Meet Joshua, Justin, Dan, John, Rocco and Eric. They’re not the types to toot their own horns (or perhaps sing their own praises, in Dan’s case), so Lehigh Valley Style is happy to do it for them. We’ve selected these six exceptional gentlemen as our 2026 class of Influential Men of the Year. Read on to learn about the many ways they’re putting community before self, personally and professionally, for the benefit of the rest of us. And to them we say, keep on doing what you’re doing, fellas.
John Leonard
The Nomination: “He swooped right in and took action. He made sure to be present and provide guidance at a very valuable time.”
Lt. John Leonard has been an Allentown police officer for fifteen years. He takes the community-building part of the job very seriously, especially when it comes to the city’s young people. “Building a relationship with the youth is important because we’re building future leaders,” he says.
Leonard is heavily involved with the Allentown Police Athletic League (PAL), which offers a number of mentorship, recreational and educational activities, including a six-week summer youth academy where kids find out about the workings of the police department. Beyond the badge, they’re also learning how to be good citizens and neighbors, which Leonard considers to be a vital lesson. “If we develop community leaders to take on or be knowledgeable in the ongoings of the city, then the police officers won’t need to fill a lot of those roles,” he says. “Something as simple as who’s checking on your senior neighbors, who’s making sure that downed stop signs or burned-out street lights are reported. Those aren’t police issues. But, we’ve lost as a society, not just in Allentown, but we’ve lost some community ownership, and through PAL and our other nonprofits, we want to bring that ownership back.”…