Honors
The 2026 CSPA Philadelphia Power Brokers
Our inaugural list features Philadelphia’s most influential figures
From left to right: C. Frank Igwe, Kelly Munson & Kelvin A. Jeremiah Provided; Independence Blue Cross; Philadelphia Housing Authority
“Philly is a city with heart, grit, and incredible food,” sums up Donna Bailey, the CEO of Community Behavioral Health and one of CSPA’s 2026 Philly Power Brokers. Indeed, those qualities – passion, resilience and an appreciation for local cuisine – surfaced repeatedly in our inaugural list of the makers, shakers and innovators in Pennsylvania’s largest city. As America celebrates the 250th anniversary of democracy in its birthplace, these dynamic Philadelphians would surely have made the Founders proud.
Annie Allman
Annie Allman has led Reading Terminal Market since early 2021, guiding Philadelphia's iconic public culinary destination out of the pandemic and into an era of high-profile global tourism. She is responsible for one of America's largest and oldest public markets; the well-being of its 75 mostly small, family-owned businesses; and the experiences of nearly 6 million visitors each year. The University of Pennsylvania graduate honed her hospitality skills at Encore Boston Harbor Casino Hotel and Harrah's Chester Casino & Racetrack.
Donna Bailey
Dedicated to the well-being of Philadelphians, Donna Bailey serves as CEO of Community Behavioral Health, which serves some 700,000 Medicaid members as one of the nation’s largest public behavioral health systems. Under her leadership, the managed-care nonprofit has strived to protect Medicaid access amid policy changes and spearheaded a data-driven approach to improving both physical and fiscal health. Bailey also overhauled the workforce development strategy, including the redesign of career pathways. “One of the things I value most about Philadelphia is its diversity,” she says.
John Barrett
West Philadelphia native John Barrett has devoted his career to service. He spent over 20 years in the Army Reserve and the Pennsylvania National Guard – including service in Afghanistan and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina – and served for decades as a Philadelphia neighborhood zoning committeeperson. A longtime civil defense counsel, he currently serves as general counsel and corporate secretary of a Philadelphia-based multinational company specializing in the handling of dangerous goods. He holds a master’s from the U.S. Army War College.
Daniel Bauder
When he’s not hiking the Wissahickon and singing the praises of SEPTA, Danny Bauder serves as the fourth president of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, advocating on behalf of 150,000 workers in 110 affiliated local unions. A third-generation union member – of UFCW Local 1776 – Bauder led efforts to reclaim May Day as a union holiday, organizing an annual rally and march; he has also reached some 25,000 young people through union programming, cultivating the next generation of organized labor.
Mike Bowman
At Valley Forge Tourism, hospitality veteran Mike Bowman is ready to show World Cup and semiquincentennial tourists another side of the Philly region. In 2025, he was named to the Philadelphia Business Journal's Power 101 list for steering visitors to Montgomery County and the Valley Forge area, where tourism has an annual impact of $2.4 billion. The Culinary Institute of America grad is a veteran of roles at Caesars, Harrah’s and Wyndham International, and he loves a good hoagie.
Brendan Boyle
Born and raised in Philadelphia, U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle was the first in his family to attend college – the University of Notre Dame – and, in 2008, the first Democrat ever elected in his legislative district (two years later, he became a member of the first fraternal pair of state legislators following the election of his brother, Kevin). Now a six-term congressman, Boyle is the ranking member of the House Budget Committee and the leading Democrat for the U.S. Congressional Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Otis Bullock
Otis Bullock has led the Greater Philadelphia Community Alliance since 2012, growing the nonprofit’s poverty-alleviation budget from $3 million to more than $25 million and doubling its locations around the city. A Temple Law graduate and former private-practice attorney, he has led the Mayor’s Office of Community Services and currently chairs the City of Philadelphia’s School Board Nominating Panel. He is married to former state Rep. and fellow nonprofit leader Donna Bullock.
Joe Cacchione
Few wield more influence over the city’s legendary “eds and meds” scene than Joe Cacchione, who as CEO of Jefferson steers an $18 billion, 33-hospital enterprise comprising Jefferson Health, Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health Plans.
After coming to Jefferson from Ascension and the Cleveland Clinic, the cardiologist led Philadelphia’s second-largest employer to become a top-15 nonprofit health system nationally and oversees some $3 billion in annual community philanthropy; he recently raised over $1 million by chairing the American Heart Association’s Heart Ball campaign.
Chellie Cameron
The region’s economic landscape is tended to by Chellie Cameron, who, as CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, represents over 600,000 employees across 11 counties. Cameron joined the chamber after a long career in airport administration, including, most recently, as CEO of Philadelphia International Airport. The first woman in her current role, she was also one of the few women to serve as an active-duty officer in the U.S. Air Force, holds an MBA and is currently launching the Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership.
Gregg Caren
Bolstering the city’s tourism economy gives Gregg Caren “a sense of civic purpose and pride,” says the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO. While he’s a veteran of global convention centers, the Penn State hotel school graduate is proudest of helping rebuild Philly’s hospitality sector after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown (and puts his mouth where his money is: Caren’s a frequent nosher at Reading Terminal Market). He also helped found Tourism Diversity Matters, an organization promoting industry inclusivity, and serves on several national tourism boards.
Lauren Cristella
As the first woman to lead the Committee of Seventy in its 120-year history, Lauren Cristella promotes active citizenship and good government in the cradle of American democracy. She pushed for gender parity on the committee’s board, launched a community advisory council and is guiding the organization’s statewide expansion. Cristella previously held roles at Penn's Fels Institute of Government and the National Constitution Center and is a past president of the League of Women Voters of Philadelphia; she currently teaches nonprofit fundraising at Temple University.
Larry Dubinski
Over a decade at The Franklin Institute, CEO Larry Dubinski has steered growth and raised the Philadelphia science museum’s regional and national profile as a leader in STEM education. He has raised more than $200 million in capital campaigns and positioned the institute as a premier destination for world-class traveling exhibitions. In addition, Dubinski serves as vice chair of the American Alliance of Museums; closer to home, he represents sports, entertainment and the arts as a member of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Business Roundtable.
Abigail Ellis
For 25 years, social worker Abigail Ellis has championed mentorship for young people across the Philadelphia region at Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence, where she is vice president for operations and integration. During a recent stint as interim CEO, she guided the $6.5 million organization through a period of significant transition, spearheading a strategic plan for sustainable growth. As founding executive director of MENTOR Independence Region, she pioneered culturally responsive training and innovative programs reaching nearly 1 million youths.
Daniel Fitzpatrick
Daniel Fitzpatrick oversees the mid-Atlantic region for Philadelphia-based Citizens Bank, a role he has held since 2007. In 2024, Fitzpatrick received the William Penn Award, the region's highest honor for a business executive, from the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, of which he is a past chair and longtime Executive Committee member. The Northeast Philadelphia native, a chartered financial analyst and certified public accountant, has recently taken a lead role in Mayor Cherelle Parker's Business Roundtables.
John Fry
Perhaps the best-known higher-education leader in Philadelphia – which, in this town, is saying something – is Temple University President John Fry. He came to Temple in 2024 after 14 years helming Drexel University, where he set fundraising records, bolstered research and partnered with institutions like the Academy of Natural Sciences. Fry, who just received an honorary doctorate from Franklin & Marshall College – which he led in the 2000s – was a founding chair of Philadelphia’s University City District and also chaired the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
Bill Golderer
One of Philadelphia’s best-known philanthropy professionals, Bill Golderer currently heads the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, the region’s largest anti-poverty organization. He drives $20 million annually toward programs that advance education, economic mobility and access to critical resources across a nine-county region – including a $100 million revolving fund to preserve affordable housing in Philadelphia. An ordained minister, Golderer previously founded Broad Street Ministry and co-founded Rooster Soup Company, Philadelphia’s first for-profit, social-purpose restaurant.
Derek Green
Attorney Derek Green has made a career at the center of Philadelphia’s – and Pennsylvania’s – civic life. Elected twice to City Council, he resigned to run for mayor and has also served as national president of Democratic Municipal Officials, president of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, and as an Executive Committee member of the Democratic National Committee. A former chair of the Philadelphia Gas Commission, Green is currently of counsel at Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel and is special counsel at Bellevue Strategies.
Prema Katari Gupta
In 2024, Prema Katari Gupta took over as the leader of the Center City District, guiding the next chapter for Philadelphia’s showcase downtown. Her tenure has invigorated retail corridors with Open Streets West Walnut; next up is a reimagined wayfinding system to make city itineraries more seamless. Gupta previously cultivated Philly’s urban infrastructure, economic development and public-private partnerships at PIDC, the Navy Yard and University City District – all of which “showed me what happens when cities invest in public life,” she says.
Tine Hansen-Turton
As CEO of the Woods System of Care, Tine Hansen-Turton leads an internationally recognized integrated health and human services care organization serving individuals with behavioral health challenges, intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, acquired brain injury, and complex medical needs. She developed a comprehensive life-cycle care population health management system through a network of 14 affiliated organizations integrating medical, behavioral health, educational, workforce, housing and social services. Hansen-Turton also founded the Nurse-Led Care Consortium and Convenient Care Association movement, advancing nurse practitioner-led healthcare innovation globally.
Jordan Harris
Philadelphia’s financial footing – and the commonwealth’s – is ably guided by state Rep. Jordan A. Harris, the state House Appropriations Committee’s majority chair. In this role, the South Philadelphia Democrat championed a $451 million increase in state subsidies for the School District of Philadelphia and led the expansion of Pennsylvania’s child and dependent care tax credit. A leading voice on criminal justice reform and public education funding, Harris is also a connoisseur of Philly’s food scene – “the way food tells the story of our neighborhoods.”
Erin Dwyer Harvard
Born-and-bred Philadelphian Erin Dwyer Harvard is one of the city’s most recognizable government affairs professionals. Currently, she oversees public affairs for the influential Philadelphia-based General Building Contractors Association, leading legislative advocacy in Harrisburg and Washington for a 19-county membership across Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. Harvard also steers the group’s community outreach, promoting the trades locally through educational initiatives, and collaborates with Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration on housing and construction. Harvard holds degrees in political science and public policy from Temple University.
John Hawkins
For more than a quarter-century, John Hawkins, the founder of Philadelphia Strategies Group, has been a leading force in Philadelphia’s public policy landscape. Shaped by roles in City Council and the Pennsylvania Senate, he leverages his political savvy to support initiatives like Philadelphia’s pay-by-phone parking and new electric buses; most recently, he worked with the city on affordable housing and secured critical funding for the Avenue of the Arts and the Greater Philadelphia Film Office. He also currently chairs the East Falls Development Corporation.
Robert Hicks Jr.
After a career in Washington, D.C. and the world stage, native Philadelphian Robert Hicks Jr. returned home to lead operations for the Delaware River Port Authority. The graduate of Howard and George Washington universities has four decades of transportation and infrastructure experience spanning public agencies, federal consulting, and global policy – including serving as CIO for the D.C. Department of Transportation and as an adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. “Philadelphia pulls you in and never lets go,” he muses, “with character no other city can manufacture.”
Joseph Hill
From Fortune 500 companies to local nonprofits, clients from across the mid-Atlantic call on Joseph Hill to help navigate matters with Philadelphia City Hall. The managing director at Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, he is known for his expertise with the City of Philadelphia, where he grew up before earning a degree from Georgetown University. Hill, whose résumé includes roles with former U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and the 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee, also serves on the board of directors of the Committee of Seventy.
C. Frank Igwe
Dr. C. Frank Igwe is one of Philadelphia’s most visible success stories: He founded Moravia Health in 2012 and has since expanded the home healthcare agency across 21 states and counting, with 7,000 employees and thousands more patients. But Igwe’s ambition never clouded his grassroots philanthropic spirit – as exemplified by Moravia Cares, his nonprofit that provides underserved Philadelphians with services such as Thanksgiving dinners and back-to-school supplies. When he’s not volunteering or expanding healthcare access, you can find him courtside at Sixers games.
Kelvin A. Jeremiah
As CEO of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, Kelvin A. Jeremiah has received the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Most Admired CEO Award for leading America’s fourth-largest public housing authority and the state’s largest affordable housing provider. Under his purview are a $650 million annual budget, 13,000 affordable housing units, a 22,000-unit voucher program and comprehensive social and job services for residents. Jeremiah recently established a Youth and Family Center and founded the PhillySEEDS nonprofit to bolster resources for PHA clients.
Kenyatta Johnson
Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson was inspired to better his hometown through public service after the murder childhood murder of his cousin. The South Philly native founded the Peace Not Guns initiative in 1998, organizing community anti-violence programs; he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2008 and, three years later, to the Philadelphia City Council, where he has served as president since 2024, championing affordable housing, public education, economic development, violence prevention and youth advocacy.
Christie Jones
Christie R. Jones is the first African American and first woman to lead the Philadelphia Bar Association, America’s oldest lawyers' association. A native Philadelphian and an admirer of its distinctive architecture, she recently returned to the city after four decades overseas and in Washington, D.C., including stints as a nonprofit executive and as executive director of the International Association of Women Judges. She is a member of the Philadelphia250 Women's Committee and a board member of the Global Philadelphia Association.
Meg Kane
From Pope Francis' 2015 visit to this year’s World Cup, Meg Kane has been the organizing talent behind some of Philadelphia’s highest-profile events. She currently heads both Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the host city organization, and Signature 57, the strategic communications firm she founded. A fan of Philly’s culinary specialties, Kane is proudest of coordinating the grand opening of the Tastykake Bakery at The Navy Yard in 2010, as well as 2014’s Philadelphia Delegation visit to Rome with then-Gov. Tom Corbett and then-Mayor Michael Nutter.
Ken Lawrence
Highmark’s government affairs chief, Ken Lawrence, leverages thirty years of civic and business experience at the nation’s third-largest Blue insurer, where he guided the Southeast Pennsylvania market entry. Lawrence was the first African American to serve on the Montgomery County Commission and to chair the board of SEPTA. He currently chairs Montco 250 and serves on most of the region’s most influential boards, including the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, as well as Temple University’s President’s Leadership Advisory Council.
Rich Lazer
After transforming the Philadelphia Parking Authority, Rich Lazer this month moved on to become executive director and CEO of PhilaPort. He now heads one of the nation's fastest-growing marine terminals: The Port of Philadelphia more than doubled its cargo volumes over a decade, recently reintroduced cruise operations and is poised for a 180-acre expansion. Lazer, a South Philly native, is a protégé of former Mayor Jim Kenney; his tenure at the PPA was notable for introducing enforcement and signage technologies.
Kevin Mahoney
As CEO of Penn Medicine, Kevin Mahoney ensures that the University of Pennsylvania Health System remains a global nexus of research and practice. Under his purview is the nation’s oldest health facility – 275-year-old Pennsylvania Hospital – and some of its newest research, including groundbreaking mRNA and proton therapies, a biotech innovation hub and the recently unveiled Clifton Center for Medical Breakthroughs. After all, Mahoney reflects, “from the birthplace of American independence to the beginnings of modern medicine, Philadelphia is a city that has never stopped moving forward.”
Joanna McClinton
A lifetime in Philadelphia infused Joanna McClinton with clear priorities – and the political muscle necessary to break a few glass ceilings. McClinton is not only the first woman to serve as speaker of the state House of Representatives; she was previously the first woman to chair the Democratic Caucus and to serve as Democratic Leader. An attorney by training and an ordained minister at her West Philadelphia church, she began her career as a public defender and chief counsel to Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams.
Jami McKeon
As chair of Morgan Lewis – the first woman to lead the Philadelphia-based firm in its 150-year history – Jami McKeon has driven over a decade of global expansion. Her tenure has seen a successful merger with Bingham McCutchen and 12 consecutive years of revenue growth. While guiding more than 4,000 professionals worldwide, she maintains the firm’s deep investment in the city, advancing civic engagement and pro bono work and literally reshaping the skyline, with Morgan Lewis’ glittering new Market Street headquarters.
Joe Meade
“There's no city that bleeds for its teams like Philly does,” observes Joe Meade, who’s no exception: As government and regulatory affairs lead for Comcast Spectacor, Meade ensures the flourishing of Philadelphia’s premier sports complex, working closely with the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and other stakeholders. He recently co-chaired the 2026 Mayor's Masked Ball – surpassing the $1 million fundraising goal – and also co-chairs the NHL's Government Relations Council, advocating for policy to bring hockey to underrepresented audiences.
Kelly Munson
Last year, Kelly Munson became the first woman to lead Independence Health Group in the 87-year history of the Philadelphia-based organization. She helms one of the nation’s largest health organizations and the parent company of Independence Blue Cross and AmeriHealth Caritas. Munson brings 25 years of health industry expertise and a focus on access and affordability to her role guiding the insurer, which serves 6.5 million people across 35 states and the District of Columbia – but home remains Philadelphia, “a city whose energy is unmatched.”
Curtis J. Myers
Curtis Myers serves as chair and CEO of Philadelphia-based Fulton Bank and its parent company, Fulton Financial Corporation. He joined the bank in 1990 as a trainee, was a senior vice president and regional manager by 2000 and has held top leadership positions for nearly two decades. He is also a member of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia's CEO Council for Growth and the Pennsylvania Chamber.
Cherelle Parker
Halfway through her first term, Philadelphia's first woman mayor has cemented a powerful network of supporters, earned the grudging approval of many rivals and (so far) successfully navigated the uneasy balance of contemporary Democratic politics. A pragmatic centrist from Northwest Philadelphia, Cherelle Parker has made “One Philly, A United City” her slogan – and the animating ethos of both this year's marquee celebrations and her ambitious proposals for the city, from new taxes on tech transactions to major infrastructure updates.
Jordan Rambo
Jordan Rambo is the managing director for the Philadelphia office of Accenture, the company where he has worked for a quarter-century – and helped launch Accenture’s Philadelphia-area apprenticeship program, which is in its fifth year expanding opportunity for local talent. Community outreach is central to his role as a managing director for the company – as is the clean-energy transition, which he tackles as a member of Accenture’s utilities industry team. Rambo grew up near Philadelphia and is an active volunteer with local organizations.
Pedro A. Ramos
Attorney Pedro Ramos brings a lifelong public-service commitment to the Philadelphia Foundation, one of America’s first community foundations. Under his leadership, foundation entities have raised $800 million and launched large-scale regional initiatives like the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and the PHL COVID-19 Fund. Ramos’ previous roles include Philadelphia city solicitor and managing director, president of the Board of Education and chair of the School Reform Commission; he has also served as vice president at the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater.
Abhinav Rastogi
Temple business graduate Abhinav Rastogi is the president and CEO of Temple Health, the seven-campus Philadelphia-based system that hosts Fox Chase Cancer Center as well as clinical training for Temple’s Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Under his leadership, Temple Health acquired Chestnut Hill Hospital, launched Temple Women & Families Hospital and saw major expansions of behavioral health and emergency services. Rastogi’s tenure has seen Temple achieve record patient volumes, improve financial performance, earn national recognition for clinical excellence and expand community-focused programs across Philadelphia.
Eric Reed
Philadelphians who enjoy fast internet access at city recreation facilities can thank Eric Fitzgerald Reed, the Verizon vice president who orchestrated a public-private broadband partnership with the City of Philadelphia. As regional chief for public policy and state government affairs, he advances the interests of telecommunications users throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Reed serves on the boards of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and Team Pennsylvania, and always looks forward to seeing what’s new on Philly’s food scene.
Katherine Gilmore Richardson
Katherine Gilmore Richardson, the Philadelphia City Council’s majority leader, was the youngest Philadelphia woman elected citywide in 2019 and the youngest Black woman elected to City Council. Ever since, the lifelong Philadelphian has focused on improving the city’s fiscal stability, workforce development, and public safety, as well as uplifting working parents and supporting small and diverse-owned businesses. She is proudest of legislation untangling titles and combating deed fraud, creating community resource centers and partnering with teachers’ unions on a literacy fair and book giveaway.
Gabe Roberts
A veteran of Philadelphia civic life, Gabe Roberts is currently the acting executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority. He oversees former Director Rich Lazer’s public safety and quality-of-life agenda, including speed and red-light cameras, enforcement of ADA violations, and prohibitions on sidewalk parking; Roberts also directed the rapid transformation of the defunct Greyhound Bus Terminal into the PPA's shining new Transportation Center. The Temple University graduate and devoted Philly sports fan formerly led communications for the Philadelphia Courts.
Scott Sauer
Scott Sauer credits his successful 36-year SEPTA career to his Southwest Philly upbringing: “This city is built on grit, pride, and people who show up for each other – and you see that every day across the system,” he says of the nation’s sixth-largest public transit system, where he is the general manager. The onetime trolley operator now oversees a $2.5 billion organization with 9,300 employees, nimbly managing budget challenges and advocating in Harrisburg for transit that is the lifeblood of five Southeast counties.
Chris Shuster
For a decade, Philadelphia-based Chris Shuster has been a go-to consultant on a range of human resources matters at KPMG, where he is a principal for human capital. Schuster specializes in the state, local government and higher education sectors, helping employers with a range of workforce and regulatory issues. Before joining KPMG, the University of Dayton graduate founded an executive consultancy and held leadership roles with Clearpoint and InfoLogix.
James Snell
James Snell tends the workforce that keeps Philadelphia’s infrastructure humming. He is the business manager of Steamfitters Local 420, representing some 350,000 plumbers, welders and HVAC technicians throughout Southeast Pennsylvania. Snell, who began his trades career with the Steamfitters 35 years ago, currently represents the Philadelphia Building Trades on the Philadelphia Port Authority Advisory Committee and, along with Local 420, on the Zoning Board of Adjustments.
He also serves as a delegate to the AFL-CIO and the National Steamfitters.
Craig Snyder
When he’s not sharing political insights with clients at Ikon Global Consulting, the campaign and government relations consultancy where he is a founding partner, Craig Snyder is probably lunching on cheesesteak in the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House. The Philly native has secured federal funding for most of Philadelphia’s key nonprofits, consulted for “The West Wing,” been nominated as a GOP congressional candidate and led the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. More recently, he was the national director for Haley Voters for Harris.
William Sproule
At Philadelphia’s Navy Yard, union leader William Sproule is celebrating the new headquarters for the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, for which he is the longtime executive secretary-treasurer. The facility will host a training center for the 43,000-strong organization, which represents workers across Pennsylvania, five other states and Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, the regional council has modernized operations, rolled out new programs like the Sicklerville Commercial Dive Center and partnered with Lyft to bolster participation.
Sarah Steltz
“Philadelphians don't understand why anyone would ever choose to live somewhere else – and I love that,” says Sarah Steltz, the new CEO of University City District and its workforce development subsidiary, The Skills Initiative. In a series of roles with both organizations, she expanded a neighborhood-based job-training program into a city-wide and then a regional effort that has become a national model. She has also held leadership roles with the City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
Matthew A. Taylor
Matthew Taylor, a noted trial lawyer, is the chair and CEO of Philadelphia-based Duane Morris, where he also serves on the firm's Executive Committee. He is listed in virtually every compendium of top attorneys locally and nationally for his expertise in handling commercial litigation and employment matters in state and federal courts across the U.S. Taylor serves on the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce's CEO Council for Growth and on the Pennsylvania Commission for America250PA and is a member of the Philadelphia and state bar associations.
H. Marc Tepper
Trial lawyer H. Marc Tepper heads the Philadelphia office for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, where he is a shareholder and co-chairs the firm's Insurance and Reinsurance Practice Group. A veteran of numerous successful commercial matters, Tepper has been listed in the Philadelphia Business Journal's "Best of the Bar" and as a longtime Leading Pennsylvania Lawyer by Chambers USA. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and is a past president of the Philadelphia-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
Brian Tierney
Media strategist Brian Tierney, who published the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News during a Pulitzer Prize-winning stretch, currently heads Brian Communications and serves as vice chair of the Poynter Institute Foundation. Praising “a business and civic community where everyone knows everyone else,” the longtime Philadelphian has served as entrepreneur-in-residence at The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and helped coordinate the Pope’s 2015 visit. He’s also advised companies like Comcast and Independence Blue Cross and met every U.S. president since Gerald Ford.
Curtis Toll
Attorney Curtis B. Toll chairs the Philadelphia office of Greenberg Traurig, where he is a shareholder and focuses his practice on environmentally impacted real estate. In a region with significant redevelopment activity, he represents developers of brownfield and military base projects and, in one recent project, forged a unique public-private partnership with the U.S. Army. A board member of the Penn State Law Board of Advisors and Project Build, a youth development nonprofit, he is also a regular at Citizens Bank Park, cheering on the Phillies.
Angela Val
As Angela Val coordinates Philadelphia’s festivities around America’s 250th and the World Cup, the marquee summer marks a pinnacle of sorts for the longtime CEO of Visit Philadelphia. Val joined the city tourism agency 17 years ago and worked her way up to the C-suite, leading external affairs before leaving, then returning as CEO. She’s also held a leadership role with the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the DNC and, in 2021, directed the yearlong Ready. Set. Philly! initiative to revive the city’s post-pandemic economy.
Donavan West
Seasoned business leader and self-proclaimed Philly foodie Donavan West directs Mayor Cherelle L. Parker's Business Roundtables, a conduit between the administration and Philadelphia’s business community. In the role, he fosters collaboration across industry sectors and public-private partnerships on initiatives around housing, education and economic development. He previously led the African American Chamber of Commerce of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, securing critical support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has headed operations for People For People, overseeing North Philadelphia development initiatives.
Brianna Westbrooks
With a vast network of contacts across the City of Philadelphia, Brianna Westbrooks leverages relationships to further the region and its stakeholders. At Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies, where she is a principal, she helped create the city's eviction diversion program. She secured hundreds of millions in public funds for some of Philadelphia’s core nonprofits and cultural institutions. Westbrooks, who unwinds at Pastorius Park, brought real estate and zoning expertise to Mayor Cherelle Parker’s transition team and now advocates for business-friendly policies in City Hall.
Ezra Wohlgelernter
Ezra Wohlgelernter, the chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, is a co-founding partner at the catastrophic personal injury law firm Feldman Shepherd Wohlgelernter Tanner Weinstock Dodig. A longtime civic leader, he brings a focus on vulnerable populations and accessible justice to the 12,000-strong Bar Association – where he leads efforts to resist law-subverting Trump administration directives around issues like voting rights and the removal of Black history exhibits on Independence Mall – and the SeniorLAW Center, where he supports pro bono legal services for Pennsylvania's indigent elderly.
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