Lehigh Valley community college officials elected to state commission

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Two Lehigh Valley community college officials were elected to serve on the executive committee of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. 

The nonprofit that advocates for the state’s 15 community colleges, said Ann Bieber, president of Lehigh Carbon Community College was elected vice chair, and Robert Fehnel, Board of Trustees chair for Northampton Community College, was elected treasurer. 

They will serve on the executive committee through June 30, 2025. 

Bieber was appointed the fifth president of Lehigh Carbon Community College in 2014. She began her career at the college in 1981 and over the years held numerous positions including senior vice president of administrative services and dean of continuing education.  

Bieber serves as a member of the Lehigh Valley Partnership and on the board of directors for the Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, KidsPeace, Manufacturers Resource Center, Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority, Century Promise and the DaVinci Science Center. 

Fehnel was elected chair of the Northampton Community College board of trustees in 2014, after serving as vice chair for ten years. His 35-year service on the board includes 25 years as chair of the board’s finance and college facilities committee.  

Fehnel’s commitment to community service and public education includes 31 years of service on local school boards, including 20 years as president of the Wilson Area School Board. He is in his second term on the Easton Area School Board. He also serves on the Chrin Family Foundation which supports STEM Programs for Easton School District students.  

Fehnel is a graduate of Northampton Community College. He is employed as the director of print and mail operations for BerkOne in Bethlehem. 

The other executive committee members elected are Tuesday Stanley, president of Westmoreland County Community College, chair; and Catherine R. O’Donnell, Board of Trustees chair of Luzerne County Community College, secretary. 

According to the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges, the state’s community colleges, with 80 campus locations, are the largest provider of postsecondary education and workforce training in the Commonwealth.  

The colleges educate more than 230,000 students from all 67 counties. More than110,000 students are enrolled in the colleges’ workforce development programs and over 75% of those programs align with High Priority Occupations as identified by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.