Preserving our heritage to enrich our future.

In this issue:

Elissa Garofalo Named New D&L President/Executive Director
D&L Promotes Silas Chamberlin to Director of Stewardship and Interpretation
New Members Added to D&L Board of Directors
Intern Joins D&L Staff

Elissa Garofalo Named New D&L President/Executive Director

The Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Board of Directors has appointed Elissa Garofalo of Jim Thorpe as its President and Executive Director. Garofalo succeeds C. Allen Sachse, who has retired from the position after 12 years and will serve as a part-time advisor focusing on the D&L’s partnerships with federal and state governments.

Garofalo has been the D&L’s Vice-President since 2009. She began her career with the D&L as a Heritage Development Specialist in 2000 after working in several community and downtown revitalization programs. She became one of Pennsylvania’s first Main Street managers when she held that position in Jim Thorpe from 1981-1986. Her past experience also includes consulting for the National Main Street Center and 10 years as co-owner of Blue Mountain Sports & Wear, an outdoor specialty store in Jim Thorpe.

“I’m excited and deeply committed to the D&L’s objectives,” Garofalo said. “My professional career has been devoted to revitalizing regional communities and responsibly taking advantage of our natural landscape as well as our significance in American history.”

Garofalo helped develop two regional revitalization programs, the Corridor Market Towns Initiative and Landmark Towns of Bucks County. She served as editor of “The Stone Coal Way” and spearheaded the development of the D&L’s integrated marketing program. As Vice President she was responsible for the oversight of various grant programs, including the writing of funding applications. She is a certified ToP™ Facilitator in training.

Elissa is a founder of the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce; Chair of the Leadership Carbon Steering Committee; President of Carbon County Partners for Progress; and a Guest Lecturer at Kutztown University. She holds a B.S. in Urban & Regional Planning from The Pennsylvania State University and has completed International Economic Development Council (IEDC) courses. Born and raised in the Scranton area, Elissa is the proud mother of Maggie and Jay Marsden. Her interests include American culture (with a lower case “c”), traveling, cooking, and “pretty much all of the outdoor activities you can enjoy along the Lehigh River.”

“Although there will be challenges going forward, this transition feels very natural," Garofalo added. "Allen and I have worked hand-in-hand developing some exceptional partnerships up and down the Corridor. He has been a tremendous mentor.

“With the continued support of the Board and our talented staff, I hope to maintain our major programs and develop new strategic alliances that will allow the Delaware & Lehigh to continue to connect, revitalize and conserve our heritage, cultural and natural resources.”

D&L Promotes Silas Chamberlin to Director of Stewardship and Interpretation

The D&L has promoted Silas Chamberlin to Director of Stewardship & Interpretation, a position in which Chamberlin will help develop and implement the organization’s policies related to conservation, preservation, and interpretation of the Corridor’s resources.

Prior to assuming his new position, Chamberlin was the D&L’s Corridor Resource Specialist in charge of the D&L Trail Alliance, D&L Trail Patrol, and the organization’s GIS mapping services and Visually Speaking system of directional and interpretive signage. Chamberlin will continue those duties as well as manage staff and programs related to the D&L’s Lehigh Valley Greenways, Susquehanna Greenways, Tales of the Towpath, and Trail Tenders programs.

“I am excited for the opportunity to become more engaged with the variety of work being done at the D&L and support our staff in expanding our impact throughout the Corridor,” Chamberlin said.

Chamberlin holds a B.A. in History from Temple University and an M.A. in History from Lehigh University. He currently is an environmental history doctoral candidate at Lehigh, where he is writing a dissertation on the history of American hiking. Portions of his doctoral research have been published in Pennsylvania History, and he has presented at national academic conferences including the American Society for Environmental History.

Chamberlin lives in Allentown with his wife, Amanda. His extracurricular activities include a position as Vice-Chairman of the Allentown Environmental Advisory Council.

New Members Added to D&L Board of Directors

Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor President and Executive Director, Elissa Garofalo, has announced the appointment of James Birdsall of Bethlehem and Robert Skulsky of Hazleton to the D&L Board of Directors, replacing Charles Petrillo, Jr. and William Mitchell, whose terms have expired. The announcement was made at quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors on January 20.

Birdsall is a registered Professional Engineer and Professional Land Surveyor with a lengthy resume of working relationships with local municipalities and county governments. Among other positions, Jim has worked as Municipal Engineer for Hanover Township and Lower Saucon Township in Northampton County and has provided design engineering and inspection control for numerous park and recreation projects in Northampton and Lehigh counties. His expertise includes project design, project field construction, and providing assistance to Authorities and their Bond Counsels in the engineering and budget support necessary for projects that require “self-liquidating debt.”

"I have wanted to help the National Heritage Corridor since inception, but have never had time until now," Birdsall said. "I hope I can be helpful in some way.

"My family has been able to do some travelling and we have observed how local citizens and their governments, in other portions of America and in Europe, have protected their culture and heritage.

"Many of the protected sites have been linear sites along canals. Those citizens and governments have recognized that the canal areas and structures can form part of an integrated recreation and open space system that does help the stability of their community."

Skulsky, a lifelong resident of Northeast Pennsylvania and an avid outdoorsman, worked for the U.S. Department of Defense for 37 years. After his retirement, Bob worked for the Electronics Commerce Resource Center at the University of Scranton. Bob currently serves as Executive Director of the Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership.

Skulsky also has worked with the D&L and the Susquehanna Greenways Partnership as a consultant on trails, greenways, parks and other outdoor activities. But most of Bob’s “trail time” is spent developing the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails (GHRT), a popular four-mile trail that eventually will connect to the D&L Trail east of Eckley Miner’s Village in Luzerne County.

Skulsky also assists the North Branch Land Trust with acquisition and preservation of land in Northeast PA, and he helps local municipalities write grants to develop trails, boat launch areas, and other connections to the outdoors, all with an eye toward promoting economic development.

“When I was asked to be a member of the Board, my immediate thought was ‘yes’ because the D&L represents many of the things I hold dearly,” Skulsky said. “The D&L provides a unique connection to our outdoors, our rich history and recreational opportunities that we need to maintain and improve, which in turn will lead to economic development. I look forward to helping the development of partnerships that will maintain the cultural activities, recreational facilities, and the history of the past for future generations.”

Intern Joins D&L Staff

Gerald Rogers, a Ph.D. candidate at Lehigh University, has begun work as an intern at the D&L’s offices in Hugh Moore Park, Easton. Jerry will be responsible for updating and maintaining the D&L’s media network.

Jerry has a double-major in Political Science and History from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s Degree from West Virginia University, where his studies focused on the Illinois Indians during the 17th and 18th centuries. He is in his second year of study at Lehigh, where he has been a graduate assistant and a teaching assistant.

A native of Uniontown, PA, Jerry’s interest in history began as a youngster when he accompanied his grandfather on trips to Fort Necessity National Battlefield in western Pennsylvania, where he worked as a park ranger. Jerry later volunteered at Fort Necessity, conducting tours and developing a program for school groups.

“Jerry has that special blend of interests in history and the outdoors,” said D&L President and Executive Director, Elissa Garofalo. “He will help communicate the authentic assets of the Corridor through sound research and fresh new media.”

“History has always been a great passion of mine,” Rodgers said. “I am excited about my opportunity at the D&L, because this job relates directly to my love of history. I hope that my interests and passions will add to the excellent work that the D&L is already doing.”

Unsubscribe | Forward this email to a friend

Online Articles

The D&L Trail Alliance

The D&L Management Action Plan

Where are Bucks County's Miles of Mules?

Allen Sachse Will Continue as D&L Special Advisor

C. Allen Sachse, President and Executive Director of the D&L since 1999, has retired from his full-time position and will assume a part-time role with the D&L as Special Advisor for Strategic Partnerships. Allen’s retirement became effective following the quarterly meeting of the D&L Board of Directors on January 20.

“I simply cannot believe that 12 years have passed since I accepted the position of Executive Director of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Commission,” Sachse told the D&L Board . “I’ve been very fortunate to lead an organization that is at the forefront of America’s heritage and landscape preservation program.”

Sachse’s involvement with the D&L actually dates many years prior to the creation of the Corridor in 1988. Working as Regional Recreation and Parks Supervisor for the PA Department of Community Affairs, Allen was involved in the preservation of the Lehigh Canal, which later became part of the long D&L Trail. He also took part in the creation of the Pennsylvania Heritage Parks program and was one of the people who helped shape the D&L Management Plan in the 1990s. When the D&L was in need of an executive director in 1999, Sachse applied and was hired in October.

The D&L developed several major programs under Allen’s direction that showcased Corridor history, culture and natural resources. Foremost was the development of the D&L Trail, which begins near Wilkes-Barre and winds along historic railroads and canals until it reaches Bristol in Lower Bucks County, a distance of 165 miles. When Sachse retired, 80 per cent of the 165 miles were complete and open to public recreation.

“The D&L Trail has made it possible to link the Wyoming, Lehigh and Delaware valleys together in a way few would have imagined possible,” Sachse said.

Other benchmark projects that Sachse oversaw were the Market Towns and Landmark Towns programs, which provided the D&L with new opportunities to support small businesses and enhance corridor communities. In 2003, the D&L’s “Miles of Mules” program took the Corridor by storm. More than 170 colorful, lifesize fiberglass mules popped up at Corridor restaurants, stores, museums, and tourist destinations, all decorated by individuals or organizations that “adopted” them.

In 2006, Allen approved the development of the Tales of the Towpath educational program, which brought local history to Corridor fourth-graders through the eyes of Finn Gorman, a 10-year-old storybook character who leads readers on an enlightening tour of the Corridor in the 1850s. Today, the Tales of the Towpath curriculum is being taught to more than 5,000 students.

Despite its success, the D&L remains a very ambitious organization. Staff members continue to develop new programs and events that keep the D&L at the forefront of America's Heritage Areas movement. A good deal of the innovation is due to Allen's management style, an approach that allows staff to develop ideas with minimum oversight. One idea that bore fruit in 2011 was the D&L Heritage Marathon and Half-Marathon, which attracted more than 500 participants and turned a profit in its first year.

“We have a staff that is very talented, dedicated to serving, and very creative,” Sachse said. “Their hard work, the great partnerships we’ve formed, the continued support of the Board of Directors, the guidance we get from our management plan . . . all of these special ingredients have enabled the D&L to do many amazing things."

Allen’s retirement won’t be boring, to say the least. Besides his part-time advisory role with the D&L, he has been elected to serve a two-year term as Chairman of the Board of the Alliance of National Heritage Areas (ANHA). As Chairman, Sachse will serve as ANHA spokesperson, facilitator and administrator. “There is no staff,” Allen explained. “The work is completed by volunteer services offered by members. Administrative duties are relatively light; most of the work is advocating the Alliance’s work as a spokesperson, and facilitating the work of committee chairs.”

In 12 years with the D&L, Sachse moved company offices from City Hall in Bethlehem to the Alpha Building in downtown Easton and finally to the Emrick Technology Center in Hugh Moore Park. Now there’s an even bigger move on the horizon, one that involves Allen's wife, Debbie: the Sachses are moving from a family farm outside Moscow, PA, to suburban living in the Lehigh Valley. They have purchased a home in Lower Nazareth Township and will be moving later this year. One of the rewards: no more daily 128-mile round trips between Lackawanna and Northampton counties.

“Driving to work I often dreamed about how to make the impossible things possible,” he said. “The staff wasn’t surprised when the first words I sometimes spoke in the morning were ‘On the drive to work I came up with this idea.’ “

It’s doubtful that anyone on the D&L staff thinks those dreamy moments will stop simply because Allen has retired. He’s just one of those people who’s always looking for the next piece to the puzzle. For that, the D&L will be eternally grateful.

D&L Links:

Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails (GHRT)

D&L Staff Biographies