For immediate release
Contact: Kelly Antonacci, Media Relations
Philadelphia, PA — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia today announced the appointment of Laura Ducceschi, president and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation; Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Temple University; Jesse McCree, chief executive officer of SCPa Works; and Leslie Smallwood-Lewis, chief operating officer and cofounder of Mosaic Development Partners, to its Economic and Community Advisory Council (ECAC).
Dennis Pullin, president and CEO of Virtua Health, has been named chair. Loree Jones Brown, chief executive officer of Philabundance, has been named vice chair.
Created in 2008, the ECAC is composed of leaders representing businesses, nonprofit organizations, philanthropic organizations, academic institutions, the public sector, and organized labor. The ECAC informs the Philadelphia Fed’s senior leadership team about emerging trends, issues, and market conditions in the Third Federal Reserve District. The ECAC also encourages inclusive regional economic growth through partnerships with organizations from the private and public sectors.
Ducceschi has been president and chief executive officer of the Scranton Area Community Foundation (SAF) since 2012. She manages over 320 charitable funds and four foundations with more than $90 million in total assets. Ducceschi has also spearheaded many initiatives, including NEPA Moves with the Philadelphia Fed and NEPA Gives, a 24-hour regional giving day in northeastern Pennsylvania.
Kaiser has nearly 30 years of experience at Temple University and currently serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer. He is responsible for Temple’s construction, facilities and operations, purchasing, real estate, environmental health and safety, sustainability, public safety, business services, and auxiliaries. He also oversees the budget, human resources, risk management and insurance, treasury and investments, and mission continuity planning, along with the OWLcard/Diamond Dollars program, the Office of the Controller, and the Office of the Bursar.
McCree is chief executive officer of SCPa Works, a regional workforce development board. He leads SCPa Works’ efforts to invest in, evaluate, and advance high-impact workforce development programs that drive economic mobility in partnership with business, education, and economic development providers.
Smallwood-Lewis is chief operating officer and cofounder of Mosaic Development Partners. Mosaic is a Philadelphia-based, minority-certified, commercial real estate development and project management company. Since 2012, Mosaic and its partners have secured and invested more than $500 million in Philadelphia neighborhoods.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia helps formulate and implement monetary policy; supervises state member banks, bank holding companies, and savings and loan holding companies; and provides financial services to depository institutions and the federal government. It is one of the 12 regional Reserve Banks that, together with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia serves eastern and central Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.