Our Team

Elissa’s leadership at the Delaware & Lehigh brought about a merger with the National Canal Museum. During her tenure with the D&L, 132 miles of the 165-mile D&L Trail have been completed; the “Get Your Tail on the Trail” wellness initiative was launched in partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network; the “Tales of the Towpath” educational curriculum has been expanded to more than 70 elementary schools; 4000 students have participated in related field trips; and the Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape program has become a model conservation landscape program in the Commonwealth.

Garofalo developed two regional revitalization programs and directed the update of the Corridor’s Management Action Plan. She is a steering committee member of Philadelphia’s Regional Bicycle Network – “The Circuit”, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas and is a ToP™ Facilitator.

Before coming to the D&L, Elissa was a small business owner and one of America’s first Main Street Managers. She pioneered efforts that led to Jim Thorpe’s main street (Broadway) being named one of Great Places of America by the American Planning Association in 2013. She holds a B.S. in Urban & Regional Planning from the Pennsylvania State University and is the proud mother of Maggie and Jay Marsden.

Claire (Wildermuth) Sadler joined the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor as Conservation Coordinator in 2014 and became Director of Trails & Conservation in 2016. Claire is responsible for a variety of duties, primarily serving as lead of the Lehigh Valley Greenways, one of Pennsylvania’s seven Conservation Landscapes. Lehigh Valley Greenways is a state sponsored, regional conservation partnership that brings together public and private stakeholders in an organized effort to link communities with greenways, trails, and outdoor resources, to strengthen local economies and improve public health, green infrastructure and natural resources. Claire also manages the Lehigh Valley Greenways mini grant program, Get Your Tail on the Trail health initiative in partnership with St. Luke’s Health Network, and the Lehigh Valley Regional Trail Council.  She graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH with a degree in Environmental Studies. Prior to accepting this position, she was a Forestry and Land Management Analyst with Woodland Management Services, Tafton, PA and Director of Education at Fernbrook Farms Education Center, Bordentown, NJ. Claire lives in Bethlehem Township with her husband, Tom, and their son, Lincoln. They enjoy finding new places for enjoying nature in the region and can often be seen enjoying the D&L Trail with their dog, Ripley.

Kelly Federico joined the D&L in March 2018 as the Manager of Gifts and Development. In her work at the D&L, she is responsible for all fundraising functions, including memberships, donations, corporate partnerships and special events. Kelly is passionate about philanthropy and advocates for donor-centrism.  She holds a B.A. in Public Relations from the Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA. Prior to joining the D&L, Kelly was part of the Donor Relations team, and previously, the Digital Communications team, in Lehigh University’s Department of Development and Alumni Relations. She also spent time as a reporter and online producer for the Entertainment section of the Morning Call newspaper. Locally, she sits on the marketing committee of the Lehigh Valley chapter of NAMI and periodically performs with community theater groups.  Kelly grew up in Bethlehem Township and currently resides in Catasauqua with her two cats, Elvira and Chomsky. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the area with friends, cooking, reading, and writing.

In his role as Finance & Personnel Manager, Penman has overall responsibility for financial functions and overseeing human resource activities of the D&L National Heritage Corridor, Inc. This includes payroll, monthly financial reporting, annual budget preparation, grant monitoring and administration, audit oversight, and human resource management. Penman will work collaboratively with other staff professionals in communications, grants, trails management, and educational programming and administration.

Penman previously served as accounting manager at Schutt Reconditioning in Easton and, prior to that, as accounting manager at Sanbor Corporation in Allentown. While at Schutt, he oversaw an accounting operation of a sports equipment company that reconditions more than 300K in football, lacrosse, and baseball helmets each year. While at Sanbor, he oversaw the accounting operation for a sales, design, and marketing operation of OEM cable assembly devices as engineered locally and manufactured in China. Penman holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Mississippi in Oxford.

In addition to spending time with his wife and 3 children, he enjoys running, biking, home gardening and his two dogs.

In her role as Community Engagement Manager at the National Heritage Corridor, Miranda manages communications, media relations, Google AdWords, and social media. Additionally, she oversees volunteer engagement for the nonprofit, including the D&L Ambassador program. Miranda comes to the D&L with experience working in PR/marketing. She’s proud to say she volunteers locally and abroad with L.E.G.I.T, where she helps lead communications. Locally, Miranda served as a public relations Intern at Lehigh Mining and Navigation, an editorial intern at Lehigh Valley Style, and a marketing assistant at Cedar Crest College. Miranda holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English literature and media studies from Cedar Crest College. In her spare time, Miranda is passionate about reading and writing fiction loves to run, cook, and dance.

Loretta started at the D&L in 2009. She has over 30 years office administration experience, first in the corporate world, then several years running the office of a small Catholic school.

Working at the D&L, she says she has learned more about the area she lives in than she knew in the 20+ years she has lived in the Lehigh Valley. Loretta enjoys getting out on the trail, visiting corridor communities and looks forward to seeing more new places. Loretta assists with several projects and programs; but really enjoys various events, especially the Delaware & Lehigh Heritage Half Marathon and Haunted Hugh Moore Park.

Loretta and her husband are empty nesters living in Forks Township. Husband John has been known to help out on marathon day and at other events. In her spare time, Loretta enjoys her grandchildren, gardening, cross stitch and baking.

Aurelia Rapp is the Development Assistant for the D&L. She has more than 25 years of experience as an administrative assistant, having held positions at educational institutions and area businesses.  Aurelia particularly enjoys interacting with volunteers, members, and co-workers as well as her time at home with her family in her favorite place, the kitchen. She is thankful that her experience at the D&L has given her an appreciation of how non-profits seek to improve the quality of life.

In her role as Museum & Education Director, Daphne is responsible for overseeing the operations of the National Canal Museum and the Josiah White II mule-drawn canal boat as well as the D&L’s educational programming.  She has an excellent understanding of the inner workings of the museum, having previously held the positions of Immersion Days Educator, Canal Boat Crew Member, and Visitor Services Manager.  A native of Allentown, Daphne received a MA in Cultural Heritage Management from the University of York in the UK. She has worked for a variety of museums and heritage sites throughout her career including the Science Museum Group, the National Trust in the UK, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, and The Olana Partnership.  When not hanging around the National Canal Museum, she can often be found soaking up history at other museums or searching for geocaches in the woods.

A native of Catasauqua, PA, Martha has served the D&L and National Canal Museum in various capacities since 1990. She is passionate about preserving and presenting our local history, because of its major national significance. She has been a professional writer and editor and has written nine books on historical topics ranging from swimming, auto-racing, Catasauqua, Whitehall, Coplay, the Lehigh Valley cement industry, the Vatican, and the D&L’s new book on the Industrial History of the Corridor.  Martha has been managing the archives here at the D&L and National Canal Museum since 2012; she helps to create and maintain the museum exhibits and takes an occasional turn aboard the D&L canal boat Josiah White II. She loves going out into the communities along the Corridor to meet people and tell our stories with talks, photographs, and films. 

Whitney Davison joined the D&L in 2020 as the Education Manager. In her work at the D&L she is responsible for all educational programs for all ages. Her responsibilities include working with local schools overseeing field trips and our school-based curriculums, offering museum programming for families, children, and adults, offering programming along the D&L trails, creating an educational online presence, and helping to develop exhibits and experiences within the museum. Before joining the D&L Whitney spent 20 years as a teacher. Nearly all of those years were spent teaching middle school History at Lehigh Valley Academy Regional Charter School. Whitney received her bachelor’s of Art in history and education from Wheelock College in Boston, MA. She received her Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix. Whitney has lived in the Lehigh Valley her entire life and currently calls Bushkill Township her home. She spends her free time with her husband, 3 children, extended family and friends, and a menagerie of pets.

Pam joined the D&L in 2014 as a volunteer with our mules Hank and George. As a former horse owner and 4-H Leader she was able to utilize her love for and knowledge of equines in a new setting. Learning the specifics of mules added to that knowledge base. She went on to become an Immersion Days educator and then Boat Crew Member, followed by Locktender house docent and Welcome Center staff. In January, 2019 Pam was offered the position of Visitor Service Coordinator. Currently in this position she oversees the seasonal staff for boat, welcome center and all volunteer museum and locktender house docents. She also promotes group visitation to the boat and museum and plans programming for these visits.

After attending Montclair State College Pam began a career working for Rolling Hills Girl Scout Council in New Jersey as a field manager, then Membership Services Manager and finally as Camping Administrator. She was lucky enough to be able to become a full time mom of four children and now is the happy grandmother for three beautiful grandchildren. She has always been and will continue to be an active member of her community. Pam is once again a Girl Scout Troop Leader and is also an elected School Board Member of the Lopatcong Township School District since January 2016. She enjoys spending “free time” with her husband, dog and two cats, hiking and camping as well as baking when she can for family and friends.

Liz Rosencrans joined the D&L in December 2020 as the Trail and Stewardship Manager. In this role, she manages the development and stewardship of the 165-mile Delaware and Lehigh Trail from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol. The Trail and Stewardship Manager is responsible for the progression of trail projects from concept to completion and handles everything from grant writing and management, technical plan reviews, and construction oversight to trail maintenance. Prior to joining the D&L, Liz was part of the planning department at the engineering firm, Gilmore and Associates, Inc. Liz holds a B.S. in Geoscience and a B.A. in Environmental Geography from West Chester University. In her hometown of Ambler, she is an active member of the local Environmental Advisory Council. Liz was raised across the street from Lake Nockamixon State Park and found a love of the outdoors from an early age. In her free time she enjoys exploring the natural world of the Delaware and Lehigh valleys, hiking, cooking, crafting (lots of crafting!), and spending time with her partner and two cats.

Kathleen Ward joined the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor as Conservation Coordinator in October 2020. She serves as lead of the Lehigh Valley Greenways, one of Pennsylvania’s eight Conservation Landscapes. Lehigh Valley Greenways is a state sponsored, regional conservation partnership that brings together public and private stakeholders in an organized effort to link communities with greenways, trails, and outdoor resources, to strengthen local economies, and to improve public health, green infrastructure and natural resources. Kathleen also manages the Lehigh Valley Greenways mini grant program and works on the Activate the Advocates project among other duties. Kathleen brings to the D&L her partnership experience, passion for conservation, and motivation to inspire change. Prior to joining the D&L staff, Kathleen led New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s fundraising efforts from 2012 to 2019, completing a successful $30 million capital campaign. She also spent a decade as a development officer for Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ, most recently as Assistant Vice President for Strategic Advancement. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University and completed two years of masters-level study in city and regional planning at the University of Pennsylvania. In May 2012, she participated in Climate Ride, a 300-mile bike ride from New York City to Washington, D.C. to help raise awareness of climate change. A native of the anthracite region of Schuylkill County, Kathleen moved to Bethlehem with her husband, Heath, 15 years ago where she tends her vegetable garden and enjoys the walking and biking trails of the city.

Born and raised in the Lehigh Valley, Imogen is reconnecting with her roots in her community-driven role through four D&L programs. In this role, she leads Trail Towns, an initiative to foster economic development in the municipalities along the trail. In collaboration with local organizations, she is developing a program to increase advocacy activity among trail users. She oversees the D&L’s innovative public health partnership with St. Luke’s, Get Your Tail on the Trail. During the spring and fall, she helms Trail Tenders maintenance and clean-up events with dedicated volunteers. 

Previously, she worked with towns and cities across the Commonwealth for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, managed a neighborhood revitalization program in eastern Delaware County, and consulted for local businesses in the agriculture and artisan foods. She earned her B.A. at Temple University in Geography & Urban Studies and American Culture & Media Arts and a Master of City Planning degree at the University of Pennsylvania, concentrating on Environmental Planning & Growth Management with a specialization in Historic Preservation. As a graduate student, she led an ethnography study in Jim Thorpe in partnership with the D&L focused on the Switchback Gravity Railroad Trail. Along the D&L trail, she loves hiking and photography. Off the trail, she enjoys gardening, yoga, and cooking.