Marcella Bossow Schankweiler, Esq. is currently President and founder of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation (FPS), a non-profit cancer organization started by Marci and her late husband, Peter R. Bossow, in 1999. In her tenure as director, Marci, with her team of employees, volunteers and colleagues, has solicited funds to support the organization goals: providing respite excursions to young adult cancer patients and their caregivers. More than 3600 people have benefited from the life-altering services that FPS offers.
Before the inception of FPS, Marci held numerous positions from cake decorator to teacher to attorney. She practiced law in the Philadelphia firm of Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman and Goggin and at the Law Office of Thaddeus Mikulski in Trenton, NJ. Aside from her role in FPS, Marci is an advisory board member for Real Alternatives, an organization that provides alternatives to abortion, a former advisory board member for The Wellness Place in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, and a former member of the Alumni Board of LaSalle University. She is active in her local community and can often be found at her family's bakery business in Sea Isle City, NJ and Doylestown, PA. She also was an adjunct professor in the Communications Department of LaSalle University, Philadelphia, PA and in the College of Business from The College of New Jersey.
Marci is an alumna of Mt. St. Joseph Academy and pursued a teaching degree in Mathematics from LaSalle University. She attended Temple University Law School and completed her law degree in 1995. She later received an LLM in Taxation in May, 1998, also from Temple University Law School.
Marci Bossow was raised in Doylestown, PA and is the oldest of nine children. Marci has remarried. She currently resides in North Wales, PA, with her husband, Mark, and their two small daughters, Maura Grace and Rose Marie.
Marci was recently recognized by Major League Baseball and People Magazine as an All Star Among Us and represented the Philadelphia Phillies in Anaheim this past summer. Further, she has received the following awards the past few months:
Deborah Bacon is a Senior Manager with over 25 years of experience providing audit, accounting, tax, consulting and advisory services to entities in the following industries: not-for-profit organizations (charitable, private and operating foundations, healthcare, educational institutions, social and community, membership, and governmental components), manufacturing, distribution, mortgage financing, governmental units and agencies, and retail and insurance businesses.
Debi has significant experience auditing organizations in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-133 and Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. She is a frequent speaker on topics including not-for-profit financial statements, cost allocation plans for financial and tax reporting, internal controls and fraud, technical not-for-profit and governmental updates, OMB Circular A-133, Yellow Book and other compliance audits. She has authored recent articles entitled Frequent Single Audit Deficiencies and The Effects of Senate Bill 1205, Act 141, on Accounting.
Over the past twenty-five years, Patrick Bello has served in executive level roles including, COO, President and CEO for various technology and telecommunication companies. In each position he has maintained direct responsibility for revenue generation. In fact, two of the companies Pat co-founded have been sold to NYSE listed companies, including GE Capital.
Leadership is defined as "the art of the general" - and Pat Bello has won more than his share of battles in the telecom and technology wars in the 80s and 90s. As President and CEO of Fusion Telecommunications, Pat directed the launch of his international telecom in 1998 and grew sustaining monthly revenues to $6-7 million in just two years. In the mid 90s he led GE Capital Communications Services as president and COO. In the 80s, as co-founding partner, Pat launched a value-added reseller of services to physicians, attorneys and search firms and sold this firm to CDI Corporation, a NYSE listed company. Along the way Pat has also served as a consultant to offshore firms in Bermuda and the Bahamas.
Pat has brought to public practice the skills and experience he honed building and developing five different companies. His knowledge of what works and why delivers insight to companies in need of direction. His strategic abilities and planning have helped top management of a variety of service and technology companies to recast their business models for greater revenues while rethinking their methods of sustaining profitability.
Presently, Patrick is the managing partner of Belldon Development, LLC, an oceanfront property development company that he co-founded. Belldon is currently building Coastal Colors, a seventy unit condominium complex consisting of sixteen single family homes and a fifty-four unit mid-rise building on a beach a block in Wildwood Crest, NJ.
Pat Bello is a refreshingly clear thinker who has mastered the ability to see opportunities while he executes new business models that seize it.
Jeffrey Boyle, CPA - Director Emeritus, is a partner in the Advisory practice with PricewaterhouseCoopers who has over 15 years of experience serving clients in the financial services, consumer products and health care industries. He has provided business assurance, enterprise wide risk management, including various stages of design, architecture and implementation, and internal control review and assessment services to several of the firm's largest clients including Prudential Health Care and Waste Management. In addition Jeff has worked with several business units of GE Capital, UPS Capital, CIT Group Inc., SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae, Inc.), MBNA, ULLICO, Regal Entertainment Group, and Xerox. Jeff is currently an extended member of the COSO Enterprise Wide Risk Management Framework Project and is one of the firm's committed resources to providing services related to The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. He is currently working on several Sarbanes-Oxley 404 engagements for MBNA, GE and Select Medical Corporation. Jeff is also a partner on several of the firm's technology attest reports on general computer controls of service providers.
Throughout his career he has also had experiences and involvement in internal control assessments and improvements, due diligence reviews, transaction structuring, acquisitions accounted under the pooling and purchase methods of accounting, special purpose acquisition corporations, and SEC reporting, initial public offerings and other commission related matters.
Jeff is a member of the American and Pennsylvania Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, a member of the board of directors of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation. and LaSalle University's Business School Advisory Board and Explorer Club. He is a frequent speaker on the subject of The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, including Sections 302 and 404 of the Act, and assisted in the development of the Firms related Risk and Controls course. In addition Jeff has frequently talked to industry groups and associations on the subject of Enterprise Wide Risk Management, and Internal Controls and Compliance. Jeff is also an instructor for many of the firm's courses, including the Philadelphia offices Sarbanes-Oxley training programs. Jeff is also responsible for the firm's recruiting program at LaSalle University.
Jeff is a 1988 graduate of LaSalle University where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
Patricia "Trish" Gambino, RN, MSN is currently an oncology nurse at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, President of the Philadelphia Chapter of Oncology Nurses and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Trish has been involved with For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation since it's inception as she was one of the oncology nurses to treat Peter Bossow FPS's inspiration. Along with being a board member she currently serves on the Program Committee.
With more than 16 years of commercial banking expertise, Charles "Chuck" Greenberg is your Market Executive for Commercial Banking in Pennsylvania.
Chuck leads Bank of America's team of commercial bankers developing comprehensive financial solutions for companies with revenues between $50 million and $2 billion in Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, Delaware and Eastern Ohio.
Chuck graduated with a degree in Finance from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and currently sits on the Board of Directors for City Year Greater Philadelphia and For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.
A native of Montgomery County, Chuck currently resides in Abington Township with his wife, Amy and their four children.
Steve Harfst is currently the Chief Executive Officer and President of USA 3000 Airlines. Based in Philadelphia, PA., USA 3000 commenced commercial operations in December 2001 and was the first airline certified for commercial operations in the United States after 9/11. USA 3000 is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Apple Leisure Group, the largest vertically integrated travel company in the United States. Today, the airline operates a brand new fleet of eight (8) A320 aircraft in scheduled service from US cities to popular vacation destinations in Mexico, the Caribbean and Florida.
Mr. Harfst earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from the University of Washington in 1986. Upon graduation, he was selected to enter the U.S. Navy Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) program in Pensacola, Florida. Upon completing Naval Flight Training in 1989, Ltjg. Harfst earned his coveted "Wings of Gold" and was awarded the prestigious "David McCambell Award" as the #1 graduating Naval Aviator for the year. During Lt. Harfst's ten-year Naval career, piloting the Navy's F-14 Tomcat, he flew 38 combat sorties and over 95 combat hours in support of Operation Southern Watch in Southwest Asia, earning the Flight/Strike Air Medal with "V", served as Pilot Training Officer and as a fully qualified, Carrier Air Wing Landing Signal Officer (LSO). In 1993, Lt. Harfst was transferred to Fighter Squadron 101 as an F-14 Flight Training Instructor. Lt. Harfst led the carrier qualification phase of training and was responsible for the initial and recurrent training of all F-14 pilots Navy-wide and earned the Navy Commendation Medal for his performance. In 1996, Lt. Harfst resigned his commission with the U.S Navy after accumulating over 1,600 hours of flight time and 227 arrested landings.
Upon retiring from naval service, Mr. Harfst joined North American Airlines as Assistant Director of Traffic. North American is a fully certificated U.S. Part 121 Flag airline operating a fleet, at that time, of two B737NG and two B757 aircraft. Since 1990, North American has provided domestic change-of-gauge feeder service for El Al and other foreign carriers, plus Caribbean, Mexican and Hawaiian charter flights for a variety of U.S. based Tour Operators, transportation for the White House Press Corp following the President, scheduled service in select, niche markets and U.S. Military operations. North American Airlines' corporate offices are located at JFK International Airport in Jamaica, NY and employees over 620 personnel at bases in New York and Boston.
In 1998, Mr. Harfst relocated to Seattle as the Director of Marketing for GT Development Corporation. In December 2000, Mr. Harfst re-joined North American Airlines, first as Director- Financial Analysis and then as Vice President of Finance. In July 2002, Mr. Harfst was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer and through his leadership the airline remained profitable, doubled in size and transitioned into a mixed fleet of B757 and B767 aircraft. By January of 2006, North American Airlines profitably operated 5 B757 aircraft and 3 B767 with an additional B767 aircraft scheduled to join the fleet by year's end. Mr. Harfst led the sale of privately owned North American Airlines to World Air Holdings in April 2005.
In March 2006, Mr. Harfst became the Chief Operating Officer of IndiGo based in New Delhi, India. Mr. Harfst joined IndiGo during the company's pre-launch phase and after beginning commercial operations on August 4th 2006 with their first of one-hundred (100) A320 aircraft, IndiGo quickly became the largest domestic, low-fare carrier in India. During Mr. Harfst's tenure, IndiGo took delivery of a brand new A320 aircraft every four to six weeks and grew to a fleet of twenty (20) aircraft with over 2,000 employees operating 120 flights per day serving 17 different cities within India. IndiGo has been recognized as the best "Low Fare Carrier" in India in both 2007 and 2008 and built a solid reputation for great customer service, low fares and on-time departures. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Harfst had complete operating responsibility for the airline. He left IndiGo in October 2008 and assumed his new role at USA 3000 in November 2008.
Michael Keenan, CTP - Director Emeritus has held senior Finance and Treasury positions with industry experiences spanning Commercial Banking, Insurance, Information Technology and Consulting. Mike has been Vice President, Leasing Programs, since 2005, for IKON Office Solutions, Malvern, PA. IKON Office Solutions, Inc. (www.ikon.com), the world's largest independent channel for copier, printer and MFP technologies, delivers integrated document management solutions and systems, enabling customers worldwide to improve document workflow and increase efficiency. Prior thereto, Mike was Assistant Treasurer of Towers Perrin, a global professional services firm that helps organizations improve their performance through effective people, risk and financial management.
Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University and holds an MBA from Drexel University's LeBow College of Business. He completed post-graduate studies at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business, including certification in "Managing the Enterprise" and attended the International Finance, Planning and Administration School of the IBM Corporation. He is a Certified Treasury Professional and is a member of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), serving 16,000 members in corporate treasury and financial management. Mike received the highly acclaimed AFP Honors in 2007, which recognizes excellence in finance and treasury. Mike is a Director Emeritus of FPS, as well as a former member of the Board of Directors for Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.
Mike and his wife, Peggy, reside in Ivyland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They have five children.
Mariann Kuttler, RN - Director Emeritus is a native of Philadelphia, and has been a Registered Nurse for 40 years. She received her R.N. from Fitzgerald-Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, and her B.S. in Psychology from Philadelphia University (PCTS.) She has held a variety of nursing and nursing management positions at Holy Redeemer Health Care System, the University of Washington at Seattle, Oxford Hospital in Philadelphia, and at Fox Rehabilitation Center. Her nursing career includes staff nursing, home health nursing, and supervisory nursing with a specialty in IV therapy.
Mariann has also been a business owner for over 35 years as the successful proprietor of MaryAnn Pastry Shoppe with locations in Doylestown, Pa and Sea Isle City, NJ. Mariann and her husband Herb are the parents of nine children and reside in Doylestown and Sea Isle City. She is active in Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Doylestown and St. Joseph's Church in Sea Isle City. She is the Chairman of the Patient Program Committee, a committee charged with oversight of the respite and port support components of the program.
Thomas Leonard recently retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers where he spent over 38 years. During that time Tom served as Engagement Partner on numerous well known financial service companies principally in the Asset Management Area. He was also Partner-In-Charge of the Philadelphia Office Financial Service Practice and the Firm's Investment Management Practice from Philadelphia to Florida. Tom was also a member of the Firm's National Operating Committee for Investment Management. Tom is a 1970 Alum of La Salle University where Tom serves as Treasurer on the Alumni Board of Directors. Tom recruited for PWC at La Salle and in that capacity hired our own Jeff Boyle and Matt Kuttler.
Tom has really not retired. He serves on a number of Boards. In addition to For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation and the La Salle Alumni Board, Tom is on The Wilmington Trust Mutual Fund Board and Revolution Capital Mutual Fund Board where he also serves as Audit Committee Chair. He is also an Independent Director for TCP Capital and AlphaOne Capital. He serves as a member of the Finance Committee of Copperleaf Golf Club in Bonita Springs Florida.
Tom splits his residence with his wife Jean between Media, Pa and Bonita Springs Florida where he plays a lot of golf but he says he isn't improving. He is a fanatic Eagles fan having only missed 5 home games in 43 years. Tom has 4 children, Tom Jr. who is also a partner at PWC, Ryan who resides in Sicklerville, Danielle (Deceased) and Kimberly who just graduated from Cabrini College. Kim is the only non-La Salle alum.
Ed Mannello, R.Ph., MBA is currently the Director of the Study Recruitment Center within AstraZeneca. In that position, Ed is responsible for leading the development, execution and measurement of both strategic and tactical recruitment efforts. Prior to that role, Mr. Mannello held various positions of increasing responsibility at Covance, a clinical research organization in the pharmaceutical industry, for eight years with the majority of them focused on leading teams for the successful delivery of clinical trials.
Ed started his career in 1988 working for Thrift Drug (currently Eckerd / Rite Aid) as a pharmacy intern and spent eight years as the store manager and chief pharmacist at a number of retail pharmacies. He joined the pharmaceutical research industry in 1996 as the Clinical Director for Pennside Partners, a medical market research consulting firm.
He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and he earned a Masters of Business Administration focused on Pharmaceutical Marketing from Saint Joseph's University.
Mr. Mannello resides in Pocopson Township in Chester County Pennsylvania with his two daughters. He was married for 8 years to Erin Mannello and then widowed in September 2002 due to the complications of breast cancer. Ed's family enjoyed the benefits of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation in June 2002, as they were the recipients of a respite excursion to the FPS-owned Florida home.
Thomas McGinn, CMA - Director Emeritus is a Senior Executive with demonstrated ability to deliver strong results, build /rebuild organizations and lead change in intensely competitive industries. His experience with both public and private companies encompasses a variety of service oriented industries including insurance, commercial real estate, automotive and non-profit. His expertise includes operations, finance and accounting, customer service, technology, marketing, planning and crisis and turnaround management.
Currently, he is the Chief Financial Officer and co-founder of Capitol Equity Group, Inc, a merchant banking firm in the Washington D.C, where he is responsible for day-to-day operations, transaction analysis & valuation / modeling, business restructurings and organizational development. Additionally he oversees all client engagements and company financing requirements.
Prior to Capitol Equity Group, he was the Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial Officer of First Properties Corp., NJ, a commercial real estate company. Tom enjoyed a successful career in the insurance industry with GE Insurance Solutions' $1.7 billion Healthcare Division and NJSMU, Inc. a management company supporting four medical malpractice insurance companies.
Tom is a graduate of LaSalle University and a Certified Managerial Accountant (CMA). Tom resides in Ewing Township, New Jersey, with his wife Honora and their two daughters.
J. Scott Miller serves as Chief Investment Officer of Blue Bell Private Wealth Management which he co-founded in April 2005. Blue Bell PWM is a fee only investment advisory firm that strives to permanently improve every client's financial position, simplify their lives and achieve reliable investment results through independent management. A 37 year veteran of the financial services business, Mr. Miller is frequently quoted in numerous financial publications. Prior to founding Blue Bell PWM, Mr. Miller was Partner and Board Member of the NYSE firm Elkins Morris Stroud & Company. Mr. Miller was instrumental in the 1982 sale of the firm to Prudential Securities. Mr. Miller has also worked at Morgan Stanley as a Senior Vice President and Member of the Chairman's Council. Mr. Miller graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1971 and currently resides in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania with his wife of 34 years, Susan. They have four children.
R. Bradford Minor, Jr. has been involved with the southern New Jersey Business Community for over 24 years. In 1997 he became Vice President, General Manager for Minmar Marine in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, one of the largest privately owned marina's in South Jersey. Brad was elected to the Board of Directors for the New Jersey Marine Trades Association for two terms, from 2004-2008.
Brad and his wife Kelly have enjoyed working with a number of charity organizations, including Charlie's Fight, which helps to raise money for cystic fibrosis research in Philadelphia area, the Bradley Allen Hublien Foundation, which has raised money for local Delaware charities, and For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation. He has been involved with For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation over the past ten years hosting the annual fishing tournament.
He graduated from the University of Delaware in 1986 with a Bachelor of Arts. He currently lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey with his wife Kelly and their four children.
James Murray - Director Emeritus is a member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Local Operations Advisory Council and past president of the International Advisory Board for the Ronald McDonald Houses. He is also president of Jim Murray Ltd., a sports promotion and marketing firm. Eagles Cheers, a pro football TV show that was introduced in the Philadelphia market, is among the Jim Murray Ltd. productions.
Murray is a native of Philadelphia and a 1960 alumnus of Villanova University. He began his career in sports administration immediately after graduation with the Tidewater Tides of baseball's Sally League. After a stint of active duty with the Marine Corps Reserve, he returned to baseball as assistant general manager of the Atlanta Crackers, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Murray left baseball in 1964 to enter the restaurant business first in Atlanta and later in Malibu. Two years later, he returned to a sports career as sports information director at Villanova.
In 1969, Murray joined the Philadelphia Eagles' public relations staff and two years later he became the NFL team's administrative assistant. In 1974, just five years after joining the organization, he was named the Eagles' general manager. During Murray's more than nine years as general manager, he took the franchise from the NFL's cellar to Super Bowl heights. In 1976, he and owner Leonard Tose hired Dick Vermeil as head coach. For four consecutive years, from 1978 through 1981, the Eagles made the NFL playoffs under Murray's guidance. After the 1980 season, the Eagles played the Raiders in Super Bowl XV. It was the only Super Bowl appearance in the franchise's history until recently. He left the Eagles in 1983.
During his 14 years with the Eagles, Murray assumed leadership roles in a number of community projects. He helped start the very successful Eagles Fly for Leukemia campaign. He was a founder of the first Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia and helped persuade many of his peers in the NFL to become involved in the unique Ronald McDonald House concept. The Ronald McDonald Houses provide temporary homes, at little or no cost, for the families of children undergoing treatment for various illnesses at nearby hospitals. Started in Philadelphia in 1974, there are now over 200 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide. In 1983, Murray received pro football's prestigious Bert Bell Award from The Bakers Club of Philadelphia. Past recipients of the award include former NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Chicago Bears founder George Halas and Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney, Sr.
From 1985-87, Murray served as director of Marketing for Garden State Racetrack. Since then Mr. Murray has received numerous awards. In 1987, he received President Ronald Reagan's Medal for Volunteers of America, at a White House ceremony; in 1992, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Legion (Department of Pennsylvania) and was inducted into the Philadelphia City All-Star Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame; in 1994, Murray received an Honorary Degree from Our Lady of Holy Cross College (New Orleans, LA), Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa; October 10, 1995, Murray was honored by the Philadelphia Catholic School System by being inducted into their Distinguished Graduates Hall of Fame; November 17, 1995, Murray received La Salle University's "Signum Fidei Medal" (Sign of Faith) at their Alumni Association Awards Dinner in honor of his Ronald McDonald House achievements; December 3, 1997, the Philadelphia County Medical Society honored Murray with the Benjamin Rush Humanitarian Award; April 9, 1999, his alma mater, West Catholic High School, honored him at the Blue Ribbon Gala as one of their outstanding alumni and January 29, 2002, he was inducted into their Hall of Fame; May 15, 1999, Murray received an honorary degree of letters from his alma mater, Villanova University; June 20, 1999, Murray was honored by the American Medical Association (Chicago) with the Citizen of the Year Award; December 2002, Eagles Fly for Leukemia and The Philadelphia Bakers Club honored Murray with the first annual Leonard Tose Award; April 5, 2003, Neumann College (Aston, Pennsylvania) honored Murray with its Neumann College Presidential Humanitarian Award.
Murray and his wife, Dianne, have five children and three grandchildren. The Murrays reside in Rosemont, PA.
Christopher Selgrath, DO - Director Emeritus is Adjunct Clinical Professor of Orthopaedics at Temple University Health System. Dr. Selgrath received a B.A. in Biology from LaSalle University and his D.O. degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. After medical school, Dr. Selgrath completed his orthopedic surgery residency and was named Chief Resident at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's Orthopedic Surgery Department. After residency, Dr. Selgrath was awarded a fellowship in adult hip and knee reconstruction at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University for the year 2003/2004. He and his wife, Elizabeth, created and co-chaired the For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation Charity Gala for its first 3 years and helped to raise over $270,000. They are also part owners of Sylvester's Fish Market and Restaurant in Avalon, N.J. with his brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Bernadette Selgrath and younger brother Matthew, who are also involved in FPS and the Charity Gala. He currently is a member of the Board of Directors of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation Foundation and a member of the AOA, AOAO, POS, and ACOS. Dr. Selgrath is the treasurer and holds a seat on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Orthopedic Society.
Dr. Selgrath and his lovely wife Elizabeth have two beautiful children Nathan and Emerson.
Loretta Shacklett is currently coordinating an outreach "Art Talk" program at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This program services older adults, M.S. patients and people no longer able to physically visit the Museum. Simply, it brings the Art Museum to the participants via the internet and phone access.
Loretta has been involved with FPS since 2001. She has volunteered in many aspects of our program, including managing the day to day operations with Mimi Keefer during a transition period in office staff. She has been a member of the Program Committee for the past 6 years and has worked with Mariann and Mimi in the coordination of the Program.
Loretta graduated from Villanova University with a Biology and Chemistry degree and holds a Master's Degree from Chestnut Hill in Psychological Counseling and Human Services.
She resides in Blue Bell with her Husband of 30 years. She has 2 grown sons and 2 beautiful grandsons.
Kate Shields is an award-winning public relations and social media professional with more than 10 years of diverse experience - working both within agency and Fortune 500 corporations to develop and execute business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing communications and social media strategies.
Kate began her career at Vault in 1998 - three days after earning her master's degree in public relations from the nationally-acclaimed S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
In 2000, Kate moved into the in-house public affairs department for Campbell Soup Company, where she served in a number of roles including brand communications manager for the company's two largest divisions. In this role, Kate served as the internal liaison for public relations to dozens of marketing managers, while managing five public relations agencies and more than $5 million in marketing budget allocation. While at Campbell, Kate contributed to nationally-renowned public relations campaigns such as Chunky soup's "Tackling Hunger" partnership with the National Football League, the Campbell Soup Labels for Education program, the Campbell Soup Company/National Association of Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" initiative and the Pace salsa/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association partnership on cowboy heritage. During her tenure, Kate earned the Dorrance Award, Campell's highest team honor, for her contributions to double-digit growth of the Pace salsa brand.
In 2003, Kate began a new role at ARAMARK, a $10 billion provider of food-service and facility management services. At ARAMARK, Kate served as communications manager for the company's Sports and Entertainment division, and led the company's public relations outreach for the 2004 opening of Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston's Reliant Stadium and the 2004 All-Star Game in Houston's Minute Maid Park. Kate also held responsibility for tourism public relations campaigns for national parks managed by ARAMARK, such as Shenandoah National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Denali National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powel).
Kate returned to Vault as Vice President & Manager Partner in 2005, and provides strategic planning input for all clients, while focusing on the agency's new business development, pro bono, professional development and client satisfaction initiatives. Currently, Kate leads strategic PR planning and social media programs for client such as Tasty Baking Company (Tastykake), Rita's Water Ice Franchise Company, Apple Vacations, Campbell Soup Company, Alouette Cheese, Airgas, FineStationery.com, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Office of Catholic Education for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
In addition to her graduate degree from Syracuse University, Kate holds a bachelor's degree in English and communication from the University of Scranton. Kate is an enthusiastic advocate for the education of young women, the well-being of the developmentally disabled and cancer patients and their caregivers. Following suit, she is actively involved at her alma mater, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, and serves on the Montgomery County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Board.
Joseph Sundheim, CPA - Director Emeritus is the owner and managing partner in the Certified Public Accounting Firm of Joseph M. Sundheim, CPA. Prior to starting his own firm in 1997, he worked for another local accounting firm for ten years. Mr. Sundheim's experience is broad and includes the manufacturing, construction and service industries. Mr. Sundheim is a graduate of Bloomsburg University and he resides in East Norriton, PA with his wife, son and two daughters. Mr. Sundheim serves as treasurer of a fraternal non-profit organization established to issue scholarships to undergraduates attending his alma-mater, as well as serving as treasurer of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.
Stephen Target, CLU is the Managing Partner for Independence Financial Associates. Steve joined the insurance business immediately upon graduation from Penn State in 1990. For the next 8 years he focused his practice primarily on solving for the financial, insurance and estate planning needs of physicians, business owners and high net worth individuals. He has qualified for numerous industry awards including multiple qualifications to the Million Dollar Round Table, The National Sales Achievement Award and The National Quality Award. Later, Steve balanced his client activities with the opportunity to recruit, and develop new financial representatives. He built a sales team within his previous office which later branched off to a stand alone office with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. The move to Penn Mutual was a homecoming of sorts as his grandfather, Harry McCoy had built his insurance career with Penn Mutual until the early 1970s. With Steve’s current role as Managing Partner of IFA, he still maintains an active client base, while taking on the primary role of leading the agency through it rapid expansion phase of growth. His experience in marketing, recruiting and developing the organization is well balanced by the other members of his leadership team.
Steve has been active in both the industry and the community. He is Past President of National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) - Greater Philadelphia, a current Board Member of Pennsylvania NAIFA, and the Society Of Financial Service Professionals - Greater Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Philadelphia Estate Planning Council and General Agents Management Association. In the community Steve is Past President of the Penn State Alumni Association Montgomery County Chapter, is a current board member of The Union League of Philadelphia, and is a member of the Development Council of Gwynedd Mercy Academy.
On a personal level, Steve is married to Denise since 1992 and has two children. He enjoys distance running, triathlons, golf and any activity with the family. His mission is "To have a positive impact on the lives of others".
Eric Toppy is the Global Launch Leader, Metabolics for Johnson & Johnson. In this role, Eric leads a global marketing team located in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Over the past twenty years, Eric has developed innovative strategies in healthcare that include the creation of Health Policy Excellence, numerous successful brand launches, innovative health policy positions, and award winning payer strategies. He has also held leadership positions at Centocor, Biovail, Bristol Myers Squibb, Oxford Health Plans, & Pfizer.
Eric has a breadth of experience in biologics (immunology/oncology,) cardiovascular, and neuroscience and has developed numerous strategies for eighteen different brands in these therapeutic areas. Some brand examples include: Remicade, Procrit, the Glucophage franchise, Abilify, and most recently Stelara & Simponi.
Eric's work in health policy has been published in Biotechnology Healthcare and Managed Care and speaks at congresses, community, and internal J & J operating companies on the topics of marketing, health policy reform, and leadership.
Eric is active in several organizations and universities. They include Pennsylvania BIO, American Diabetes Association, For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation, Thomas Jefferson School of Population Health, and La Salle University.
John Washlick, Esq. is a shareholder of Cozen O'Connor, Co-Chair of the Health Law Practice Group, and practices in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey offices. His practice includes advising clients on a variety of health care matters, including commercial, regulatory, compliance, and federal income tax, and he directs the firm's healthcare transactional and corporate compliance practices.
John is a member of the Philadelphia and New Jersey Bars; the American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations; the American Health Lawyers Association; and the health and hospital section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Health Lawyers Association. From 2003 to 2006, he served as Chair of the Hospitals and Health Systems Practice Group of the American Health Lawyers Association and is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey State Bar Association's Health and Hospital Law Section. In addition, he is Co-Chair of the Health Law Committee of the Camden County Bar Association. He also serves on both the healthcare law committee of the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the health law and non-profit committees of the Philadelphia Bar Association. John is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in Healthcare; is a recipient of Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating (AV); and was named a Pennsylvania "Super Lawyer," appearing in Philadelphia Magazine and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. He holds a LL.M. degree from Georgetown University Law Center and a J.D. degree from Southwestern University School of Law. He is an adjunct professor of law in the Health Law LL.M. Program at Widener University School of Law in Wilmington and an adjunct professor of law in the Masters of Tax Program at Villanova University. In addition, he speaks and writes regularly on health care issues. He can be reached at 215-665-2134 or by e-mail.
We also are welcoming Dr. Et-tsu Chen, Daryl Robinson and John Murabito to our Board in the winter of 2011.
For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation is proud of its financial integrity and its commitment to stewardship using the financial resources entrusted to us by our community of family and friends. Each year we undergo an audit as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Charitable Organizations. We are proud that 75 cents of every dollar is expended for our program. We have a solid commitment to our donors to ensure their generosity is channeled directly to benefit those adult cancer patients and their loved ones traumatized by cancer.
The results of this audit are available on our website for the calendar years ending 12/31/01, 12/31/02, 12/31/03, and for the fiscal years ending 06/30/05, 06/30/06, 06/30/07, 06/30/2008, 6/30/2009 and 6/30/2010. Similarly, FPS files the Form 990 each year with the Internal Revenue Service as part of our 501(c)3 designation. This form is available for the calendar years ending 12/31/02, and 12/31/03, for the six months ending 06/30/04, and for the fiscal years ending 06/30/05, 06/30/06, 06/30/07, 06/30/08, 06/30/09 and 06/30/10. (Please note that all financials prior to 12/1/2010 will reflect our previous name, Crossing the Finish Line).
We also invite prospective donors to visit our financial and program information available on guidestar.org. We take our role as stewards of our donors’ treasures and talent very seriously, and hence, we carefully watch all expenditures made by the organization.
We value our donors and their commitment to our organization. We highlight our financial accomplishments to ensure that your contribution is used to promote our mission and our sailors.
If you have any questions about our financial posture, please contact our treasurer, Deborah Bacon. As always, thank you for your trust and your support as together we continue to make the world a better place..
For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation uses operating committees to help assist with and manage its daily operation, the annual development goals and the future strategic goals of the organization. Currently, there are six operating committees: Finance, Technology, Building/Real Property, Program and Marketing/Development.
Along with these committees, FPS has an extensive network of additional volunteers in varying capacities. These individuals serve on special event committees, office volunteer groups (evening and day), and most recently an expansion committee aimed at further resourcing the organization with the hope of reaching out to more cancer patients and their loved ones in crisis. If you are interested in volunteering for For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation, please call our office or email info@takeabreakfromcancer.org.
The role of the Finance Committee is to oversee and guide the Board of Directors in critical components of fiscal reporting and management in For Pete’s Sake operations. The three key components of fiscal oversight are: the audit function, investment management and budget planning, and evaluation. The Committee also reviews the long-term financial plan of the organization as it relates to cash position and development opportunities. The Finance Committee consists of:
The Technology Committee advises management and the Board of Directors about technological advances and purchases that help smooth operation of the organization. The Committee reviews equipment purchase requests to ensure that any investment in technology will enhance the organization's efficiency and match FPS's long-term needs. The Technology Committee consists of Christopher Hartman and Scott Applegate.
This committee efficiently manages real property owned by the organization and evaluates all aspects surrounded with the potential acquisition of additional properties. The committee meets on an as-needed basis. The Building/Real Property Committee consists of:
The Committee oversees the planning and implementation of the Patient Program and Port Support. They specifically form the internal and external program guidelines, review patient program expenditures with recommendations for resource efficiency, formulate processes for program operation to ensure a flow of donated accommodations. They also develop Port Support services for Sailors and surviving caregivers to ensure their involvement in the FPS Community. The committee reports patient statistics and program highlights to the Board of Directors monthly. The Patient Program Committee consists of:
For Pete’s Sake Marketing/Development Committee works primarily to increase awareness and visibility for CFL and assist resourcing the organization with one purpose: to further the mission of respite vacation for adult cancer patients and their families. They build strong media relationships, strong business relationships and strong donor relationships in the hope that these efforts will result in annual increases in event attendance, funds raised, homes donated, and the number of excursions CFL provides. The Marketing/Development Committee consists of the following individuals:
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube