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These 3 city agencies have new directors

Vision 2020 President Lynn Yeakel. July 24, 2017 Category: ColumnFeaturedLongPeople

Power Moves is a semi-regular column chronicling leadership movements within Philly’s social impact community. Send announcements to philly@generocity.org.


1. The city’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services has a new leader.

DBHIDS’s new commissioner is David T. Jones, who previously worked as the 800-person agency’s deputy commissioner and had been serving as acting commissioner since January. Before joining the city department in 2013, he worked at Baltimore Mental Health Systems, Inc. for four years as VP and director of its child and family division.

Former Commissioner Dr. Arthur Evans left the agency at the beginning of the year after being appointed as the new CEO of the American Psychological Association. Evans also co-chaired the Mayor’s Task Force to Combat the Opioid Epidemic in Philadelphia, which released its report on curbing the city’s opioid addiction crisis in May. DBHIDS will work to implement recommendations put forth by the task force as a member of the city’s Health and Human Services Cabinet.

Tavarez. (Courtesy photo)

2. Tiffany Tavarez left PECO for Wells Fargo.

The CSR pro joined the company’s Northeast division as VP of community relations and senior community relations consultant earlier this month.

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Tavarez previously worked as PECO’s corporate contributions manager starting in 2013, where she was charged with administering grants for the corporation and served as a liaison to community organizations.

Here’s what she shared with Generocity:

“Under the leadership of Aldustus (A.J.) Jordan, I will have an instrumental role in ensuring that, the great work of the Wells Fargo Northeast Community Relations team does, we continue – with our business line partners – to not only meet our company’s CSR objectives, but to also strengthen them.

Without question this is a power move for me. It is a powerful luxury to not only align yourself with a fantastic opportunity but also a thriving culture and thriving team in which to get the work done. I will learn as much as I will contribute and give as much as I get – you can’t get any more powerful than that.”

3. Erica Atwood is interim ED of the Philadelphia Police Advisory Commission.

The city’s former director of Black Male Engagement left public service in Dec. 2015, but now she’s back, albeit in a temporary position. Through her company, First Degree Consulting, the sometimes-columnist has signed on as a consulting executive director of the commission tasked with improving community-police relations.

“My intent was never to apply for the permanent position, it just made [my work] more efficient to be able to hop on the board, given the previous executive director’s sudden departure,” she said. Former ED Kelvyn Anderson resigned in February.

Atwood joined the commission in March to aid it in finding a new permanent director and support its further development. She will stay on until a new ED is selected, likely by September, she said.

The Policy Advisory Commission has been around in various forms since at least the 1990s, according to Atwood, but was formally reestablished under Mayor Jim Kenney. Among its goals are to make policy recommendations to the mayor via the managing director and police commissioner, and to receive citizens’ complaints about police misconduct.

The commission aims to move into a new HQ from its current location at 10th and Spring Garden streets to one in Center City, Atwood said. Commission meetings are open to the public every third Monday of the month.

Erica Atwood.

Erica Atwood. (Courtesy photo)

4. Council for Relationships added five new board members.

The nonprofit that offers affordable therapy to low-income clients, including immigrants and refugees, recently appointed five new directors to its board:

  • Keith Anderson, manager of IT operations for the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates 
  • Graham Brent, CEO of National Commission for the Certification of Crane Operators
  • Dave Bricker, former CFO and COO of Genesis PURE Corp.
  • Jackie Zavitz, principal at Heidrick & Struggles
  • Tonya Zweier, SVP of Finance at Innovairre

Existing board member Patricia Owens was also named board chair.

5. Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia’s CEO stepped down.

Frank Monaghan, who worked as the local chapter’s head for nine year years, announced last week he was stepping down to become its senior advisor for special projects. The org’s new CEO will be Corinne O’Connell, who has worked as its associate executive director since 2009. Read Monaghan’s farewell letter here.

The nonprofit’s Point Breeze social enterprise, ReStore, turned two last month.

6. Vision 2020 is looking for its first executive director.

Vision 2020 is an initiative based out of Drexel University’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership focused on “women’s economic, political and social equality in the United States” through two programs: Shared Leadership Campaign, with a goal of increasing the number of women in government and business leadership positions, and Women 100, which will celebrate the 100th anniversary of women earning the right to vote.

Explained Communications Manager Kathleen McFadden in an email:

“Vision 2020 has had a Project Director in the past, but not an Executive Director. Outside of fundraising, Vision 2020’s program-specific activities under the Shared Leadership Campaign and Women 100 have been managed by project directors and program coordinators. As the year 2020 approaches, bringing with it an increase in activity and interest from many directions, Vision 2020 has a need for an Executive Director to assist with securing sponsorships and implementing plans that support both programs.”

Whoever fills this new role will spend half their time on fundraising and donor relations, and half on planning and execution for Vision 2020’s programs. Check out the full job description here.

Lynn Yeakel speaking at a press event announcing Vision 2020’s voter turnout goal for the 2020 national elections.

Lynn Yeakel speaking at a press event announcing Vision 2020’s voter turnout goal for the 2020 national elections. (Courtesy photo)

7. Shondell Revell is in charge of the city’s new Office of Violence Prevention.

Last Tuesday, the City of Philadelphia announced the formation of the new office that will oversee the $60 million spent on anti-violence programs per year.

“Over the past decade, there have been a host of efforts to stem violence in Philadelphia. While we’ve had some success, I believe the City would benefit from a coordinated, interdepartmental approach,” said Mayor Kenney in a statement. “This Office will aid our police officers and other City employees on the front lines by ensuring the City is investing in innovative, effective, long-term anti-violence strategies.

Revell was chosen as the office’s new executive director following more than a decade as director of the city’s Youth Violence Reduction Partnership.

8. Center in the Park appointed new board leadership.

The $2 million, Germantown-based senior community center was recently joined by five new board members, including:

  • Gary E. Simkus, regional director at United Health Services of Delaware, Inc.
  • Keith Anderson, manager of IT operations, ECFMG (yep, the same one who just joined Council for Relationships’ board)
  • Marvetta E. Coleman, senior community engagement and growth specialist, Gateway Health
  • Patricia Smith, real estate professional, Weichert Realtors, McCarthy Associates
  • Andre C. Wilder, president of the Center in the Park Advisory Council

Simkus was also elected treasurer and finance chair.

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