partnership Director. In this role, she focuses on developing and implementing collaborative operating efficiencies and cost savings.
Janet brings to LVAIC many years of experience in higher education as well as a proven track record improving efficiencies with technology enabled processes, collaboratively working across campus constituencies, and understanding and utilizing data for decision making. Janet holds a bachelor’s degree from Cedar Crest College and an MBA from Alvernia University.
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Charlene D. Bergstresser, MS, RN, PCC,
Program Director
bergstresserc@lvaic.org
Charlene Bergstresser serves as the Program Director. A lifelong learner, Charlene has had a diverse professional journey. She attained her BSN from West Chester University in 1986 and an MS in Human Resource Development from Drexel University in 2013. Additionally, she has been an International Coaching Federation certified coach since 2015, most recently achieving her Professional Certified Coaching credential.
Charlene joined LVAIC in January of 2017 where she is responsible for professional development as well as program development, implementation and management for various LVAIC initiatives. In this role she partners with the leaders, faculty, staff and various communities of practice to identify, develop and implement innovative programs for the LVAIC community. Prior to joining LVAIC, she held a variety of roles in health care and community youth services. The span of Charlene’s professional experiences includes roles in care delivery, program and operational management, healthcare leadership, adult development, leadership development, team and group facilitation, leadership consulting, and executive coaching.
Through individual and group learning environments, Charlene strives to help others develop and achieve their fullest potential. She believes effective relationships are built through inquiry, safety, and trust, and makes these the cornerstones of her work. Having consulted and coached on a variety of issues she is most passionate around the topics of communication, change, conflict, transitions, and diversity and inclusion.
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Christine Carpino
LVRC Director
carpinoc@lvaic.org
As the Director of the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium (LVRC), Christine Carpino coordinates LVAIC faculty and student research on quality of life issues in the Lehigh Valley. She also locates and manages research projects in the Lehigh Valley, as well as secure project funding.
Christine holds a B.A. in Politics from Fairfield University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently serves as a faculty member of political science at Cedar Crest College.
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Carrie Gradin
Program Manager
gradinc@lvaic.org
Carrie plans and executes the events for the organization, manages all marketing and communications for the LVAIC office, including the website and social media. Her role encompasses overseeing the daily administration of collaborative initiatives and project management.
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Chelsea Hill
Controller
hillc@lvaic.org
Chelsea supports the accounting activities of the LVAIC office. She holds a B.S. in Accounting from Kutztown University, an M.S. in Accounting from New England College, and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She also holds a certificate in Human Resources Management.
