FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
David Thornburgh, 267-861-6040
dthornburgh@seventy.org
September 7, 2017
Committee of Seventy Names Five Buchholz Fellows
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The Committee of Seventy announced today the selection of five inaugural Buchholz Fellows, promising young Philadelphians who will spend a year as Board members of the century-old good government group. The five finalists are:
- Jennifer Devor, Director of Partnerships, Campus Philly. Devor builds and maintains relationships with companies, governments, nonprofits, students and college administrations nationally. She is also a South Philadelphia block captain, elected Committeeperson, and President of Neighbors Invested in Childs Elementary (NICE). She is a 2006 graduate of the University of the Arts.
- Gaige Flint, Director of Government Affairs, Comcast. Flint is a board member of Philly Set Go and has completed a five-month fellowship with the New Leaders Council. Gaige a co-lead for Comcast’s Young Professionals Network. He is a graduate of Lehigh University (B.A. History), Villanova School of Business (MBA) and Villanova University School of Law.
- Christopher Havener, Associate Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, Employment Law, Aramark. He has served as a volunteer for the Committee of Seventy, has provided pro bono counsel for the Resolute Alliance in Yorktown and pro bono employment counseling for Teach for America and Moving Traditions. He is a graduate of Princeton (A.B. Sociology) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
- Nathan Singh, Clinical Fellow, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Pennsylvania. He is the founder and co-president of Moving Philly Forward and the Founding member of Indivisible Leadership for Southeast Pennsylvania. Nathan is a graduate of Haverford College and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (MD and MS, Translational Research). He has completed his internship and residency.
- Jason Tucker, Vice President of Acquisitions and Development, Goldenberg Group. Tucker co-founded Philadelphia’s Leaders of Tomorrow (PLOT) which is dedicated to attracting and retaining talented young individuals to Philadelphia. He was also a co-founder of PhilaSoup, a non-profit organization that strives to promote innovation in education by convening representatives from the Philadelphia education community in order to promote the cross pollination of ideas and best practices, and to fund specific projects sponsored by individual educators. Tucker has served on the Board of Young Involved Philadelphia (YIP) for the last two years and has been involved with the organization as a member for the last four years. He is a graduate of Amherst College and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
Launched in 2017, the Buchholz Fellowship was created by the Committee of Seventy Board to help build a pipeline of young leaders interested in improving the governance of our city, state and region. The Fellowship honors Carl Buchholz, a committed Seventy Board member who died too soon but who—at a young age—served in significant public, private and civic sector leadership roles. In the spirit of his leadership, the Fellowship creates an opportunity for five Philadelphians aged 25-40 to serve for a year as non-voting members of the Seventy Board. Fellows participate in all Board and Policy Committee meetings and are full participants in Seventy’s conversations, discussions and debates around governance and public policy issues facing Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. They are also matched with Seventy Board members who spend time with them as advisors and mentors during their Fellowship year. The Fellows also commit to working together to complete a policy-oriented project over the course of their Fellowship.
“This program is an important part of Seventy’s plans for the future. Building a pipeline of next generation talent, insight and relationships is key for Seventy moving forward,” said David Thornburgh, CEO, Committee of Seventy.
The prestigious new Fellowship is targeted to emerging leaders working in the private or nonprofit sector who embody the qualities that Carl Buchholz exhibited in his life and work: personal and professional integrity, a strong work ethic, collaborative spirit, a superior intellect and a passion for improving his community. The selected Fellows have already demonstrated a commitment to Seventy’s mission of making government work more efficiently and effectively, engaging all citizens in the local democratic process and opening up the political process to men and women of promise and character. Seventy sought a diverse cohort of Fellows, and applications were received from residents of Greater Philadelphia and its communities. The five Fellows were selected from a competitive field of 40 applicants.
“Carl believed that we are all responsible for investing in and listening to our next generation of leaders. The Committee of 70 Buchholz Fellowship program is the perfect way to ensure our younger generation is at the board table and empowered to participate and contribute in the process to make Philadelphia an even better place,” said Karen Buchholz, Senior Vice President, Administration, Comcast Corporation.
“The nominations we received were extraordinary, giving me even further excitement about our City’s future leaders. We are thrilled to roll up our sleeves with these talented young individuals who I am sure will help to bring a fresh perspective and innovative contributions to many of Philadelphia’s current challenges and opportunities,” said Bret Perkins, Chairman, Committee of Seventy’s board of directors and Vice President, External and Government Affairs, Comcast Corporation.
About Carl Buchholz:
Carl Buchholz was an important member of Seventy’s board of directors and executive committee for a decade before his untimely death in May, 2016 at the age of 51. In addition to his service to Seventy, he was a member of the board of trustees at Drexel University, the American Revolution Museum, Visit Philadelphia and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, where he was also the former Chairman. An accomplished lawyer, he was managing partner of DLA Piper’s Philadelphia office and prior to that he was managing partner of Blank Rome. After September 11, 2001, Carl put his private sector career on hold to serve his country by joining former Governor Ridge to help create the office of Homeland Security. Early in his career he worked for Senator John Heinz where he met his wife Karen. See his complete obituary. Carl was a loving husband and father, and a friend to all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
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The Committee of Seventy is an independent nonprofit advocate for better politics and better government in Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information, see www.seventy.org.