LV Community Foundation and its Community Leadership Activities

Erika Riddle Petrozelli, CPA, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, will share where/how the foundation allocates people, time and financial resources to issues of importance within our community (currently, nonprofit capacity building, the arts, and youth empowerment.)

Erika succeeded Bernie Story as Chief Executive Officer on January 1, 2021. Erika joined the Foundation in 2014 as Director of Donor Services with a focus on maintaining and expanding philanthropic relationships of the Foundation.  For the past year, she has served as Vice President of Philanthropy, contributing to strategic decisions and community leadership activities, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.  A Certified Public Accountant, she provides professional knowledge and advice about charitable giving to a wide range of Lehigh Valley residents, from individuals and families to their trusted advisors and local businesses. 

Prior to joining the Foundation, Erika was Vice President of Investor Relations at Magnitude Capital, LLC, a fund of hedge funds based in New York City.  In this role, she was responsible for client service and content management for the firm's global investor base.  Prior to joining Magnitude, Erika was a Senior Audit Associate in the Banking and Capital Markets sector at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Erika has had several thought pieces and op-eds published in local publications including Network Magazine, Lehigh Valley Business, and The Express-Times. She has contributed to news stories in The Morning Call, and has appeared on television broadcasts including WLVT PBS39, WFMZ 69 News, WBPH TV-60, and on radio programs at WDIY 88.1 FM.

Erika was selected for a 2018-19 Rider-Pool Foundation Collective Impact Fellowship, an intensive, nine-month Fellowship program that trains and equips non-profit leaders to address complex community needs and develop stronger cross-sector partnerships.  In 2016, Erika completed the Leadership Lehigh Valley program at Northampton Community College.

Erika is a member of the Board of Managers of the Bach Choir of Bethlehem (2018 – Current) and the Board of Directors of the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley (2017-Current).  In addition, she is a member of the Junior League (2010 – Current), previously in New York City and currently in the Lehigh Valley.  In October 2017 Erika was Honorary Co-Chair of the Rotary Club of Bethlehem’s Taste & Tunes event to support the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley.

A Bethlehem native, she graduated from Lehigh University with a major in Accounting.  She was awarded the President’s Scholarship and went on to earn her Masters in Accounting and Information Analysis.