Claire Sadler Announced One of Lehigh Valley’s Forty Under 40

Executive Director Claire W. Sadler Announced One of Lehigh Valley’s Forty Under 40

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (DLNHC) is proud to share that Executive Director Claire Wildermuth Sadler has been announced as one of the Lehigh Valley’s Forty Under 40 by Lehigh Valley Business and its panel of judges.  

The Forty Under 40 awards recognize leaders in the Lehigh Valley under the age of 40 based on their “professional accomplishments, community service and commitment to inspiring change.” Awardees are selected by an outside panel of judges, that includes winners from previous years, and will be honored during a ceremony in September. This award announcement comes a year after Claire’s appointment as Executive Director. 

Claire started working with the DLNHC in 2014 as a Conservation Coordinator, and then moved into the roles of Director of Trails & Conservation, Deputy Director, and Interim Executive Director before assuming the role of Executive Director officially in June of 2021.

“I care deeply for the organization’s mission and team,” Claire had stated during her appointment. “Understanding the struggles we’ve been through, I look forward to furthering team comradery and new ideas as we work towards preserving, interpreting, and celebrating the rich heritage of the Corridor for generations to come.” 

When taking on the role, Claire’s main priorities included building the leadership team to prepare for a new DLNHC Strategic Action Plan and advancing DLNHC’s strengths of connecting communities, filling D&L Trail gaps, and exploring the Heritage Corridor’s history in new ways.  

Under Claire’s compassionate leadership at DLNHC since being named Executive Director, she set up retreats, solicited feedback, instituted “Nature Time,” and made changes to ensure the mental and physical well-being of DLNHC staff. While her organizational and trail leadership surprised none, her success at managing the National Canal Museum (a signature program of DLNHC) is impressive. Not only did Claire re-open the Museum to the public under new, safe protocols during COVID, she also highly encouraged the development and institution of in-person and online educational programming throughout the Corridor and beyond.

DLNHC sends its sincerest congratulations to Claire Sadler and the rest of the awardees for this achievement. We look forward to many future celebrations and successes to be held with Claire as our Executive Director in the years to come.  

For more information about the Forty Under 40 awards and to see the full list of winners, click here. 

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that preserves the historic pathway that carried coal and iron from Wilkes-Barre to Philadelphia. Today, the D&L connects people to nature, culture, communities, recreation, and our industrial heritage.