Our People

Dennis Zehner has been our Executive Director and CEO since July 1, 2020. He had been our Director of Advancement from 2018-2020.

In his time as Executive Director, Dennis has led the efforts to change our agency’s name to Sights for Hope and to implement a brand focused on empowerment and independence. He also has reshaped our organization’s staff, recruited and added key members to our executive team, ensured our maintained operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, led a restructuring of our financial management processes, and influenced key additions to our Board of Directors.

Dennis has more than 20 years of experience in the Lehigh Valley’s nonprofit sector, in which he specialized in marketing, communications, and fundraising. He has worked previously with United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley, the Da Vinci Science Center, and what is now the Literacy Center of the Lehigh Valley. Dennis holds a graduate certificate in Marketing Strategy from Cornell University and a degree in Journalism from Lehigh University.

Michael Wambaugh became President of our Board of Directors on July 1, 2021. He had served as the board’s Vice President from 2017-2021.

Michael has spent his adult life working to improve the well-being of others. He served in the United States Army for three years as a helicopter crew chief. After his military service, he worked as a safety specialist for Air Products and Chemicals for more than 25 years until his 2019 retirement.

Michael became familiar with our organization in 2005 when his first wife, Joyce, became a client because of retinal edema. After Joyce passed away in 2015, Michael joined our board to honor her memory. Michael and his present wife, Mila, are among our most generous benefactors and are lifetime members of our 20/20 Society of donors.

Kate Raymond became Vice President of our Board of Directors on July 1, 2021. She had served as the board’s Secretary from 2020-2021.

Kate joined the agency’s Advancement Committee in 2018 and was elected to its board in May 2019. Kate has been a Director of Marketing and Public Relations for St. Luke’s University Health Network since 2011. She is responsible for the promotion of the network and several of its components – including its weight management center, its School of Nursing, and the Temple/St. Luke’s School of Medicine.

A graduate of Northampton Area High School, Kate holds a master’s degree in American Studies from Lehigh University and a degree in Marketing and Public Relations from Susquehanna University.

Jennifer Pandolfo became Sights for Hope’s Associate Director in October 2021 and has been our Director of Services since April 2020. She had served as our Director of Monroe Operations from 2015-2020.

As Associate Director, Pandolfo informs and participates in efforts to develop and execute our organization’s strategic plan. She also provides expertise, perspectives, and support to the implementation of policies, procedures, and activities that benefit our operations and reputation among our stakeholder groups.

As Director of Services, Pandolfo has led a restructuring of our services staff and developed hybrid delivery of several of its client services. She also has created our Mom and Me in Motion and Preschool Playtime programs for pre-kindergarten children with visual impairments and their families.

Jennifer has 15 years of experience in the social services sector. She is a former Program Director and Acting Executive Director for the Boys & Girls Club of Morris County, N.J., and a former support specialist with Step By Step, Inc., who worked with children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders.

Jennifer holds a degree in Community Psychology from Montclair State University and studied Social Work on a graduate level from New York University. She also is Vice President of the Pocono Autism Society and Secretary of the InterAgency Council of Monroe County.

Deirdre Federico Snyder, CFRE, became Sights for Hope’s Director of Advancement in March 2022.

Federico Snyder served as Director of Development for the Lehigh County Humane Society from 2019 to 2021 and earned her international Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential in 2021. During her tenure with the humane society, Federico Snyder established a fundraising infrastructure, donor stewardship program, legacy giving society, and a $4 million capital campaign. Her work supported the opening of a new community veterinary clinic facility; financial assistance for pet owners; and the rescue, adoption, and return of more than 3,000 animals.

Federico Snyder also worked as Development and Special Events Coordinator of the Allentown Rescue Mission from 2015-2018. While there, she created the organization’s first gala fundraiser, developed its volunteer program, managed its annual WAEB Spaghetti Dinner hosted by Bobby Gunther Walsh, and directed its annual Thanks for Giving food and supply drive, which utilized 350 volunteers over 10 days. Her work supported the sheltering of more than 2,500 men, the serving of more than 100,000 meals, and the placement of more than 100 men in the mission’s Christian living program and Clean Team Workforce.

Federico Snyder holds a degree in English and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts and is a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Eastern Pennsylvania chapter.

Anthony Silvetti, O.D., has been our Low Vision Optometrist since the consolidation of ABVI and VIABL in 2010. He had served in the same capacity with VIABL from 1996-2009.

Dr. Silvetti examines clients and patients at both our Lehigh Valley and Monroe locations to identify methods and assistive tools that enhance their independence and enable them to conduct the activities that are most important to them.

Dr. Silvetti also provides these specialized services for Northeast Sight Services in Exeter, PA, and practices for Houser Newman Associates in Tamaqua, PA. He has more than 30 years of experience and was trained at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry and the Feinbloom Vision Rehabilitation Center in New York, N.Y.

Dennis Zehner, Executive Director and CEO
Jennifer Pandolfo, Associate Director and Director of Services
Deirdre Federico Snyder, CFRE, Director of Advancement
Rita Lang, Client Activities Manager
Nancy Cobb, Operations Manager
Anthony Silvetti, O.D., Low Vision Optometrist

Teresa Pickett, Services Coordinator
Dianne Michels, Vision Rehabilitation Therapist
Yvette Quintero, Lead Client Caseworker
Stephanie Guillen, Lehigh Valley Client Caseworker
Erin Hahn, Lehigh Valley Client Caseworker
Erica Vibert, Lehigh Valley Client Caseworker
Melinda Weston, Monroe Client Caseworker
Kim Williams, Lehigh Valley Low Vision Care Coordinator
Cheryl Miller, Monroe Low Vision Care Coordinator
Brian Schell, Lehigh Valley Transport Coordinator
Noel Penaloza, Lehigh Valley Transport Driver
Les Schoenberger, Lehigh Valley Transport Driver
Lisa Metcalf, Monroe Transport Coordinator
Kareem Harvey, Monroe Transport Driver
Byron Jackson, Monroe Transport Driver
Crispin Tacardon, Monroe Transport Driver
Carol Weisberg, Camp Program Specialist
Ruthie Asmus, Lehigh Valley Prevention Specialist
Colleen Rountree, Lehigh Valley Prevention Specialist
Angela Hill, Monroe Prevention Specialist