Professional Advisors Header

Professional Advisors Seminars

Convening Advisors for Growth

Professional Advisors Seminars

The Lehigh Valley Community Foundation works closely with the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley (EPCLV) to sponsor a variety of educational programs including an annual seminar held in partnership with the Council. EPCLV Lehigh Valley’s premier organization of professionals actively engaged in providing estate planning services and supporting activities whose members are attorneys, accountants, trust officers, financial planners, insurance agents, planned giving professionals, and specialist in related fields. LVCF’s President and CEO Erika Riddle Petrozelli currently serves as President of the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley.


Recent Events

Introduction to ESG Investing and Diversity Considerations in Investing

Bikram Chadha, Director, PFM Asset Management, presented “Introduction to Environmental, Social, and Governance Investing/Diversity Considerations in Investing” on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at Homewood Suites in Center Valley. 

LVCF and the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley co-sponsored a program, “Introduction to ESG Investing | Diversity Considerations in Investing. Erika Riddle Petrozelli, President and CEO of the Community Foundation and Chair of the EPCLV introduced the PFM Asset Management LLC team of Bikram Chadha, Director Endowment & Foundation Specialist; John Spagnola, Managing Director Co-Head, Outsourced CIO Practice; and Surya Pisapati, CFA Director Head of Global Equities.

See the photos from the event on LVCF’s Flickr page.

Past Estate Planning Awareness Week Seminars

2021

Laura Hansen Dean

The Community Foundation partnered with the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley and present a special two-part program with attorney Laura Hansen Dean focusing on Charitable Planning in a Time of Uncertainty and Ethical Considerations in Talking with Clients about Charitable Giving Options. The program was held virtually via Zoom on Thursday, October 7, 2021. The program was sponsored by Mason Investment Advisory Services, Inc. In 2017 Laura Hansen Dean, Attorney at Law (Indiana, Texas) returned to Indiana and the charitable gift planning and consulting firm she founded in 1991, Laura Hansen Dean and Associates. Her clients include The University of Texas at Austin for whom she serves as Senior Director of Gift Design and Documentation. She is recognized as one of the most experienced and knowledgeable charitable gift planners in the country. For over thirty years she has assisted individuals and their advisors in considering and designing charitable giving plans as part of personal financial planning and estate planning.


2019

In celebration of Estate Planning Awareness Week 2019, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation sponsored the Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley’s program led by Ken Florian, President, Corgenius.

The program, “Advising Clients Through the Toughest Times of Life” was held on Thursday, October 24, 2019 at Homewood Suites by Hilton in Center Valley, Pa. 

See the photos on LVCF’s Flickr page


2018

Amy Castoro

The Estate Planning Council of the Lehigh Valley held a talk by Amy Castoro, President & CEO, The Williams Group, entitled “Will Your Client’s Wealth Unify or Divide Their Family?” The talk, sponsored in part by the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, was held on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at the Northampton Country Club.

Castoro made the case that trusted advisors can build deeper relationships with their clients and prospects, access and engage the next generation to improve retention, and ensure family unity during wealth transition. “Advisors can gain more insight into how to interact with their clients to reduce the impact of wealth and wealth transfer on their families,” Castoro explained. “Advisors also explore the additional satisfaction—beyond asset growth and retention—that comes from actively engaging the inheriting generation to become productive contributors to family unity, wellbeing and legacy.”


2017

Hadar Susskind

Hadar Susskind, senior vice president of Government Relations, Council on Foundations spoke on June 7, 2017. His talk, “Washington Update: An Inside Look at Politics and Philanthropy” addressed the opportunities and challenges associated with tax reform and the Johnson Amendment, among other issues, and other recent developments/news.  He outlined the Council  on Foundation’s position on a variety of important issues in philanthropy. With two decades of experience in public policy, philanthropy and social movements, Susskind has been widely acknowledged as one of the leading advocacy voices working in Washington D.C. on both domestic and foreign policy. He has built strong relationships with members of Congress, administration officials, and partners and allies from across the spectrum of American political life. For more, visit the http://www.cof.org/person/hadar-susskind. Hadar Susskind, senior vice president of Government Relations, Council on Foundations, presented the latest discussions in the nation’s capital affecting the philanthropic community.  The Community Foundation will use the occasion to present its prestigious Service to Philanthropy Award to Bruce A. Palmer, CPA, Buckno Lisicky & Company.