Last month, The Morning Call asked readers to tell us about women who have made a difference in the Lehigh Valley.
Dozens of readers responded by suggesting residents who have helped the community through their work, volunteerism and mentorship of area youth.
Below, learn about some of the women whom readers say should be recognized for their hard work and impact on the region, in honor of Women’s History Month.
Due to the overwhelming number of nominations, The Morning Call plans to publish several of these spotlight pieces throughout the month. Don’t see someone you suggested? They may have been in an earlier story, or declined to be included.
Diane Wittry
Allentown Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor Diane Wittry was described as “a guiding leader in Allentown’s revitalization through the arts.”
Wittry joined the orchestra in the mid-1990s, when the typical season included five subscription concerts and two school concerts. Through years of work, she expanded the season with a pops series, family concerts, an orchestral chorus and more, all while identifying young upcoming artists to be featured as soloists.
“The reason I’m a conductor is I just so firmly believe that orchestral music can move people to the core of their being,” she said. ” … And that’s why I’m so passionate about bringing this music to everyone. And if people can’t come to [Miller Symphony Hall], I try to figure out ways that we can go to the schools, that we can go to communities.”
The symphony’s third music director, Wittry pivoted to virtual concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and launched a program called “Symphony Serenades,” sending musicians to play everything from music from the 1700s to modern jazz in city neighborhoods.
“The community outreach that we’ve been able to expand to really serve the region in so many different ways and to reach people of all different ages and all different backgrounds, economic backgrounds, racial backgrounds, and just trying to always move us forward to be impactful is something that’s important to me,” Wittry said.
It’s unusual for a conductor to retain a post for as long as Wittry, but there are several reasons why she’s stayed, including attracting talent from Philadelphia or New York.
“The ability to work with really, really quality players, the commitment of the players that were already here is phenomenal,” she said. “We have players that have played for 50 years. We had players that played for four years. Thirty percent of the orchestra has played for 25 years or more; they have huge commitment to this orchestra. And the orchestra has a really, really positive spirit about it.
” … The ability to be able to create my art in the most creative way has really kept me excited,” she said. “And also, the fact that I’ve never felt that we’ve stood still. … We’re always open to finding more and more ways to reach different aspects of our community and to partner with different people in our community. And that gets me really, really excited.”
Tara Santoro
Tara Santoro, a freelance illustrator and art instructor, was named for her mentorship of student artists, creating “a safe space for kids who just need someone to believe in them.”
An art teacher for about a decade, Santoro has also held classes at the Creative Learning Lab, 5160 Hamilton Blvd. in Allentown, for the last four years. Although her focus is on children, working with students from 5 years old through high school, she teaches some adult classes, too.
While working primarily in colored pencil and watercolor, she works to create art for everyone, she said.
“When people look at my work, I want them to feel connected, but also, in a very positive way,” she said. “There’s so much bummer out in the world. I don’t want them to feel down; I want them to feel good, connected, inspired, whether it’s to relieve a feeling or pick up a pencil on their own [to] doodle, write — whatever creative outlet, something to inspire something within them.”
Asked how many students she’s worked with so far, Santoro guessed somewhere near 100. She also served on the Emmaus Art Commission — her last project was the Paint-A-Hydrant program.
“I absolutely love what I do,” Santoro said. “Creating art is my personal exploration. It’s my escape. When I’m in the zone, I am in the zone. But also, working with the kids is highly inspiring.”
Kelly Banach
Retired Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach was named for giving “wise advice to any and all who came before her in court.”
After serving for 17 years, Banach retired in December 2020. However, she’s taken “senior status” as a judge, making her available to continue working. Last year, she was behind the bench once a week in juvenile court, and this year, has worked once every three weeks, also in juvenile court, she said.
After law school, she worked as a public defender in Bucks County, then in a private civil practice before joining the Lehigh County district attorney’s office for 16 years, working in cases involving sex crimes, child abuse and domestic violence, before becoming a judge.
“I used to say that I had a headache from beating my head against the other gladiator’s head in the constant contest that is criminal court,” Banach said. “And felt that maybe I had earned my stripes to be able to move on to be the referee.”
While she had a reputation for being a careful listener and approachable judge, “it was too personally taxing,” she said of her decision to retire.
“Sometimes you are in the courthouse because of decisions that you have made. Sometimes you’re in the courthouse because things have happened to you that are really beyond your control,” she said. “Whether you are in either of those places, or not, you want to think that somebody who is a decision-maker in your life is really listening and really cares and is being considerate of the human factor.”
A volunteer at Lehigh Valley Health Network, cuddling babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, Banach also sits on the board of Valley Health Partners.
“I think that women make every profession better,” she said. “I think that women are more compassionate, women are more people-centric. Whether it’s doctors, lawyers, your postal carrier, I think that when women are involved, the place, whether it’s the workplace, or, whatever space we’re talking about, becomes a different place.
“And in my mind, that place is kinder, that place is warmer.”
Sarah Stauffer
Sarah Stauffer was named for “her profound accomplishments in business, charitableness in the community and her relentless pursuit to do what is best for her clients during the largest financial transaction of their lives.”
Co-owner of Wesley Works Real Estate in Emmaus, Stauffer, a real estate broker, sells properties and manages the other agents at the business. She became one of the Lehigh Valley’s youngest female broker owners when she was 28.
“I enjoy working. I genuinely like working. I’ve been working since I was very young,” she said, recalling getting business cards for her first babysitting business before she was a teenager. “I went into real estate. It was suggested to me, but I also was very attracted by the possibility that it is you, yourself that drives your success. So, if you wanted to work extra hard or extra long, that I would have more direct control over my success.”
An economic major in college, Stauffer said there were far more men than women studying beside her, and the same is true for her career in real estate.
“It’s interesting, because you do have to fight battles as a woman that men are not necessarily even familiar or aware of, and it’s something that, at certain times in my life, I’ve been more in tune to, and at other times I’ve just buckled down and dealt with it,” she said. “I feel as though I’ve figured out a way for it to bring me energy rather than bring me down. But it was a huge realization for me to see just how different it can be.”
Growing up in Emmaus, Stauffer said she “never had the feeling like I needed to leave and live somewhere else.”
“I find the comfort of our area to be not like something just to rely on, but something to embrace and enjoy,” she said. “I feel very lucky for how comfortable it is here. I think we have tremendous parks, and I like how the little communities each have their own identity, but they’re right close near one another.”
Sue-Ann Webb
Sue-Ann Webb, owner of Stretch-N-Grow Lehigh Valley, was named for her dedication to improving the health and fitness of Lehigh Valley children.
Webb has owned the mobile business for eight years, taking over after the former owner relocated, she said.
“It’s keeps me very busy,” she said, explaining she travels to schools, child care centers and private daycares. “Children actually learn their lifelong habits by the age of 9, which people don’t realize. We teach ages 1-12, and every week, they learn a new muscle and a bone. We talk about nutrition, we always say eating a rainbow, and having your plate look like a rainbow of food for health, especially after the pandemic.”
While there are so many opportunities for children to play video games or watch television, it’s important to instill healthy physical activities, too, she said.
“Having done this for the last 10 years, it’s seeing the joy and excitement on the children’s faces when they tell me ‘I tried a new vegetable,’ or ‘I tried this, or I tried that’,” she said. “They’re excited about it. And children love to run, they love to be active and play, but I think it’s so important because being such a digital society.”
In addition to teaching, she also runs Stretch-N-Grow’s all-star sports program, which includes soccer, dance, and track and field, all accepting children as young as 2 years old.
Webb said the 30-minute sessions when she gets to work with children are “the best half an hour of the day.”
“It does warm my heart to know that they are so enthusiastic about it,” she said. “I do hope that it is something that they take into their teenage years, their young adult years and just continue to embrace healthy habits and and healthy lifestyle choices.”
Rayann Vasko
Rayann Vasko, executive director of Dream Come True, was named for her work with Lehigh Valley children who are seriously, chronically or terminally ill.
“I always like to volunteer for things,” Vasko said. “You know, life isn’t worth living if you can’t do things.”
Starting out stuffing envelopes for the organization, Vasko soon started helping to coordinate experiences for children. She’s worked part time with the organization since 1993.
“Kids are so honest; they are so vibrant,” she said. “One of my first dreams, I saw what families go through. Unless you walked in their shoes, you really don’t know what they go through, and they do go through a lot. And it’s always up and down.”
At the organization’s holiday parties, she loves to dance with the kids, laughing and making sure they’re having a good time, she said, allowing parents to sit back and bond with other parents.
It’s rewarding when a dream is granted and parents can enjoy time with their children without the everyday stress.
“They have a week of no doctor’s appointments, no chemotherapy, no physical therapy, not having to worry about anything except sitting back and watching their child having a good time,” she said. “And that’s what it’s all about, sitting back and watching them do something they really wanted to do with no inhibitions.”
Not one for seeking attention for her work, Vasko said “it’s all about the kids.”
“I don’t need a pat in the back. I don’t need any accolades,” she said. “I just do what I do, and hope I do the best that I can.”
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Morning Call reporter Molly Bilinski can be reached at mbilinski@mcall.com.
