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Recent News & Press| Board of Directors | ||
| Advisory Board | ||
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| Al Besse Al is President and Managing Director of Logan Capital Management , Inc., an investment advisory firm headquartered in Suburban Square, Ardmore, PA. Logan Capital manages more than $1.6 billion for clients nationwide, including corporations, endowments, foundations, mutual funds, Taft-Hartley & pension funds, as well as personal taxable & retirement portfolios. Prior to founding Logan Capital, Al was a Vice President at First Fidelity Bank (now Wachovia Bank) where he served as co-manager of the Charitable Equity Fund. During his decade at the bank, he played a key role in the formation and development of First Fidelity's $2 billion Charitable Funds Management unit. In 1991 he was named as the bank’s Institutional Investment Professional of the Year. A near-native of Siesta Key Florida, Al has deep family ties to the Philadelphia area. Al is a graduate of Haverford College (BA, Economics) – as was his father and grandfather – and he earned his MBA (Finance) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Although he currently resides in Radnor Township, Al was a long-time Center City resident and he maintains his close ties to our Philadelphia community. He continues to host fundraisers and provide support to numerous organizations, including the Equality Forum, Mazzoni Center, William Way Community Center, National Center for Victims of Crime and the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund. Dan Costa Bio coming soon John Crawford John was born in Princeton, New Jersey and raised in Mansfield Township. He attended Bucknell University in Lewisburg PA where he completed his B.A. in Chemistry and Art History in 1991. He moved to Westport and then Stamford Connecticut to pursue a research career in chemistry with American Cyanamid. During his stay in CT, he attended Polytechnic University and obtained a MS degree in Chemisty in 1995. In 1996, Crawford moved to Philadelphia for Rohm and Haas Company where he took a position as a Process Chemist and Regulatory Steward. He is currently a Healthcare Regulatory Product Stewardship Specialist for Rohm and Haas Company. He enjoys volunteering his time within the community through a variety of charitable and professional organizations. For more than ten years he has been active with organizing and promoting events through The Safeguards Project and Chairing the Host Committee for Blue Ball in support of the Sapphire Fund. Erin Dalton Board Secretary Erin Dalton was born and raised in Allentown, PA and currently resides in South Philadelphia. She attended LaSalle University where she received a BS in Business Management in 1997. Erin has been employed at SEI Investments for the past ten years and currently holds the position of Manager in Fund Administration. She has been an active participant with numerous and varied philanthropic efforts through SEI. Seeking to become more involved in the Philadelphia LGBT community, Erin oversaw the finance committee for Emerge 2008 and accepted a position on the Sapphire Fund Board. Triana Font Bio coming soon Craig Freden Bio coming soon Domenic Gallelli After nearly a decade of involvement with various philanthropic endeavors, Domenic Gallelli is one of the newest Sapphire Fund Board Members, and is truly honored by the invitation. Domenic’s education and background is eclectic and diverse, as is his entrepreneurial experience. He is a principal partner in Optimal Wellness, a 6 location Center City fitness and wellness company. Optimal Wellness has been voted Best of Philly by Philadelphia Magazine, and Reader’s Choice by Citypaper. In addition, he is a founding partner and president of Prodigal Private Security, a private venue and special events security firm, with offices in Center City Philadelphia and Bergen County New Jersey. From 2003-2005, Domenic served as Special Guest Lecturer for the Sociology Department of Rutgers-Camden University, in topics ranging from Gender Identity to Sex Role Differentiation. Currently, Domenic is in his final year as a Master’s Degree Candidate at Penn, completing an M.S. in management and entrepreneurial development. His involvement with Penn has also taken him to Europe to collaborate with Cerge-Ei, the Czeck Republic’s leading economic research and consulting institute. Domenic has been heavily involved with a variety of community-based fund-raising efforts. Manna, the Aids Fund, and the Mazzoni Center, all community health organizations, have all benefited from Domenic’s efforts and experience. He is also Event Chair for the Gift of Life Organ Donor Program’s annual gala. While serving as GOL Event Marketing Chair for last year’s event, the attendance increased by nearly 40%. Domenic’s leadership and organizational capabilities are widely considered to be exemplary, and he hopes to live up to the standards set by both current and recent Board Members. Wayne Hamilton President Wayne Hamilton is a lifelong resident of the Philadelphia area. Born and raised in Medford, NJ, Wayne currently lives in Center City. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware in 1990 and a Juris Doctorate from Temple University School of Law in 1995. Seeking to become more involved in the GLBT fund-raising community, Wayne co-chaired Blue Ball 2004. After the success of that event, he accepted an invitation to join the Sapphire Fund Board and continue its commitment to benefiting our community. Wayne has held the position of Events Chair for the Sapphire Fund and currently is president. David Jefferys Public Relations David Jefferys isn't the typical, lifelong ad guy who picked up a few buzzwords about marketing along the way. He's an authentic marketing maven. Branding, marketing, sales - he lives his work. David's career started as a sales rep for Digimatics Business Forms where he established the revenue benchmark for the company's national effort. He then expanded his marketing talent at CFC where he directed John Wanamaker's national direct marketing programs for the sales promotion and credit marketing departments before moving on to launch the Donnelley Directory for Dun and Bradstreet. Understanding first hand the mission of the client's marketing and sales challenges, David founded Altus Group on the "client centric" principal long before CRM was an industry concept. Now, hundreds of clients later, David's work is realized in many brands headquartered in the Philadelphia market. David graduated from Villanova University with a B.S. in Accounting and Marketing. He also earned an A.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University. Antoine Johnson Antoine Johnson (CEO) is a graduate of Villanova University, with a degree in communication. (TV/FILM) He is a former model and stage performer. Antoine's last show was A Chorus Line, where he played Richie. A Chorus Line is now on broadway. Antoine has been training performers for over 6 years. Under his direction they have gone on to work in the (A) markets. Antoine works with each model individually on developing strong modeling portfolios, runway, photography, interpersonal communication skills, how to approach casting, go-see's, auditions, choosing the right song for your voice, dance/chorography and how to perform your best at all times. Ryan Maxwell Vice President Ryan Maxwell was born and raised in Philadelphia. He currently resides in South Philadelphia and is completing his residency training in Anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Ryan received his degree in medicine from PCOM. He also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry. Ryan’s initial involvement with the Sapphire Fund began years ago as co-chair of the Blue Ball Host Committee. After joining the Board of Directors he served as the Events Committee Chair for two years and successfully coordinated multiple fundraising events including Sapphire Fund’s signature fundraising event, Blue Ball. Ryan has strong ambition to want to help and care for people both in his medical practice and in the community as a whole. His goal as a board member is to help support the infrastructure of Sapphire Fund by building its endowment, making Sapphire Fund more visible in the community and upholding the mission of this remarkable non-profit organization. Dominic Mignone Dominic Mignone is a native Philadelphian, and long-time supporter of Sapphire, most notably, through his position as Sales Manager at PHAG (Philadelphia Home Art Garden) since 2004. Dominic continues to work as an independent consultant in the Event Management Industry, where he has served as a Logistics Coordinator for both small and large-scale events throughout the US and in resort destinations. Additionally, Dominic is a reliable community volunteer, having worked with the William Way Center’s annual Indigo Ball fundraiser, and serving as Co-chair and Chair of the Silent Auction for the annual Philadelphia Region HRC Dinner Gala in 2007 and 2008. Dominic is thrilled to be a part of the Sapphire Board, and looks forward to playing a role in the future growth of the organization. Dominic holds a BS in Finance and Marketing from Philadelphia University. David Schellenberg Corinne Thornton Assistant Board Secretary Bio coming soon Romulo Diaz, Jr. Romulo L. Diaz, Jr. served as the city solicitor of Philadelphia under Mayor John Street, following appointment by former Mayor treet and unanimous confirmation by City Council on June 16, 2005. The city solicitor is the City of Philadelphia’s chief legal officer, the head of the City’s Law Department, and a member of the mayor’s cabinet. Prior to his appointment, Romulo was chair of the Commercial and Regulatory Law Group of the city’s Law Department, which he joined in March 2002. He previously held numerous legal, management and policy positions at increasing levels of trust and responsibility in the federal government, including assistant administrator for management at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and deputy chief of staff and counselor to the Secretary of Energy. He received the Secretary of Energy’s Gold Award for coordinating the Department of Energy’s reform efforts that streamlined the Department’s regulations and paperwork burden. He chaired several international groups, including NATO’s Petroleum Planning Committee from 1992-1995 during a major realignment of the North Atlantic Alliance. Romulo received his JD from the University of Texas School of Law and BA from the University of Texas at Austin. He is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, the District of Columbia and Texas. He is a charter fellow of the Federal Bar Association; treasurer of the Hispanic Bar Association of Pennsylvania; and a director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the Sapphire Fund and the Pan-American Association of Philadelphia. Peter DiForte Peter DiForte has been involved with Blue Ball for the last 16 years. For 15 of those years, he has been responsible for the wildly successful brunch. He has also been involved in several other organizations such as the Attic Youth Center, the William Way Community Center, the Center for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights, Lambda, Spiral Q, and HRC. Peter was the 1999 honoree for the Safeguard Organization, and in 2000 Philadelphia Fight created an award in his honor for volunteerism called The Peter DiForte Award. His slogan is "It's time to pay back the community." We want your support! Seth Eaker Seth Eaker has over fifteen years in operations, marketing and human resource management across a variety of industries. He has served as a general manager, director of operations and as acting regional marketing director of the mid-Atlantic territory for the Marriott and Sodexho corporations. He has a broad history in non-profits as well over the same time. He has been a member of SADD, the national trustee of the Peer Education Network, part of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, a founding member of Holy Trinity Community Church in Nashville, TN, and was a founding and current advisory board member of the Sapphire Fund in Philadelphia, PA which is the primary producer of the single largest annual dance philanthropic event for the HIV/AIDS & LGBT community in Philadelphia. After relocating to Seal Beach, CA, Seth joined the Chamber of Commerce and was asked to be part of the Board of Directors responsible for Government Relations and Sponsorship. In his free time he helps develop and execute business events like the 21st annual Seal Beach classic car show and the “Bike & Board for Better Health” youth BMX and skateboard event. An avid chef, weight lifter, volunteer and world traveler, Seth is a 1995 alumnus of the University of the South with degrees in chemistry and philosophy, and also attained his MBA from Drexel University in June of 2004. He won the “Top 40 Under 40” in the Philadelphia Business Journal 2006 for starting his two companies, both of which were incubated in the Baiada Center for Entrepreneurship, LeBow College of Business. Currently, he is founder and owner of Black Marble Consulting, LLC and Oceanus Life Management, LLC, with offices in Philadelphia and Seal Beach. Christy Gaughan Christy Gaughan is from South New Jersey, but started coming to Philadelphia as soon as she could drive, moving here after college. She is a Senior Statistician at IMS Health where she leads statistical methodology development for the IMS Sales Force Effectiveness Precision Suite, a tool used by internal clients within the Global Sales & Account Management Consulting team serving the pharmaceutical market. Recently she finished her MBA/MS in Healthcare Management and Healthcare Financial Management from Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management. While at Fox Christy served as Vice President of Event Planning for the MBA & MA Student Association and was instrumental in starting a GLBT affinity group for MBA students called Out for Business. Through her event planning position she ran the MBA/MS Spring Gala in 2006 which she turned into a charitable event for MANNA. Prior to IMS Health, Christy worked as a Biostatistician for the School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania and as a Statistician at Campbell Soup Company. Christy also has a MS in Statistics from Temple University and a BA in Mathematics from Rowan University. In her free time Christy enjoys reading, biking, and recently started playing golf. She also enjoys cooking and entertaining at home or dining out at Philadelphia’s amazing restaurants. Bob Morrison Bio coming soon. Laura Fredricks Laura Fredricks, JD, as Vice President for Philanthropy at Pace University in New York, NY, oversees all aspects of fundraising and alumni relations for staff of 40 on five campuses. She is the author of the books, “The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for Any Purpose “(Jossey-Bass 2006) and “Developing Major Gifts: Turning Small Donors into Big Contributors” (Jones and Bartlett 2001). Laura teaches nonprofit business management, leadership,annual, major, planned, and capital campaign courses on a certification and master’s degree level for University of Pennsylvania,Columbia University, Duke University and the Smithsonian Institution. She has been active with the Association of Fundraising Professionals as an executive board member for the Greater Philadelphia Chapter for six years, and a committee member on the national level. Ms. Fredricks for many years has been involved as a volunteer for the Bedford, Barrow, Commerce Block Association; Caring Community; Philadelphia YMCA; Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Philadelphia; and as an advisory board member for the University of Pennsylvania Special Programs and the Columbia University Masters in Fundraising Program. Brad Richards Brad Richards was born and raised in Bryn Mawr, PA. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he received his BA degree in 1992. Brad's involvement in Blue Ball goes back to the late 1990s, when after attending the event a few times, he decided to volunteer as part of the Blue Ball Leadership Committee. For the next few Blue Balls, he worked on the main event committee as well as assisting with individual giving. Brad was instrumental in establishing the Sapphire Fund Endowment with the Philadelphia Foundation that will ensure Sapphire's continued positive impact on the GLBT community. Dave Rumsey Bio coming soon. |
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