Steering Committee
The Steering committee meets once a month, on the second Monday of the month. Members serve two years. Meetings are open to the public. Please call the office, 610-691-8730, with questions, concerns, & interest.
Pamela Brubaker of Allentown joined LEPOCO early in 2022, having read an article in the Morning Call from a LEPOCO member. She has been a peace advocate since the 1960s. In the spring of 2008, she was a Visiting Professor at Moravian College, contributing to the development of a Peace and Justice minor. She was a Professor of Religion and Ethics at California Lutheran University, 1994-2012. She moved to Allentown late in 2020, to be close to family here. Pam is a member of the Stop the Wars Committee.
Sharlee DiMenichi of Allentown, has been active in LEPOCO since the age of 14. She convened the Dis-armament Working Group and coordinated the 1992 Hiroshima/Nagasaki observance. She is a Quaker. At graduation she was awarded the Baker Peace Prize by Juniata College. She currently works as an instructional assistant and is a writer – her current book is on Holocaust rescuers. She previously published a book on the Peace Corps. This will be her third term on the Steering Committee as an at-large member, and she also served as treasurer previously.
Margot Hillman of Bethlehem has been involved with LEPOCO since she moved to the Lehigh Valley in 1982. She has worn many hats in the organization — printer, treasurer, representative to the Mobilization for Survival — and has been a dedicated leader at Peace Camp since the beginning. She previously served multiple terms on the Steering Committee. She retired from her job in Information Technology near the end of 2017. Margot is married to Steve Kraft; they have an adult son, Ben Kraft, who was a Peace Camper and Helper.
Julius Iwantsch of Bethlehem, has been a LEPOCO member since the mid-1970s. He works as a design draftsperson, working mainly with municipal clients. His interests include questioning U.S. military involvement around the world, military service alternatives for young people, and bringing this country’s reputation up to what it should be — through change. He enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, and home renovations. He has been co-treasurer for over a decade.
Mary Lang of Emmaus joined LEPOCO and the Peace Singers just before the 2016 election, as she was looking for a way to use her musical gifts to make the world a better place. Mary is a board-certified music therapist who works with mental health and developmentally disabled populations. Her musical talents include singing, playing guitar, piano, violin/fiddle, viola, and percussion, and she holds music degrees from Moravian College and Immaculata University. She is a millennial and is hoping to bring with her ideas that will attract a more diverse membership to the organization and keep it operating for decades to come.
Monica McAghon of Easton, is a member of the Stop the Wars Committee, formerly Nuclear Abolition Sisters. She earned her living for 18 years teaching critical reading to community college students. Most recently, she taught developmental literacy for K-8th grade students in the after-school program at Easton Area Community Center.
Janet Ney of Allentown has served as a Steering Committee member for over ten years. She has facilitated the Annual Dinner Planning Committee for many years. She previously served on the National Committee of the War Resisters League. Janet is retired from the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV). She is an active member of the First Presbyterian Church of Allentown and volunteers for the Presbytery of Lehigh.
Tom Pietrzak is originally from the Lehigh Valley and a graduate of Bethlehem Catholic H.S. After completing his college degree at the University of Scranton, he did a year of service work with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, then lived in Boston for 12 years, where he developed an interest in urban education and eventually went on to work as a licensed therapist in the city’s public schools. Upon returning to the Lehigh Valley in 2014, Tom joined the LEPOCO Book Group and became part of the Peace Pilgrimage’s Planning Committee. He currently lives in Bethlehem and works for a small custom cabinetry business in Fountain Hill.
Susie Ravitz of Easton was a founding member of LEPOCO and has been a faithful member of the Steering Committee for many terms. She is a mainstay of the Stop the Wars Committee (previously Nuclear Abolition Sisters). Her peace work has included participation in an Interfaith Peace Builders delegation to Israel /Palestine, as well as a delegation to Puerto Rico. She was active in working to get the Navy to stop bombing Vieques. Retired from her work at Valley Youth House and Art’s Toy Manufacturing Company, she travels a lot to visit her children and grandchildren from California to Israel. Currently, in addition to LEPOCO, she works with the Hunger Coalition in Easton.
Tom Stinnett of Riegelsville has served as co-treasurer since 2009 and served a stint as solo treasurer many years ago. A mechanical engineer, he is retired from his work in the biotechnology equipment field, but still does some consulting work. He has served as president of Riegelsville Borough Council for many years and is married to LEPOCO staff-person, Nancy Tate. He has been active in many aspects of LEPOCO’s work since the early 1970s.
Jeff Vitelli of Bethlehem has been a LEPOCO member since the Vietnam era. His avocations include being a poet, a musician, and an artist. He is mostly retired from his work as a mental health counselor. His work in LEPOCO has touched many bases — among them: Peace Singers, nonviolence training, and writing “The Struggle Shared” column for the LEPOCO Newsletter. He was one of the Muhlenberg V – remember that historic civil disobedience and First Amendment win. Serving on the Steering Committee provides a balance between self-care and care for the planet.
Ex Officio:
Nancy Tate
Amanda Zaniesienko
Office Staff:
Nancy Tate
Amanda Zaniesienko