1. New Century Trust appoints new board members.

New Century Trust, the private foundation that has helped women achieve their full potential by nurturing their economic and political power since it was established in 1882, has named six new members to its 13-member board of directors. They are charged with guiding and advancing NCT’s philanthropic mission.

The new members include:

• Vashti Bledsoe, director of the Bilingual Domestic Violence Program at Lutheran Settlement House
• Kendra Hypolite, associate director of the Family Resource Center of the University of Pennsylvania
• Jane Napoli, chief operating officer of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Brennan Tomasetti, principal of the Civetta Property Group
• Shawn Towey, public policy and community outreach manager at PA Child Care Association
• Sherella Williams, senior development associate at Summer Search Philadelphia

2. John Grady leaves PIDC for Wexford Science & Technology.

John Grady. (Courtesy photo)

John Grady, long-time economic development leader and president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), announced that he would be leaving his post in January to join development group Wexford Science & Technology.

Grady has been president of the PIDC, the nonprofit, economic development partnership founded by the City of Philadelphia and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, for eight years.

PIDC’s mission is to support investment, business growth, and developments that “create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive inclusive growth to every corner of Philadelphia.”

Mayor Jim Kenney shared the news this week in a statement with the Chamber of Commerce.

“John Grady has served PIDC and our city with passion, skill and integrity for more than two decades as a forceful advocate for growth throughout all neighborhoods of Philadelphia,” Kenney said. “He was particularly adept at connecting that growth to the people and places in the most need.”

Grady’s new role is as Wexford’s SVP and Northeast region executive, and will be staying in Philadelphia. Wexford is a Baltimore-based developer that partners with universities and academic institutions to create mixed-use communities, including areas around the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

During his tenure at PIDC, Grady worked on more than 60 community development projects, including healthcare centers, schools, neighborhood retail and mixed-used spaces mostly in underserved communities, the Chamber said.

“His achievements can be seen throughout Philadelphia, from the revitalization of the Navy Yard, to major job-creating developments in our employment centers, and in the growing small businesses and neighborhood commercial corridors where PIDC has been an active investor,” said M. Walter D’Alessio, PIDC board chairman.

PIDC, under Grady’s purview, also co-launched StartupPHL with First Round Capital and the City of Philadelphia in 2012. The early-stage investment initiative has seen a few success stories from its earliest investments, though First Round has since backed out and Ben Franklin Technology Partners has stepped in. The Department of Commerce also added the Venture Program, which funds underrepresented founders, earlier this year.

3. Chief Integrity Officer Ellen Mattleman Kaplan will retire from City government.

Ellen Mattleman Kaplan, who began her position as chief integrity officer for the City of Philadelphia at the start of the Kenney administration in January 2016, has announced she will be retiring, pending appointment of a new chief integrity officer.

Kaplan is credited with playing a pivotal role in revisions to the City’s pay-to-play law to ease compliance by City vendors, including local and minority businesses, and spearheading the Records Department’s online posting of financial disclosure statements for top-level executive branch employees and members of key boards and commissions, among other accomplishments.

“I am grateful to Ellen for her dedicated service to the City of Philadelphia, its employees, and taxpayers,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “Since the start of our administration, Ellen has led our efforts to put in place policies that support a more ethical, accessible, and honest government that Philadelphians can trust. Ellen’s extensive years of experience and knowledge of government ethics, policy, and transparency have played a key role in her many accomplishments as Chief Integrity Officer and in the success of our administration.”

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Kaplan served as vice president and policy director at the Committee of Seventy; as managing director of public policy and communications at Greater Philadelphia First; as issues director for Sam Katz’s 1999 mayoral campaign; as associate director for Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts; and as a Philadelphia assistant district attorney.