BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Nancy Dischinat, the executive director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley whose high-energy presence helped bridge divides between business interests and labor, died Saturday evening. She was 79.
In a news release, the workforce board she led for the past 27 years remembered her as a mentor and friend who helped connect Lehigh Valley residents with opportunities to find work and improve their skillsets.
No cause of death was given.
"Her vision and leadership helped build one of Pennsylvania’s strongest workforce systems, and her commitment to collaboration and innovation will continue to impact generations to come," the release read.
During her tenure, the Lehigh Valley's population boomed at a time when Pennsylvania's was on the decline. Part of what allowed the region to grow were the jobs the Lehigh Valley continued to offer. But those businesses were attracted to the region because of the skilled workers they could reliably find here.
Tony Iannelli, president of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, remembered Dischinat as a tireless advocate for workers whose relentless nature made her impossible to ignore.
While the workforce board and chamber have always been independent, the relationship between the two had been strained at times before she became executive director, he said.
"She was a giant in terms of what she committed and what she gave."Tony Iannelli, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
But Dischinat saw the two organizations as partners with the chamber improving the business environment and the workforce board creating opportunities for labor. Together, the region would benefit from their work, Iannelli said. Her ceaseless, friendly presence made her someone impossible to deny.
Her presentations, famous for their mix of data and humor, became a staple of the chamber's annual meeting.
"She was a giant in terms of what she committed and what she gave," an emotional Iannelli said Monday. "She brought 150 percent at all times, and I loved her for it."
Becky Bradley, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, said Dischinat served as a mentor to herself and many other women in positions of leadership across the Lehigh Valley. The two women pooled their resources so their organizations could share an economist who could help them better plan for the region's needs, she said.
"Nancy was a role model who built quite a legacy," Bradley said in a news release.
A key part of Dischinat's strategy was connecting the region's many universities and community colleges to employers. Through the workforce board, she helped community colleges tailor their training and education for the specific skills the market needed. In a prepared statement, Northampton Community College recalled Dischinat a great advocate for the region.
"She was a true champion of community college education, whether for workforce development or degree programs, and she was always willing to partner with the college to enhance opportunities for our community. She will be truly missed," the statement read.
Ann Bieber, president of Lehigh Carbon Community College, remembered Dischinat as a friend who pushed schools and companies to be the best they could be for the benefit of their students and workers.
In the days before her death, Bieber said, Dischinat reached out to pitch a job fair targeting high school seniors months before they graduated. This way, Dischinat believed, students could be given a direction to work toward before they were out of school and potentially rudderless. Even as her health worsened, she used her trademark zeal to bring as many colleges, community colleges and employers on board as possible.
"Nancy didn't just do something. She did it big and made everybody feel important," Bieber said.
Dischinat, of Moore Township, dedicated more than 40 years of her life to the workforce board, working her way up from secretary, according to her obituary. A cartoon version of her appears on the organization's website, helping people find jobs or career training.
In June, the workforce board announced that Dischinat planned to retire. While no successor has been formally announced, the board's website listed both Dischinat and Cathy Rychalsky as the executive director.
