Nancy Dischinat, who led Workforce Board Lehigh Valley for decades, has died

Nancy Dischinat, the Lehigh Valley’s workforce development guru for several decades, has died, just months after she announced her retirement.

Dischinat, 77, executive director for Workforce Board Lehigh Valley since 1998, died Saturday.

Dischinat was the face of the Workforce Board, appearing at business events across the Lehigh Valley and giving updates on the state of jobs in the region with a folksy charm. One of her last appearances was at the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Lehigh Valley Manufacturers Forum on Oct. 1.

During that speech, she asked businesses to give younger workers a chance to fill their openings. Dischinat was passionate about helping emerging professionals entering the job market for the first time.

“We need their engagement in the workforce to meet the demand,” she said. “It’s our responsibility to inform them of the jobs and the career pathways and manufacturing we need to be more creative manufacturers. We’re very willing to help you.”

Dischinat worked for Whitehall Township before moving to the chamber to help with an apprenticeship program.

Her proudest accomplishment was creating the workforce development system in the region, she told The Morning Call after her retirement announcement. The system includes job listings and data to point employees and employers in the right direction.

“My goal is every employer in the Lehigh Valley has a career pathway on their website so the young kids can look at it and say, ‘Oh, I might like that,’ because the data tells us that’s where we’re getting our workforce,” Dischinat said.

Those who worked alongside her over the past few decades spoke highly of the woman who helped shape the workforce system in the region.

Tony Iannelli, president and CEO of Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, said Dishcinat was an amazing woman who always gave 150%.

“She was relentless in her efforts to make the Lehigh Valley a better place,” he said. He worked with her since she was leading workforce development for Private Industry Council, which became Workforce Board.

Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong said Dischinat worked with her in the 70s, when they both worked in Whitehall. He continued to work with her for the next few decades.

“She lit up a room whenever she entered it,” he said, adding that she had a bubbly personality.

She was entertaining, he said, but added that she got the job done. The amount of grants she got for her program was unbelievable, Armstrong said.

“You can’t think of CareerLink without Nancy,” he said.

Don Cunningham, president and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp., said in July that Dischinat played a significant role in the Valley’s economic success.

“The Lehigh Valley’s economy is growing because of the region’s partnership-based approach to attracting and developing the talent that employers need,” said Cunningham, who worked with Dischinat on the Workforce Board and as Lehigh County executive.

“Nancy’s longstanding, passionate commitment to workforce development in the Lehigh Valley has played a leading role in those efforts, positioning our region for success.”