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Board of Directors for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania Elects New Chairman and Vice Chairman, Two New Members
Philadelphia, PA, January 17, 2012 (www.sep.benfranklin.org) – The Board of Directors for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP), at its Annual Meeting on December 14, 2011, elected a new Chairman and Vice Chairman of the board, Anthony Santomero, Ph.D, (Former) President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; and Stephen T. Zarrilli, Senior Vice President and CFO of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., respectively. The Board elected two new Members, Charles P. Pizzi, (Former) President and CEO of Tasty Baking Company, Inc; and Matthew Rieke, M.D., Partner at Quaker Partners. It also elected Peter S. Linder, Chairman of the MAG Fund, as Treasurer; he will also serve as Chairman of the Finance Committee; Alan J. Cohn, President of Sage Financial Group, as Finance Committee Vice Chair; and Michael J. Heller, Chair of the Business Law Department at Cozen O’Connor, as Corporate Secretary.
A complete list of Ben Franklin’s Board of Directors can be found here.
Dr. Santomero is a financial consultant with a broad background in economics and finance. He serves as a Board member on the Columbia Funds mutual fund complex, the fund family affiliated with the Bank of America; Renaissance Reinsurance Company Ltd, and the Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Previously, he was a Senior Advisor in McKinsey & Company’s New York Office. Prior to joining McKinsey, Dr. Santomero was the ninth President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia from July 2000 to April 2006. As Federal Reserve Bank president, Dr. Santomero was a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which conducts U.S. national monetary policy by influencing the level of interest rates.
Mr. Zarrilli is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., an investment firm that provides growth capital for entrepreneurial and innovative life sciences and technology companies. He leverages more than 25 years of strategic, financial and operational experience in raising capital and providing financial oversight. During the course of his career, Mr. Zarrilli has demonstrated an ability to successfully grow and manage entrepreneurial enterprises. Prior to joining Safeguard, he was Chief Financial Officer of Fiberlink Communications Corp., as well as CFO and then CEO of US Interactive, Inc. He also served as CEO of Concellera Software, Inc. He began his career at Deloitte & Touche, where he developed an emerging business practice for the firm in Philadelphia.
Mr. Pizzi is a transformative leader of civic, government and civic enterprises. He was most recently the President and CEO of Tasty Baking Company, when it successfully completely a merger with Flowers Foods, Inc. Mr. Pizzi had been President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and commerce director for the City of Philadelphia. Mr. Pizzi is the chairman of the Allegheny West Foundation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He also serves on the boards of Drexel University, Independence Blue Cross, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, Brandywine Realty Trust, and the Grocery Manufacturers of America.
Dr. Rieke is a founding principle of Quaker Partners. Previously, he was principle at PA Early Stage, and Novitas Capital, a venture capital fund investing in early stage life science and IT companies. He created start-up companies based on Penn faculty inventions at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Technology Transfer. He was also a management consultant with CSC Healthcare, focusing on disease management protocols, and researched novel therapeutics and bone marrow transplantation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The Board re-appointed Members Joseph Bordogna, Ph.D., Professor of Engineering, University of Pennsylvania; Michael J. Heller, Chair of the Business Law Department, Cozen O’Connor; Osagie O. Imasogie, Esq., Senior Managing Partner, Phoenix IP Ventures; Kef Kasdin, General Partner, Battelle Ventures and Innovation Valley Partners; Anil (Bob) Kothari, Senior Vice President, ICG Commerce; Peter S. Linder, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the MAG Fund; Ashley A. McEvoy, Worldwide President, Ethicon, Inc.; RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President and CEO, Ben Franklin; and Stephen Spinelli, Jr., Ph.D., President, Philadelphia University.
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About Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania is a national, award winning model for technology innovation, and a catalyst for Stimulating Entrepreneurial Potential. For more than 28 years, we have invested in innovative enterprises and created commercialization pathways and partnerships that generate wealth through science and technology. We offer entrepreneurs and established businesses the Capital, Knowledge and Networksto compete in the global marketplace. We have invested more than $155 million to grow more than 1,750 regional enterprises across all areas of technology.
Ben Franklin’s programs and partnerships with universities, corporations and investors strengthen the region’s innovation infrastructure. Together with partners across the region, we are fostering the formation of a Greater Philadelphia energy cluster…Power Valley. We are the commercialization partner for the Greater Philadelphia Innovation Cluster (GPIC) national energy hub, and the founding partner of the Energy Commercialization Institute (ECI). We are founding partners of The Nanotechnology Institute (NTI), Emerald Stage2 Venture Fund, and numerous other programs and initiatives.
Ben Franklin is part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Ben Franklin Technology Partnership.
For additional information, please visit www.sep.benfranklin.org, Facebook, LinkedIn & Twitter.'
Source: Ben Franklin Technology Partners
