DeSales Welcomes Two New Members to Board of Trustees

DeSales University has welcomed two new members to its Board of Trustees: Joseph A. Fitzpatrick Jr. and Kathleen Waterbury Reilly.

Fitzpatrick, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University School of Law, is a founding member of the law firm of Fitzpatrick, Lentz & Bubba in Allentown. As a land use and development attorney, he’s helped advance several major commercial, industrial, and residential projects in the Lehigh Valley, such as the Stabler Corporate Center and the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley.

Fitzpatrick also serves on the executive committee of the board of directors for Team Pennsylvania Foundation, a bipartisan, public-private sector organization that’s co-chaired by the governor and aims to enhance economic development, technology, and manufacturing opportunities, as well as job creation in Pennsylvania.

He also serves on the board of directors for the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation, and has previously served as vice chairman of the board of directors at Sacred Heart HealthCare System. In addition, Fitzpatrick is a founding director of the nonprofit Phantoms Charities, which promotes health, fitness, sports, and education among children in the Lehigh Valley. He’s married and has two children, 27-year-old twins Claire and Daniel.

Fitzpatrick says he’s impressed by DeSales’ commitment to excellence. “I’ve seen firsthand the great strides DeSales is making toward thoughtful growth academically in terms of offerings and also campus facilities,” he says.

Kathleen Waterbury Reilly, along with her husband, J.B. Reilly, founder and CEO of City Center Investment Corporation in Allentown, has been active in a number of local charities and community groups for many years. A graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School and the University of Notre Dame, she has held a variety of roles in finance, consulting, accounting, and systems development for companies such as Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture), Union Carbide Corporation, and Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN).

Reilly has a passion for helping disadvantaged families and children overcome disparities in education and healthcare. She serves on the board of trustees at the Baum School of Art and Moravian Academy. In 2018, the Reillys presented LVHN with one of the largest donations in its history; the money was used to expand and enhance services at the health network’s children’s hospital in Salisbury Township, which has been renamed Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital.

In August, it was announced that the Reillys would co-chair the 2020 campaign for United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, which runs through March of 2021. The Reillys are parents to three children—Maggie, Tricia, and Jack.

Reilly says she appreciates the breadth of academic opportunities students have at DeSales. With fine allied health and niche social science programs, along with excellent liberal arts programs, DeSales students can be both “career ready” and “life ready” upon graduation. “DeSales University occupies a really great and important position in higher education in the Lehigh Valley and the broader region,” she says.