Don Cunningham is president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. Prior to leading the region’s economic development organization, Cunningham served in a variety of key public and private positions for three decades in the Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania.

Cunningham has played a key role in the economic and cultural renaissance of the Lehigh Valley, which includes the principal cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, and part of the transformation of the region’s economy from heavy industry to a diversified economic base with an annual GDP of $42.9 billion. He led Bethlehem during the collapse of Bethlehem Steel Corp. and launched the city’s transition to a new economy and the redevelopment of 1,800 acres of industrial land.

• The revitalization of the downtown areas of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton


• Conversion of old manufacturing sites including Bethlehem Steel and the Simon Silk Mill


• Environmental restoration, balanced with new and updated infrastructure


• Achieving the right balance between building new and preserving our industrial heritage