Author: Stephanie Yee, C08
I was skeptical when I heard the 2012 Wharton MBA graduation would be held in the Palestra. The Palestra is a beautiful place for sports, not graduations. Boy, was I wrong. Yesterday, the historic Palestra was transformed into a beautiful graduation venue for the 850 MBA and Executive MBA graduates. But don’t take my word for it. I have the images to prove it!
850 Wharton MBA and Executive MBA graduates
Panoramic view from my seat in the Palestra stands
Author: Nicole C. Maloy, W’95
Written for the University of Pennsylvania Association of Alumnae Spring 2012 Newsletter in honor of the organization’s 100th anniversary.
Eight women who graduated from Penn in the 1990’s take a moment to share what brought them to Penn, what they’ve been up to since then, and what bits of wisdom they’ve picked up along the way. Representing fields from law to education, from health care to the arts, these fabulous women are all taking steps to leave the world better than they found it. Keep doing our alma mater proud, ladies. Note: our next newsletter will feature alumnae from another decade. Watch for it!
Meet some of your sisters in Red & Blue!
• Stephanie Renée, W’91 – Broadcaster
• Mary Beth Kochman, C’95 – Teacher
• Lucy Ramos Miller, C’97 – General Magistrate
• Jenny Chung, W’97 – Country Club CEO
• Angela Jimenez, C’97 – Photographer
• Bleema (Moskowitz) Bershad, W’95 – Marketing Entrepreneur
• Candra Wooten, C’97 – Physician
• Jordana Horn Gordon, C’95 – Writer
Stephanie Renée, W’91 – Broadcaster
Why did you choose Penn?
I attended a business magnet program in high school and was part of only the 2nd graduating class from the initiative. My school administrators drilled Wharton into my head when it was time to apply for college, and thankfully Penn and Philadelphia filled all of my other requirements for what I was looking for in my college experience. My acceptance package sealed the deal.
What did you study?
I initially arrived as a Finance major, but quickly understood that a life of number crunching was not my preference. I switched to Marketing immediately, and later added Legal Studies as a second concentration at the advice of a professor who saw great potential in me for a possible future in law.
What activities meant the most to you as a student, and why?
Penn Gospel Choir was my artistic refuge after making a pretty difficult adjustment to college life my first semester. As a spiritual center and creative outlet, I desperately needed Gospel Choir to feel grounded and a part of a welcome community. But all of my artistic activities significantly impacted my life. My junior year, I had the pleasure of being one of the founding members of The Inspiration a cappella group, and I also directed Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls with the Penn Black Arts League (now known as the African American Arts Alliance, or 4A). Those two events profoundly changed my life for the better, and let me know that I had to pursue careers with arts as a main focus.
How did you get involved in radio?
My first corporate job after Penn was as a copywriter and broadcast producer for a local ad agency. I was called in to voice a last-minute PSA, interviewed with the company and was hired a week later. I would often spec read the spots I had written for clients, and eventually many of them asked if I could record them for the actual broadcasts. That, plus some encouragement from WRTI-FM’s J. Michael Harrison, led me to begin hosting my own radio programs.
Tell us about your current position, and your path to it.
At WURD, I had been a frequent fill-in host for my buddy Al Butler, who hosts the afternoon drive slot. I have also worked professionally with several of the station’s administrative heads in other capacities. Unfortunately, this past February, one of the station’s hosts–Fatimah Ali–passed away suddenly, which left WURD scrambling for a solution to fill her slot. I was one of the people on a short list to audition for the slot and after several weeks of hosting shows, interviews/meetings and positive feedback from the public, I became the chosen one.
What other professional activities have you been involved in since graduation?
I quit my day job at the ad agency in December 1998, and have been actively working as a performer and teaching artist ever since. I did a stint of three years in professional musical theater in Philadelphia and New York. I began writing and singing house (dance) music and got to travel to Singapore as a resident vocalist for a new club there. I’ve been a consultant with several non-profit organizations to provide media and creative writing curriculum to teens. I design diversity training programs for colleges and non-profit agencies. I’ve filmed my first documentary and held screenings across the country and on cable TV. I’ve helped refine a World Readiness curriculum for the Restorative Justice branch of Philadelphia Mural Arts, where my students are recently paroled offenders age 25 and under. I actively work as a voiceover artist and instructor. I could go on, but the bottom line is that I am blessed to use my creative energies every single day and I love it!
How has your connection to Penn impacted your life, both personally and professionally?
My high school counselor told me clearly before graduation that my college friends would be the friends I’d have for life, and she couldn’t have been more correct. Penn people are the backbone of everything I do, from my professional connections to the lasting friendships that consistently lift me up and push me forward. Philadelphia can be a hard place on people who were not born and raised here, but the Penn network I’ve developed over the years have always been an open and welcome resource for me to accomplish my goals. DC is my birthplace, but Penn and the larger Philadelphia community have raised me into adulthood.
What advice do you have for other women interested in pursuing a profession similar to yours?
I would advise any women who desire a career in communications to be a sponge and be relentless. It is essential that you know a good amount of information about just about anything. You have to be outgoing, knowledgeable and ubiquitous. The more people see and hear of you in the right places opens all kinds of avenues for you to be included in future personal and professional development opportunities. Many of my current coworkers have been former clients of mine in another incarnation. Good relationships do not die.
Any last words of wisdom to your Penn sistren?
Penn is a bottomless well of opportunity, if you stay current on University initiatives and find a way to stay connected. My work in Alumni Relations has been such a wonderful way to explore my creative pursuits and to offer insights as to how current students’ experiences can be enhanced by more alumni involvement. Penn isn’t just about pursuing a degree; it is a lifelong connection for education, fulfillment and growth.
Read about the other featured Penn alumnae in our Spotlight on the 1990s!
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Alumni Profile, Alumni Programming, Nicole M.
Author: Lisa Vaccarelli, C’02, GED’10
With Easter weeks behind us, one might think the next opportunity for egg dying and decorating is months away. Not so here in Alumni Relation. Alumni Weekend is just one week away and we’re going all out to convince our alumni, family and friends that there is no better place to be next weekend. Here’s a behind the scenes peek at the 48 hour countdown video we’ll be sending out next Wednesday.
More about all the fun and learning to be had on campus over Alumni Weekend here. Hope to see you there!
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Alumni Programming, Alumni Weekend, Video, Videos
Author: Lynn Carroll, C’93
A number of alumni have great memories of living in the Quad.
The rooms are small but cozy, and you really get to know your roommates. If you’re lucky, a roommates parent comes by, bringing yummy treats.
Perhaps more than any other campus housing, you never feel completely alone in the Quad. There are always hall mates, neighbors, and friends close by!
Useless trivia: Did you know that a gargoyle that does not spit water is actually called a “boss,” and that the Quad has more than 160 of them adorning the entire structure?
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Lynn Carroll, Memories of Penn
Author: Lisa Ellen Niver, CAS ’89
Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the Penn motto of “We will find a way or we will make one.” My husband George and I have worked hard to create our own path as a couple and as travelers. We love to find others who also have a serious case of wanderlust (defined by Dictionary.com as a “strong, innate desire to rove or travel about”). Recently, I met Christine Maxfield another Penn grad (2004) who is, like me, inspired about travel, wanderlust, and all thing Frankly Penn!
Here is just a sampling of her adventures from from her recent post on our blog:
Starting on January 1, 2011, I took my first step off a plane and into a solo round-the-world adventure that included 19 countries on six continents. My work exchange led me to instruct HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya, become a desert guide with the Bedouin tribe in Jordan, teach English to Tibetan Buddhist nuns in Nepal, mend fences on an aboriginal cattle station in Australia, shuck oysters on a black-pearl farm in French Polynesia, save baby sea turtles in Guatemala, play music with children in Romania, and herd a thousand sheep as a nomadic shepherd in Austria. Oh, and I can now finally say that I’ve been on an African safari and have also stood in the shadow of pyramids…
Christine with children in Africa.
You can read more of this post at We Said Go Travel.
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Lisa Ellen Niver
Author, Stephanie Yee, C’08
Once per week, I attend a knitting club after work.
I know what you’re thinking…No, knitting isn’t just for old ladies! In fact, the group, Stitch Therapy, includes Penn undergraduate and graduate students, staff, and alumni. As advertised on the Penn Women’s Center website, Stitch Therapy is for “knitting, crocheting, sewing & conversation.” We meet one evening per week in the Penn Women’s Center to work on our projects.
I learned how to knit during fall semester of my junior year at Penn. I registered for the “Knitting 101” proprietorial, and I was lucky enough to get in.
Many of my classmates and friends have told me they also tried getting into the knitting precptorial, but that it was always full. Who knew a knitting class would be so competitive! I learned how to knit a hat in “Knitting 101,” and a buttonhole bag the following semester in the intermediate level knitting preceptorial.
Since then, I have knit more scarves than I know what to do with (including multiple red and blue scarves – Go Penn!), and I learned how to crochet last year.
This week, we held our last Stitch Therapy meeting of the spring semester. One of our members suggested we do a yarn swap. Many of us have Tupperware bins full of yarn we have collected over the years. Sometimes, we forget when or why we bought that color or weight of yarn, and we do not ever plan to use it. That is when the yarn swap comes in. Everyone brought their unwanted skeins to this week’s meeting, and we had a take-what-you-want session. Look at how much yarn we had to swap at the meeting!
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Stephanie Y.
Author: Andrea Amiel, C’87
“Rob” is a 20-year-old sophomore from upstate New York who represents Penn as our beloved mascot, the Quaker. Recently, he agreed to let me in on a few trade secrets in preparation of promoting our Class of 1987 reunion this year during Alumni Weekend, May 11-14, 2012. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed meeting him!
Why did you want to try out to be the Quaker?
I’m not really sure why I was interested. Perhaps it was the idea of getting in free for front row seats at all the basketball games or maybe it was the idea of hanging out with all the cheerleaders after the game. Thinking back, I probably figured that even if it didn’t work out, it’d make a good story, so I went for it and signed up.
When you got to Penn, how did you find out about the mascot tryouts…or did they find you?
I didn’t join until November of my freshman year. The idea of being a mascot never really crossed my mind before that. This year, it was a bit different. We actively recruited during New Student Orientation, handed out fliers, and set up a booth at the fall clubbing fair. Oftentimes, all you have to do is ask and people are willing to give it a shot. This past year, we had three tryout and we took them all. It ended up that one of them dropped.
What are the prerequisites for being the Quaker? You mentioned height…
Height is important: 5’10”-6’ in order to maintain similarity. Weight is much less important because the suit looks the same on just about everyone.
I would also say hygiene is important. We tend to switch at halves. We share the same head, so when one member is sick, we’re all at risk and as to the clothes, although it’s less than pleasant, if you’re the second halve mascot, you’re getting a wet suit.
FYI – There is 1 head and 2 sets of clothes. They get cleaned every to every other wearing.
What did the Quaker tryout entail?
I’ll give you my experience and the experience for the new guys:
For me- I was joining at a time when they really needed help. There was only one Quaker at the time and accordingly they were, for lack of a better term, desperate. My tryout went something like this:
Dave (Quaker at the time): Get in the suit.
Me: Okay.
Dave: Now, walk like the Quaker:
Me : (attempting to walk like a Quaker) Is this right?
Dave: No. Do it like this (proceeds to show me).
Me: (again attempting to walk like a Quaker) Right?
Dave: No, try again.
Me: (attempting)
Dave: No! (Shows me one more time). You’ve got one more shot.
Me (attempting)…
Dave: Ugh, well, you’ll figure it out eventually Now, get out there.
(Clearly, I wasn’t a natural).
For the incoming mascots this year it was much less about having raw talent and much more about gauging interest and size height.
What training did you receive for what you are supposed to do at games?
I got the nod that I was picked, and was thrown right into my first game. Any of the stylistic things I picked up (how to interact with crowds, dance etc.), I learned on the job or by meeting and watching other mascots. This past January, I had the opportunity to go to cheer nationals in Walt Disney World and I was able to watch and learn from the best.
Were you given a list of rules or regulations? Any you can share?
Initially, I was given three rules and I’ll explain the relevance of each one.
Do not talk in the suit. It’s important that the mascot maintain a cartoon-like character and talking it humanizes the mascot and takes a lot of the fun away.
Do not be seen in public with the suit. That means no parties in the suit, or leisurely strolls for attention, and always change in private. The Quaker is one of the main images and representations of the University of Pennsylvania and accordingly, any action that I do in the suit is a reflection of the University as a whole. It would be a shame to dishonor this place, so it is imperative that when in the suit, we try to act respectfully.
Don’t advertise that I am the mascot. While the different mascot identities aren’t kept perfectly secret, we’re still hidden enough from the public that 99% of people have no idea who we are. It’s important that our lives outside of the suit don’t interfere with the University’s image. For example, I’m in a fraternity, but that doesn’t mean that Quaker is a frat brother.
This past year, a few additional rules were added because we earned a complaint from the NCAA: No mooning crowds in the suit (Princeton got us in trouble for that one). No more ripping the head of other school’s respective mascots, even if it’s just a stuffed animal that we’re attacking.
The Quaker went from being a person wearing makeup and a wig, to a full costume with a mask. Why?
The transition from an open-faced costume to a fully enclosed suit was both advantageous for the University’s image and for the student body. First, the full suit made it possible for Penn to maintain consistency year in and year out, because it no longer was graduating the “face” of the university, which of course would happen every four years. Having an open-faced suit created a level of risk because the image and reputation of the current student mascot reflected on the university.
The other issue was that an open-faced mascot only allowed for one individual to be the mascot and accordingly, everyone would have to put up with his time constraints. Additionally, it prevented females and minorities from having the opportunity to become the mascot, because on some level, the mascot image had to remain consistent.
To emphasize my point, three years ago, the main mascot was female. Right now, we have four people serving as The Quaker. It’s a diverse set of mascots, representing the Caucasian, Black, Indian, and LGBT communities.
Where does the Quaker show up – aside from sporting events? Are there events or occasions that require the Quaker’s attendance?
You never know where he’ll show up. Sometimes he’ll make surprise visits to Van Pelt, to weddings, to a ton of alumni events, Penn Previews, 5Ks, openings of buildings, Philly Phanatic’s Birthday party, and even some corporate events.
How do you pick which of the Quakers works at a particular event? Doesn’t everyone want the big-time events?
Events get assigned in the following order:
Everyone checks their schedule to see who is open. If multiple Quakers have openings, it will be decided on a first-come, first-serve basis. If it is a big event, the most senior Quakers make the call.
Are you paid for being the Quaker, or is it a volunteer position?
The Quaker is actually a member of the cheer team and accordingly, is a registered NCAA division I athlete. Because of that status, the mascot cannot be paid.
Where is the costume stored?
The Quaker Den is located in the Old Box Office in the Palestra. The room is decorated with old trophies, Penn flags, headless tigers, and general Penn paraphernalia. There is also a 4’ by 4’ section of the historical Palestra floor where we change in front of a mirror.
Why don’t we ever see the Quaker walking around campus?
A few reasons. Generally, the suit is stored in the Palestra in order to make it easy for one of the Quakers to find the suit. It takes 10-15 minutes to put on the suit and it has to be done in secrecy/private. The suit costs about $5,000 and accordingly, any unnecessary wear is viewed as exactly that. It’s not the most comfortable to hang around it. It generates a lot of attention. When you’re in the suit you’re a celebrity, so it’s kind of like saying, why don’t we see celebrities around campus more?
Are you allowed to borrow the Quaker costume for private events, like a party or something?
The Quaker is only allowed to be used for University-affiliated, sponsored, or supported events. Because we represent the University, it would be inappropriate for the Quaker to be a frat party, for example.
Have you ever gotten harassed as the Quaker, or had a hard time?
For some reason, I’ve had really bad luck at lacrosse games. Walking around the concourse of Franklin Field I’ve had a couple kids shoulder-check me into the wall. Walking through the stands, I can remember one event in particular, where a teenage girl refused to let go of my glove for an entire hour, so I was of stuck next to her until she let go of my glove and I could get away.
I made the mistake of taking the Quaker out to Spring Fling last year. I ended up having to literally run away from a group of girls in the Quad who were adamant about removing my head. Soon after, I had a group of males approach me from behind, pick me up and drop me.
At the St. Joe’s game this year, I was harassing the opponent crowd when the Hawk swooped in, bumped me, and tried to start a fight. Fortunately, the ref ended that before it really had a chance to begin though.
So, yes, sometimes, it gets a little tricky.
Any funny stories or great anecdotes that you can share?
It’s common for me to find myself in some pretty unique situations while in the suit. Last October, I received an email from a psychiatrist asking me if I’d be willing to work with this child (of a Penn alum) who had a phobia of costumed characters. Next thing I knew, I was sitting on a bench outside of Starbucks on Chestnut and 34th, dressed up in the suit, with a terrified child — and when I say terrified, I mean terrified, staring me down from 50 feet away. Over the course of the next hour, the patient worked her way toward me, overcame her fear, and ended up posing for a picture with me.
Before my first football game, I was told that I needed to practice running the flag, leading the football team onto the field. Well, to say the least, I dismissed the idea of practicing running- I mean how difficult is it to run, granted even in the mascot suit it’s not all that complicated? It’s the same motion, just bigger steps, right? I should have practiced, because when it came time, I made it three quarters of the way down the field, lost my balance, did a short weave, and collapsed. When I looked up, I was completely surrounded by a herd of giant football players. I just closed my eyes hoping that I would make it out alive. After somehow surviving the stampede, I walked off the field. I don’t think I ever appreciated my anonymous status as much as I did then.
What’s the worst part about being the Quaker? The best part?
As to the worst: the worst part is our schedule. We never know when we’ll get a last minute email to attend an event and often times it’s challenging to balance the schedule with the academic load, but that’s why we have four athletes instead of just one.
The best part is what I’ll call the “VIP Privilege.” We get into all sporting events for free and we have what is essentially an all-access pass. It’s completely acceptable and oftentimes encouraged for the mascot to walk up and kiss our beloved President, Amy Gutmann, and it’s equally as acceptable to walk onto the floor during time-outs and give the players high-fives. I’m certain that almost nobody else is afforded those opportunities.
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Alumni Weekend, Guest blogger, Reunions, Traditions
By Kiera Reilly, C’93 @Kiera Reilly
As the west coast representative for the Global Alumni Network, I attend many different alumni events throughout the year – breakfast meetings, lunch discussions, evening receptions and cocktail happy hours. Some of my favorite events are those with an intellectual component, and this week I attended an event which featured the expertise of a Penn alumnus.
On Tuesday in Los Angeles, the Southern California Regional Advisory Board hosted an event at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. Many of us didn’t realize there was a Holocaust museum and, as the museum staff told us is common, mistakenly thought it was the Museum of Tolerance. This museum has existed in various locations since the early 1960s, but has only been in its permanent home in Pacific Park in Los Angeles since 2010.
After the staff led us on a brief museum tour, SCRAB member Jon Kean, C’89, spoke to us about “Hollywood and the Holocaust: An American Response on Film.” Jon is a writer and director and most recently has focused on documentary film projects such as the film Swimming in Auschwitz. He currently has three projects in development, including a sequel to Swimming in Auschwitz which focuses on life after liberation for Holocaust survivors. For the past two years, he has been a Ross Visiting Lecturer at Chapman University, working with Dr. Marilyn Harran in the Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education on the course Holocaust: In History and Film. Jon and his wife Beth Isaacson Kean, ENG’89, have been Board members of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust since 2004.
Jon did a condensed version of a lecture he gives for his class at Chapman, and started the discussion by asking the audience about our first visual memory of the Holocaust. He then led us through three American films “about” the Holocaust and we discussed whether or not we would now consider the main subject matter the Holocaust, how Judaism was portrayed and whether they were historically accurate.
The first movie, based on the book and Broadway play, was 1959 film The Diary of Anne Frank. Jon played the Hanukkah scene from the film and argued it had been stripped of cultural context and no Yiddish was spoken.
The next movie we discussed was the 1978 television miniseries The Holocaust: the Story of the Family Weiss. While it did a generally good job of sharing things that happened, it also tried to show a little bit of everything in different geographical locations that the characters couldn’t realistically appear in all of them.
The final film was Schindler’s List from 1993. Interestingly, he asked us how we would rate the film as a true telling of the Holocaust on a scale of 1 to 10. He said survivors tend to rate it less than 5 while non-survivors would rate it a 7 – 8. The reality is that those of us that didn’t experience the holocaust can’t really know what it is like. He encouraged us to talk to the survivors that are still living and to listen to the testimonials filmed by the USC Shoah Foundation (these are now recently available at the Penn Libraries: http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/news/penn-host-access-usc-shoah-foundation-institute-archive-nearly-52000-holocaust-testimonies-vide )
A lively discussion ensued during and after the talk, and one attendee was a child of survivors and shared his perspective with us. Everyone enjoyed the talk and discussion, and we all hope to return to the museum to visit and further explore its exhibits. As a parting gift, Jon gave us DVDs of his film. What a special evening.
Author: Elizabeth Kimmelman Schwartz, C’04
Halter Top Day to me means springtime at Penn and the end of a long, awful winter. I know some of you might be confused that I’m not referencing Hey Day or Spring Fling. I bet some of you are wondering, “What on earth is Halter Top Day? They didn’t have that when I went to Penn!” Ah, but you are wrong. Halter Top Day has always existed, even if you weren’t aware of its existence.
Halter Top Day is something one of my favorite sports writers, Bill Simmons coined in one of his weekly columns a few years ago. Here is Urban Dictionary’s definition of it:
A term coined by Bill Simmons of ESPN in reference to the day when the weather finally becomes warm enough in a notoriously cold part of the country (i.e. the Northeast) that convertible tops can go down and girls can wear miniskirts and halter tops outdoors. Usually occurs in April.
I know, you’ve heard me reference my inner feminist on this blog, and now I’m writing about a term that possibly has sexist undertones. I don’t care. To a winter-hater like me, Halter Top Day is the best day of the year, sexist name and all. Every year, from November through April, I basically curse myself for ever having left Los Angeles. I stare longingly at my flip flops and I angrily throw on my massive outerwear, including Uggs which are quite possibly the ugliest things I’ve ever put on my feet but I have yet to find anything as comfortably warm. As a shoe lover, Uggs kill me. As a cold weather hater, Uggs are my salvation.
Anyway, I digress. After a long winter during which I am mainly miserable and randomly shout things out like, “THERE ARE BETTER WAYS TO LIVE!” (my husband loves when I do that), Halter Top Day arrives and it is truly magical.
Halter Top Day is really at it’s best on college campuses, and Penn really knows how to do it up. Girls wander out in jeans and tank tops (I don’t think halter tops are really in style anymore). Guys throw on shorts and grab Frisbees. Lines at the food trucks grow. People walk around with iced Starbucks drinks instead of hot ones. The green gets crowded with people hanging out on the lawn, tossing previously mentioned Frisbees, eating previously mentioned food truck lunches, and drinking previously mentioned iced Starbucks drinks. You can’t find a seat at any of the tables on the patios, and while you are mildly annoyed, you also don’t care because the sun is out, you aren’t freezing and you know that anything is possible! Friends literally greet each other as if they haven’t seen each other since November. It’s both relaxing and exhilarating all at once.
Without even realizing what it was, since Bill Simmons didn’t coin the term until after I had graduated, I lived for Halter Top day in college. I live for it now as an adult. Simply put, it’s the best.
Filed under Alumni Perspective, Elizabeth K., Memories of Penn
Author: Casey Ryan, C’95
Earlier in March, I had the privilege of hosting David L. Cohen, L’81, Chair, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania & Executive Vice President, Comcast Corporation, for an informal reception with Washington area Penn alumni. In collaboration with the Penn Club of Washington and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Advisory Board, we entertained about 50 alumni interested learning more about the chair of Penn’s Trustees.
Brandon Paroly, President of the Penn Club of Washington, and Susan Wegner, Chair of MARAB, welcome the crowd and introduced David. As a part of their introductory remarks, Brandon and Susan shared the mission of their respective alumni groups with the crowd, and between the two of them, they shared a brief summary of David’s career with the audience.
David graduated from Swarthmore College in 1977 and summa cum laude from Penn Law in 1981. In 1982, Mr. Cohen joined Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. Ten years later, Mr. Cohen resigned his partnership to become Chief of Staff to the Honorable Edward G. Rendell, C’65, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. In that capacity, he played an important coordinating role in significant budgetary and financial issues and a wide variety of policy and operational issues. Mr. Cohen remained in city government until 1997, when he returned to Ballard Spahr as Chairman before leaving to join Comcast in 2002. At Comcast, Mr. Cohen is responsible for all external affairs of the company and serves as senior counselor to the Chairman and CEO.
David recounted that he became engaged actively as a volunteer at Penn, first as a Trustee of multiple Health System and Medical School boards. In 2002, he was named founding chairman of the Board and Executive Committee of Penn Medicine, the umbrella governance structure created by the University to oversee both the Health System and the University’s School of Medicine. This was during a time when UPHS needed to be taken in a new direction and in his eight years as chair he oversaw the critical decision-making that led to the remarkable financial turnaround of the Health System. Ultimately his work for Penn took him from being a University Trustee and then as chair of Penn Medicine and chair of the Trustees in 2010.
His volunteer experience at the University was built on his commitment and passion for Penn and for the impact that it could have, not only locally and regionally, but nationally and globally. This theme of not only locally and regionally, but nationally and globally is clearly one of David’s mantra, especially since he parallels the University scope and range to Comcast’s, which started out as a small cable company in Tupelo, Missisippi. David’s eye for world-view in everything he does catapults everything he works on moving forward.
He talked about his work at Comcast – in expanding its scope – and about the acquisition of NBC Universal and shared some unconventional knowledge about the two companies. From the time of the acquisition and to this day, Comcast is the larger company with most of its revenue coming from the cable channels like Oxygen, E! and CurrentTV. David also was able to share with us some bragging rights – for the week of ending March 3, 2012, NBC Universal had both the number one movie (The Lorax) and the number one TV show (The Voice). Rarely does any media company in the US hold both number one spots during a week.
What made the evening special was the access to one of Penn’s great leaders. Audience members asked about career advice – how do you get to do what you’re passionate about; the future of Penn; and the means to stay involved with the University. Alumni stayed well past the reception to mingle with David before he left as well as to catch up with friends and network with new contacts.
Frankly Penn 