Justin Amann discusses his career path

In November, first-time candidate and Democrat Justin Amann was elected to Bethlehem City Council.

Amann said he’s lived in Bethlehem his entire life and comes from generations of blue-collar workers. His mother was a nurse, his father a maintenance worker and his grandfather worked at Bethlehem Steel.

“I think it’s really neat that my story is very much in line with Bethlehem’s story,” Amann said.
“Bethlehem means everything to me, and (family roots) directly impact any conversation I have about its future.”

Amann said his love for volunteering and giving back to the community began when he was a student at Northeast Middle School. His middle school music and theater teacher — and current colleague — Denise Parker, said she encouraged him to join the school’s vocal and theater programs.

After becoming active in the district’s arts programs, Amann said his passion for theater and music became clear. He was involved in every production during his middle school years, and Parker said he continued helping with production, lighting and sound even after entering Liberty High School in 2007.

After graduating from high school, Amann attended East Stroudsburg University in 2011 to earn his bachelor’s degree. He said he initially planned to become a teacher because of his positive experience with the Bethlehem Area School District’s theater program.

However, Amann was also interested in leadership and politics early on. He served as president of his high school class and later became involved in the student senate during college.

While serving on student senate, Amann said he realized teaching was no longer the career path he wanted to pursue. He said he still wanted to be in education and to help students, but quickly realized the classroom wasn’t the right fit.

“I got to the end of junior year and realized, ‘hell no, I can’t teach,’” Amann said. “I’m too much of a free thinker. It’s not black or white, it’s gray.”

He earned his master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Michigan in 2016. He said his experience in East Stroudsburg University’s Student Senate sparked his interest in supporting education from an administrative and operational perspective.

After graduating, Amann moved back to Pennsylvania and worked as the assistant to the provost and coordinator of instructional support at East Stroudsburg University. While in that role, he said members of the Bethlehem community first approached him about running for city council in 2019 and again in 2021.

Amann said he initially declined, wanting to continue building his career in higher education administration. In July 2022, he left his five-year position at East Stroudsburg University to become the executive director of The Foundation for the Bethlehem Area School District.

Following that career move, Amann said community members again encouraged him to run again for city council in 2023. However, he said caring for his newborn children made it difficult to pursue a political campaign at the time.

He decided to run in 2025.

“There’s always going to be (excuses), and I really want to do (public service),” Amann said.

He was elected alongside Democrat Jo Daniels. Democrats Hillary Kwiatek and Bethlehem City Council President Rachel Leon, along with Republican Joe Poplawski, were reelected.

Two months into the role, Amann said one of the issues he’s been most vocal about is housing. He said Bethlehem is struggling to keep up with rapid development across the Lehigh Valley and needs more affordable and mixed-income housing options.

“So many people want to move into the Lehigh Valley,” Amann said. “We need to meet the overall challenges of having enough housing for people that want to come live here.”

Amann said one of his main goals in office is to give back to the Bethlehem Area School District and its students. He said his work as executive director of the foundation aligns closely with that goal.

He also works as a theater director at Freedom High School alongside Parker, reflecting his continued passion for arts education.

Parker said she believes the presence and confidence today Amann has in the public sector can be traced back to the performing arts.

“I think (theater) gives (Amann) the ability to conference and speak with people using that slower pace of discussion, so that way the audience is understanding what he’s saying,” Parker said.

She also said she also admires Amann’s reliability and ability to listen carefully. She said he cares deeply about his constituents and is the “real deal.”

Leon — who also focuses heavily on housing issues in Bethlehem — said Amann’s connection to the school district and continued support of the arts brings a distinct perspective to city council.

“He’s very thoughtful,” Leon said. “He will sit down and contemplate a thing, and he will make the decision that he sees appropriate in the moment. If I don’t make it, (Amann) is another community-minded person that I trust with the decision-making paradigm.”

Leon also said Amann is a genuine, hardworking leader, and views him as a highly principled person who embodies the spirit of Bethlehem.

During his first two months in office, Amann said he’s most proud of his transparency and authenticity, describing himself as “unapologetically me.”

“People will respect you more for standing up for something than for trying to just please everybody,” he said. “Whoever I talk to, you will always get the same answer out of me. If I stick to who I am and what I believe in, it’s really easy to do my job.”

The Brown and White reached out to Jo Daniels for comment, but didn’t receive a response.