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Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee (PHLDNC)

(page revised June 9, 2016; Nov. 2017 update)  


Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee

www.phldnc.com  |  @PHLDNC2016

Chairman  Ed Rendell

Special counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP.; operating partner at Element Partners.  Served as a senior advisor to Greenhill & Co. from 2011.  Governor of Pennsylvania, 2003-11.  Partner at Ballard Spahr, 2000-03.  General chair of the DNC during the 2000 campaign.  Elected Mayor of Philadelphia in Nov. 1991, and served two terms, 1992-1999 (see A Prayer for the City by Buzz Bissinger).  Unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1987.  Unsuccessful campaign for Governor in 1986, losing the primary to Bob Casey.  Elected to two terms as Philadelphia District Attorney, serving 1978-85.  Served in the U.S. Army Reserve, 1968-74.  J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, 1968; B.A. from University of Pennsylvania, 1965.  twitter


Special Advisor  David L. Cohen

Executive vice president of Comcast Corporation since Nov. 2002.  Previously partner in and chairman (1998-2002) of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP.   Chief of staff to Mayor Ed Rendell, Jan. 1992-April 1997.  Press secretary and campaign manager to then Philadelphia District Attorney Ed Rendell.  Associate at Ballard Spahr.  J.D. from University of Pennsylvania, 1981.  B.A. degree from Swarthmore College, 1977.


Honorary Chairs 
Gov. Tom Wolf
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney

Honorary Vice Chairs
U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey  -  U.S. Rep. Bob Brady  -  Former City Councilwoman and DNC Member Marian Tasco  -  City Council President Darrell Clarke

Finance Chair  Daniel Hilferty

President and CEO (from 2010) of Independence Blue Cross.  President and CEO of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies.  Senior Vice President of Corporate and Government Affairs for Mercy Health System in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Executive director of PennPorts with the Office of Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey.  Candidate for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 1994.  M.P.A. from American University; B.S. in accounting from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.


Co-Chairs
Harold T. Epps  -  Daniel Hilferty  -  Former Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter  -  Former U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz  -  Former State Sen. Connie Williams  - Kenneth Trujillo



Executive Director  Kevin Washo

(headed the bid team)  Most recently a vice president at New Partners consulting firm.  Executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Aug. 2010-March 2013.  White House liaison to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2009-10.  Senior advisor to Sen. Bob Casey through Nov. 2009.  Pennsylvania political director on Obama's 2008 campaign.  Casey's deputy state director from Dec. 2007-July 2008; special assistant on Casey's campaign for U.S. Senate in 2006.  Did advance on Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.  Graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where he was Student Government Board President, 2002-03.  From Scranton, PA.


Deputy Executive Director  Angela Val

(from April 13, 2015)  Val comes to the host committee after 16-plus years at Visit Philadelphia/Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation: vice president and chief external affairs officer (from 2014), vice president of special projects (2006-14), vice president of stakeholder relations (2004-06), director of operations (2002-04), hotel program director (1999-2002), and executive assistant to the president (1998-99).  Previously she worked for Hospitality Partners in Philadelphia, 1993-98.  B.S. in hospitality management from Drexel University.

Chief Operating Officer/Chief of Staff  Lila Rose

(part of the bid team)  Deputy executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Trust from Sept. 2012.  Chief administrative officer at the DCCC, Feb. 2013-Feb. 2014; deputy director of the DCCC's 2012 IE program, March-Dec. 2012.  Director of operations at Bob Casey for Senate, June 2011-Feb. 2012.  Several positions at the DCCC from Sept. 2007-Dec. 2010: director of operations for the 2010 IE program, director of the office of Chairman Chris Van Hollen, deputy director of operations on the 2008 IE program, and incumbent retention and candidate training coordinator.  Staff assistant to U.S. Rep. Ron Klein (FL), Jan.-Aug. 2007.


Director of External Affairs  Jordan Schwartz

(part of the bid team) Senior advisor to Allyson Schwartz's gubernatorial campaign, Oct. 2013-May 2014.  Deputy chief of staff (Jan. 2010-Oct. 2013) and special assistant (Nov. 2007-Dec. 2009) to the Mayor of Philadelphia.  Pennsylvania director for the Center for Progressive Leadership, Jan. 2005-Oct. 2007.  Operations director on Allyson Schwartz for Congress, March-Dec. 2004.  Political director and young leadership director at the National Jewish Democratic Council, Feb. 2002-July 2004.  B.A. in urban studies from University of Pennsylvania, 2001.


Director of Diversity and Community Engagement  Tiffany Newmuis

(from April 13, 2015)  Director of diversity for the Pennsylvania Convention Center/SMG from 2011.  Program developer of the African American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ DE, 2010-11.  Executive director of the Main Street Glassboro Central Business District (NJ), 2008-09.  Consultant to the Responsible Hospitality Institute in Santa Cruz, CA, 2008.  Master's degree in tourism and hospitality management from Temple University; B.A. in English and African American studies from Hood College in Frederick, MD.


Volunteer Director  Hannah Tran

(Sept. 2015)  Outreach manager and team leader in the Mayor's Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, Aug. 2014-Aug. 2015.  English instructor for Upward Bound, Oct. 2013-July 2014.  English teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, Sept. 2007-June 2013.  M.Ed. from University of Pennsylvania; bachelor's degree in sociology from Columbia University in the City of New York.


Communications Director  Anna Adams-Sarthou

(June 2015)  Deputy press secretary to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Oct. 2014-May 2015.  Regional director for external affairs for AT&T, Feb. 2013-Oct. 2014.  Deputy chief of staff and director of communications to Sen. Michael Gianaris (Astoria, NY), Jan. 2011-Feb. 2013.  Acting press secretary to Gov. David A. Paterson, after starting as research coordinator in Sept. 2009.  B.S. from New York University, 2009.  twitter


Director of Digital and Social  Annie Heckenberger

(Feb. 2015; also vice president, group director, brand communications strategy for Digitas Health LifeBrands from Sept. 2015)  Vice president of earned media at Red Tettemer O'Connell + Partners, Mar. 2008-Sept. 2015.  Social media director for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Oct. 2006-Mar. 2008.  Senior account executive, AS, MS and vice president of media and accounts (July 1998-Sept. 2006) and vice president of emerging media (Nov. 2005-Sept. 2006) at Marina Maher Communications,.  Account executive and senior account executive at HWH PR/New Media, Oct. 1995-July 1998.  B.A. in English from Fairfield University, 1995.  twitter


Deputy Finance Director  Liz Gilbert

(Jan. 2016)  Houston and Southwest Texas finance director (April-Nov. 2014) and national finance director (Sept. 2013-Mar. 2014) on Wendy R. Davis for Governor (TX), New York tri-state deputy finance director fot the DNC, Feb.-Sept. 2013.  Regional GOTV director in the Charlotte area for Obama for America, Sept.-Nov. 2012.  Finance assistant for the Charlotte in 2012 host committee, June-Sept. 2012.  B.S. in education from University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2013.


CFO  Jason O'Malley

(June 2015)  Senior advisor to Debbie Wasserman Schultz for Congress from June 2003, and senior advisor to the DNC, April 11-June 2015.  Deputy finance director at Patrick Knnedy for Congress, April-Dec. 2002.  B.A. in international relations from American University, 1999.


Director of Operations and Logistics  Richard Dziepak

Experience includes special assistant to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.


Office Manager  Letty Santarelli



General Counsel  Joe Sandler

Principal at Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein.  General counsel to the DNC for 15 years starting in Feb. 1993. Partner at Arent Fox, 1989-93.  Staff counsel for the DNC, 1986-89.  Associate at Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn in Washington, DC, 1978-86.  J.D. from Harvard Law School, 1978; A.B. from Harvard University, 1975.

Deputy General Counsel  Jeff Mozdziock

(March 2016)  Special assistant to U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, June 2009-May 2014.  J.D. from Temple University's James E. Beasley School of Law, 2015;  B.S. in labor and industrial relations from Cornell University, 2007.




Official Merchandise Firm - Impact Dimensions, LLC (announced March 1, 2016)

Official Event Producer of Political Fest (>) - LeapStarr Productions (announced March 14, 2016)

Volunteer Vetting Services Firm - Verified Volunteers (announced June 9, 2016)


Note:
The host committee received a $10 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.  In May 2017 questions were raised about whether the host committee had spent funds on bonuses and donations to charities.  It issued "Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee Financials Fact Sheet" [posted at www.govnetpa.com/lib/PH206O~L.PDF].  The Pennsylvania Auditor General investigated and found that the "$10 million state grant was expended according to the grant agreement" but found that "DCED did a poor job writing a grant agreement that was specific enough to protect Pennsylvania’s taxpayers.”  See: Nov. 20, 2017 press release and report.


In the beginning...see:
Chris Hepp and Jonathan Tamari.  "Obama approves, and Phila.'s DNC planners get to work."  Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 16, 2015.


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