Bethlehem, Lehigh Valley, PA., March 24, 2025 – ArtsQuest is thrilled to announce that Lehigh Valley Business has selected Lisa Harms, Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education at ArtsQuest as a 2025 Women of Influence recipient and Jenna Minetola, Senior Business Development Manager at ArtsQuest as a 2025 Women to Watch recipient. These honors come during Women’s History Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the incredible contribution of women in shaping the fabric of our community and beyond.
Kassie Hilgert, President and CEO of ArtsQuest, expressed her pride in the two honorees, stating: “At ArtsQuest, we are deeply committed to fostering an environment where talent, passion and leadership can thrive, and Lisa Harms and Jenna Minetola exemplify these qualities in extraordinary ways. Lisa’s dedication to visual arts and education has created lasting impacts on our community, while Jenna’s innovative approach to business development continues to open new opportunities for ArtsQuest and beyond. These women are not only shaping the future of our organization but also inspiring the next generation of leaders. We are thrilled to celebrate their achievements and are excited to see the continued positive change they will bring to the Lehigh Valley and the region.”
Women of Influence Awards honor high-achieving women for their career accomplishments. The honorees are selected based on their professional experience, community involvement and commitment to mentoring.
Circle of Excellence honorees are women of longstanding, notable success in the community who are leading the way for other women. Women to Watch honors women leaders under the age of 35 who demonstrate outstanding professional accomplishments, community involvement and commitment to positive change. To be eligible for the awards, the honorees must live or work in the Greater Lehigh Valley region.
The honorees were selected by a panel of judges comprised of previous years’ Circle of Excellence honorees and the Lehigh Valley Business editorial team.
“The 2025 Women of Influence are outstanding leaders who inspire innovation, celebrate success and support the next generation of leaders. They open doors and create positive change, sharing their success with their professional network and the community around them,” said Suzanne Fischer-Huettner, managing director of BridgeTower Media/Lehigh Valley Business. “The Circle of Excellence honorees are trailblazers and change makers who know the value of helping other women see something special in themselves, something they might not have known was there. Our Women to Watch are exceptional young leaders who really are women to watch in the future. We at Lehigh Valley Business are pleased to honor these transformational leaders.”
This year’s Women of Influence will be honored at an awards celebration on May 14 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks, 101 Founders Way in Bethlehem. A networking reception begins at 5 p.m. followed by dinner and an awards celebration at 6 p.m. The event hashtag is #LVBevents.
The honorees will be profiled in a special magazine that will be inserted in the May 19 issue of Lehigh Valley Business and will be available online at LVB.com.
2025 Women of Influence
Dianne R. Altieri, Keller Williams Real Estate
Jaime R. Bassett, FD Design LLC
Michelle Beck, New Vitae Wellness and Recovery
Megan Beste, Taggart Associates
Dr. Carol D. Birks, Allentown School District
Cattima Cirksey, New Bethany
Hannah Votta Coleman, Joyful Giving
Melissa Confalone, Fraser Advanced Information Systems
Cady Darago, Altitude Marketing
Ania Fiduccia, All Service Concierge, Polka Dot Powerhouse, ONEHOPE Wine
Lisa Harms, ArtsQuest
Lisa Hoffman, Phoebe Ministries
Christie Hurley, Alvin H. Butz Inc.
Jennifer Kennedy, NAI Summit
Jessica Klocek, RA, LEED AP BD+C, MKSD architects
Nancy Knoebel, Danny’s Ride
Michelle L. Kott, Bethlehem Police Department
Dina Kovats-Bernat, Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley
Ginger Kunkel, Tompkins Financial Corporation
Emma Lacey, 6ycle Cycling Studio
Casandra Magliane, YMI Insurance Inc.
Abby Mahone, Moravian Academy
Christine Martin, PPL Electric Utilities
Amy Nyberg, Lehigh Valley Health Network – part of Jefferson Health
Laura Pascoe, Fellowship Community
Sarah Phillips, Irish Creek Enterprises Inc.
Vanessa Rivera, Univest Bank
Ashley Santiago, MSHRM, SHRM-CP, Valley National Financial Advisors
Amanda Steele, Like the Metal, LLC/Community Services for Children
Natalia Stezenko, IKEA
Kimberly Stuckey, DesignPoint Inc.
Maureen H. Thomson, CPA, CVA, MAFF, RKL LLP
Kim A. Vandergrift, CPA, Herbein + Company Inc.
Andrea C. Weismiller, Joshi Hotel Group
2025 Circle of Excellence
Nancy W. Ahlum, Carol C. Dorey Real Estate
Fusun Bubernack, ET&T
Terri Lampe Melcher, Reading Area Community College
Jessica O’Donnell-Gower, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
LoriAnn Wukitsch, Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites
2025 Women to Watch
Mykayla L. Biechy, PSECU
Megan Braun, Victaulic
Erica Butler, Blue Ridge Eating Disorder Care Center
Kelly Friedberg, Barry Isett & Associates Inc.
Jessica S. Kaczinski, Gross McGinley LLP
Molly MacDonald, Altitude Marketing
Jenna Minetola, ArtsQuest
Kirstin Reed, Lehigh Valley Health Network – part of Jefferson Health
About ArtsQuest
ArtsQuest’s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest™ supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization’s programs and events, of which nearly 50 percent are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.
Information provided to TVL by:
Bryn Keeney
