Don Cunningham

About Don Cunningham

Don Cunningham has been president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development…

Experience

1. President & CEO

   Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp

   Jul 2012 — Present

   Don Cunningham has been president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation since July 2012. Prior to leading the region’s economic development organization, Cunningham served in a variety of key public and private positions for more than two decades. He was twice-elected Mayor of Bethlehem, twice-elected Lehigh County Executive, and the appointed Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of General Services in Governor Ed Rendell’s administration. He also served as President of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and as a member of Bethlehem City Council. Prior to his public sector career, Cunningham worked for the Fortune 500-company, PPL, in Allentown and served in the Moravian College administration in Bethlehem. Cunningham has played a key role in the economic renaissance of the Lehigh Valley, which includes the principal cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, and part of the transformation of the region’s economy from heavy industry to a diversified economic base with an annual GDP of $33 billion. He has been responsible for managing budgets ranging from $50 million to $4 billion and has overseen economic development and/or urban growth initiatives, resulting in billions in new investments and the creation of tens of thousands of jobs. Cunningham earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a minor in government in 1987 from Shippensburg University and a Master of Arts in political science from Villanova University in 1991, where he graduated summa cum laude. He was born and raised in Bethlehem, where his family has lived for five generations.

Skills

• Newsletters
• Nonprofits
• Budgets
• Small Business
• Research
• Social Media Marketing
• Past Pa State Cabinet Secretary
• Public Relations
• Social Networking
• Public Speaking
• Past Director of Media Relations for Moravian College
• Served 17 Years in Government as an Elected or Appointed Official
• Proposal Writing
• Social Media
• Strategic Communications
• Grants
• Press Releases
• Community Development
• Organizational Development
• Community Outreach
• Management
• Strategic Planning
• Leadership Development
• Past President of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities
• Team Building
• Grant Writing
• Leadership
• Program Development
• Past Corporate Communications Dept. at Ppl
• Strategy
• Event Management
• Policy
• Volunteer Management
• Event Planning
• Marketing Communications
• Focused on Economic Growth and Development for the Lehigh Valley
• Served as Mayor and City Councilman in the City of Bethlehem, Pa
• Government
• Economic Development
• Business Planning