ECONSULT SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Adam was a founding co-chair of the ULI University Development and Innovation Council (UDIC) focused on academic innovation and placemaking - and he has also served as a resource person for the Mayor's Institute on City Design-Midwest and served on two Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority Advisory Boards focused on building design excellence and the 1% for Art program - the first such panel in the United States.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Founder and President of DowdBurton & Associates
- Member of the National Black MBA Association
Angela Dowd-Burton is an award-winning business professional with over twenty-five years of diverse business experience and public service. She has served in global roles in finance, supply chain management, business development, and held local government positions as deputy director of finance, procurement commissioner, and deputy director of commerce managing the office of economic opportunity. Angela has held executive positions at Dow Chemical, Rohm and Haas, Sunoco, Mobil, City of Philadelphia, and the Women's Business Development Center.
Angela is founder and president of DowdBurton & Associates, LLC a consulting firm dedicated to providing public, private, and non-profit organizations with a robust supplier diversity strategy that engages, builds, and sustains small businesses.
Angela was appointed by Mayor Michael Nutter and reappointed by Mayor Jim Kenney to serve as the Deputy Commerce Director and Executive Director for the Office of Economic Opportunity. She leveraged the business services of the Commerce Department to strengthen the capacity of small businesses to successfully contract within the public, private, and non-profit sectors. During her appointment, disadvantaged businesses increased registration with the city by more than 90% and were awarded 30% of city contract dollars. She oversaw Economic Opportunity Review Committees governing over $2 billion in capital projects in the public, private and non-profit markets.
Angela was elected to the Drexel University Board of Trustees in 2020. She serves on the Drexel University LeBow College of Business Advisory Board; LeBow Bridge Advisory Council; and the University City District Board of Directors. Angela is Editor in Chief of DUBAC "A Legacy to Share, Navigating Life's Challenges and Celebrating Our Greatest Achievements" which was released in 2022. This book was honored with a Philadelphia City Council Resolution and received Silver and Bronze Awards from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
Angela is a former member of the Cabrini University Board of Trustees and Nunery Leadership Institute Advisory Board. She was also president of the Garden Court Community Association. Angela is founder and President-Emeritus of the Women's Leadership Forum of Greater Philadelphia, connecting corporate networks that empower and expand the professional growth and advancement of women. She also served as co-chair of the Women's Initiative of the United Way responsible for launching the Girls Today, Leaders Tomorrow Program.
Angela is a lifetime member of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) and served as vice president of operations on the national board, editor of the national newsletter, and president of the Philadelphia Chapter. Past leadership roles also include chair of the Philadelphia City Council Economic Opportunity Review Committee; board member of the Drexel University Board of Governors; The Enterprise Center; and chair of the Board of FreedomTheatre. Angela is a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Dowd-Burton has received numerous awards and acknowledgments including: Philadelphia Tribune 2018 Women Achieving Recognition for significant contributions made to her respective organizations and the community; 2016 Citation from Mayor Jim Kenney and the Philadelphia Commerce Department; induction into the Drexel 100 Alumni Hall of Fame 2015; Asian-American Chamber of Commerce Small Business Champion 2015; U.S. Small Business Administration Minority Business Champion of the Year Award 2013; the Women's Business Enterprise National Council of PA-DE-sNJ Shining Star Award; featured in the Drexel LeBow MBA marketing promotion as "Dedicated, Driven, and Decisive"; Drexel University Harriet E. Worrell Award; Philadelphia Business Journal Woman of Distinction Award; two Rohm and Haas Vice President's Awards; The Philadelphia Bowl presented by Mayor W. W. Goode; Drexel University Beta Gamma Sigma Honors Award; West Philadelphia Catholic Prep High School Hall of Fame; Dollars & Sense Magazine Best and Brightest Business Professional; National Black MBA Association's H. Naylor Fitzhugh Award of Relevance and NBMBAA Philadelphia Chapter Member of the Year 2011 Award.
Angela holds an MBA in finance and a B.S. degree in accounting from Drexel University.
Areas of Expertise
Economic Development
Job Titles:
- Analyst
- Analyst at Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Anjana Balaji is an analyst at Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). She earned her Master's in applied economics from Johns Hopkins University in 2023 and earned her Bachelor's in economics from Stella Maris College in 2020. Previously, she worked as a research assistant with ESI. Ms. Balaji's interests include sustainable development and global renewable energy policies.
Areas of Expertise
STATA
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Economic and Community Development Executive
Anne Bovaird Nevins is a senior economic and community development executive with nearly two decades of experience in the field. Anne currently serves as Director of Economic Development with Accelerator for America (AFA), a national nonprofit organization that finds and develops solutions to drive equitable economic and community development and shares them with cities to create national change from the ground up. Accelerator for America is led by an Advisory Council comprising mayors, corporate and non-profit executives, and labor leaders from across the U.S.
Prior to joining AFA, Anne served as President of PIDC, Philadelphia's official economic development corporation, founded by the City and Chamber of Commerce more than 60 years ago with the mission to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive inclusive growth to every corner of Philadelphia. Anne held a variety of leadership roles over 16 years with the organization, including leading PIDC throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anne's leadership was integral to Philadelphia's efforts to respond to the pandemic, restart the economic momentum of the city, and position Philadelphia to recharge and reimagine the city's economic future. Under her leadership, PIDC deployed over $71 million in COVID-19 relief to more than 5,200 small businesses - serving more businesses over these past two years than the organization had in the prior 40 years. Over 65% of the COVID-19 small business relief dollars through PIDC were delivered to minority-owned enterprises.
Anne also ensured that PIDC advanced critical, long-term priorities to drive equitable and inclusive economic growth in Philadelphia. During her tenure, PIDC invested more than $32 million in 16 commercial and mixed-use projects led by developers of color throughout Philadelphia. Anne also oversaw the selection of Ensemble/Mosaic as the new development partner for 109 acres at the Navy Yard, which will deliver $2.5 billion of investment, more than 4.5 million square feet of commercial and retail development, more than 4,000 units of residential development, and represents an unprecedented commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Under Anne's leadership, PIDC recently announced the search for a new development partner for the Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus to develop 40 riverfront acres in Southwest Philadelphia that will catalyze inclusive economic growth.
Anne has served as co-chair of the Racism and Economic Development Committee of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), co-managed Philadelphia's Amazon HQ2 bid, and created PIDC and Urban Land Institute (ULI) Philadelphia's partnership on the future of work and its impact on industrial and commercial land.
From 1999 to 2001, Anne served in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, which is responsible for coordination between the President and all cabinet agencies. She then joined the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and managed the logistical and hospitality arrangements for all U.S. dignitaries attending the Olympics. Anne then managed corporate sponsorships for the Kimmel Center, the regional performing arts center in Philadelphia. She next served as Director of Development for Historic Philadelphia, Inc. and raised substantial funds to renovate Franklin Square, an 8-acre urban park in the center of Philadelphia's historic district. Anne has a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School and a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania. She lives with her family in the Tampa, FL region.
Areas of Expertise
Economic Development
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- COO of Wolf Commercial Real Estate
- Senior Advisor With Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Anthony V. Mannino, Esq. is a Senior Advisor with Econsult Solutions, Inc. and presently serves as Chief Operating Officer for Wolf Commercial Real Estate, LLC. He is an expert in management operations and organizational strategy. Mr. Mannino also has a deep understanding of the issues and people key to the development landscape in the region, having built trusted relationships with government and private sector leaders in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and southern New Jersey.
As COO of Wolf Commercial Real Estate, Mannino provides executive-level leadership to a sales and administrative team engaged in commercial real estate transactions. In addition to internal leadership, he is responsible for directing recruiting efforts, providing marketing and business development support, and implementing strategies for corporate growth in existing and new markets and business lines.
Mr. Mannino served as Chief of Staff to state Sen. Larry Farnese in Philadelphia from 2008-2015, and as Chief of Staff to state Rep. Bryan Lentz in Delaware County from 2006-2008. As a veteran of legislative offices in the region, he is well-versed in pursuing initiatives which lie at the intersection of public policy stakeholder engagement.
Prior to his public service, Mr. Mannino spent more than a decade as an attorney in the private sector, handling commercial landlord-tenant, property subrogation, and other commercial litigation matters for results-oriented institutional clients.
Mr. Mannino serves on the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority board of directors, a role he has held since 2013. He previously served as a state Senate designee to the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System board from 2011-2015. Mr. Mannino has been actively involved in many area civic institutions, from community associations to advocacy non-profits. He presently serves on the board of directors of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, where he is also a member of the Executive Committee and chair of the Advocacy Committee.
Mr. Mannino has a J.D. from Temple University School of Law and a B.B.A. in Accounting from Temple University. He is licensed to practice law in state and federal courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and also is a licensed Pennsylvania real estate salesperson.
Areas of Expertise
Incentives
Dr. Olshin has been a Fulbright scholar in Portugal, a Fulbright Specialist in Iceland, and a recipient of two NEH grants, one in West Africa and one at the prestigious East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i. During the course of his career, he has developed facility in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Chinese (Mandarin). He completed his M.A. and Ph.D. at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto in Canada, and holds a B.A. from Williams College.
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Leader
- Senior Advisor
Bernadine Hawes is an executive level, nonprofit professional and economic development specialist working in the areas of project management, manufacturing strategy small business growth, and workforce development. She retired as Vice President from the University City Science Center where her career spanned over 25years in the areas programming large-scale databases, research and analysis, and incubating more than 100 information technology and biotech start-ups.
Bernadine is leader in the national and regional manufacturing sector as the immediate Past Chair of the National Advisory Board for the federal NIST-Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP), Chairwoman of the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC) and a member of the Board of the Urban Manufacturing Alliance and the Peoples Emergency Center Community Development Corporation with over $65 million invested in neighborhood initiatives and affordable housing.
She is a diversity advisor for several businesses in the growing cannabis sector and has been a consultant on workforce challenges in medicinal cannabis at Jefferson University's Lambert Center for the Study of Medicinal Cannabis and Hemp
Bernadine has authored a best practice manual for growing start-up businesses which was funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the American Cities Foundation.
Bernadine is a native of Washington, DC, is a summa cum laude graduate of Lincoln University (PA) and has a Master's Degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Areas of Expertise
Equity and Inclusion
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Chairman of the National Association for Business Economics ( NABE ) Real Estate / Construction Roundtable
- President and Chief Economist, Markstein Advisors
Bernard M. Markstein is President and Chief Economist, Markstein Advisors, an economic consulting company providing analysis and forecasts of the national economy and construction activity. Dr. Markstein's experience includes analysis and research in housing, residential and nonresidential construction, real estate, financial markets, macroeconomic issues, and regional markets. Dr. Markstein has appeared on Bloomberg Business, CNBC, Fox Business, and Nightly Business Report (PBS). Among publications where he has been quoted are the New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes. He is a regular participant in the quarterly Bankrate Economic Indicator survey.
Prior to being an economic consultant, Dr. Markstein was U.S. Chief Economist for Reed Construction Data (now ConstructConnect) where he analyzed, commented on, and forecasted residential and commercial construction activity. Before that, Dr. Markstein was Senior Economist and Vice President, Economic Forecasting and Analysis, for the National Association of Home Builders, providing analysis on national and regional housing issues, on developments and trends in the multifamily housing market, and on the forces affecting building materials prices.
Dr. Markstein has also held positions as Chief Economist for Meridian Bancorp, Inc. based in Reading, PA., manager of the Financial Forecasting Service for Chase Econometrics (now IHS Global Insight), and as Assistant Professor at Temple University's Department of Finance in the School of Business.
Among his professional activities, Dr. Markstein has served as the Chair of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) Real Estate/Construction Roundtable and as Chair for the NABE Financial Roundtable. Dr. Markstein also served as Chair of the Economic Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, and is a former president of the Philadelphia Council for Business Economics.
Dr. Markstein received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Brown University and a Doctorate in Economics from Yale University.
Areas of Expertise
Real Estate
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Co - Founder of the CEO Access Network at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce
- President and CEO of BFW Group, LLC
Blane Fitzgerald Stoddart is President and CEO of BFW Group, LLC. BFW provides construction project management, program management, owners' representation, LEED Administration, and development consulting services to non-profit and for-profit developers, government, contractors, schools and institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Stoddart formerly served as Vice President of Business Development and Customer Care for Innova Services Corporation. Innova Services Corporation provided construction project management; program management, and green building consulting services to a $1.5 billion dollar real estate portfolio in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Prior to that, Mr. Stoddart served as CEO of The Partnership CDC (community development corporation) and its subsidiaries. Under his leadership The CDC created over 114 new jobs, built 300 residential and commercial units, and invested close to $100 million dollars in West Philadelphia, directly west of the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Stoddart holds a Bachelor's of Science in Economics and Marketing from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Stoddart is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. Mr. Stoddart is a member of the Board of Entrepreneur Works, a micro-business lender. He is also President of the Better Living Center in Chester, PA. He was recently appointed by PA Governor Tom Wolf to the Governor's Commission on African American Affairs.
Mr. Stoddart is Co-Founder of the CEO Access Network at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce; and Founder of Young Caribbean Professional Network which supports young track and field athletes from 5 Caribbean nations to attend the Penn Relays in Philadelphia each year. Mr. Stoddart has been named "One of 50 People to Watch" by Philadelphia Magazine; "10 Under 40" by the Philadelphia Tribune; and "40 Under 40" by the Philadelphia Business Journal. Mr. Stoddart was recently bestowed the Inaugural "Globy Award" by Global Philadelphia Association for his efforts in making Philadelphia a more Global/International City. Mr. Stoddart is a frequent speaker on urban economic development and on issues of Leadership in the 21st Century.
Areas of Expertise
Real Estate Development
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
- Director at Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Brian Licari is a director at Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). His career background and interests are in analyzing, developing, and implementing economic development and community revitalization strategies ranging in scale from the grassroots neighborhood level to regional business development efforts. With direct work experience in the public, private, nonprofit, and academic sectors, he has a deep understanding of the needs and motivations of stakeholders at different levels of local, regional, state, and national involvement.
Mr. Licari has extensive experience working with multidisciplinary project teams and distilling and communicating complex information to support policy and decision making. He thrives at all levels of communication, including community and stakeholder engagement, client management, training facilitation, staff mentoring, presentation material development, public speaking, and technical writing.
Areas of Expertise
Project Management
Job Titles:
- Associate Director
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
- Associate Director at Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Cameron Miller is an associate director at Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). He has a history of working across the public sector, having held positions in city government, higher education, and nonprofit organizations.
Prior to joining ESI, Cameron served as the Director of Operations for the City of Philadelphia's Rebuild Initiative, a mayoral program funded by the Philadelphia Beverage Tax investing $500 million in parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, and libraries in underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods. Joining early in its launch phase, Cameron was key to developing the startup department and managed program policies, processes, data, reporting, and program evaluation efforts.
From 2015 to 2019, Cameron worked at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government, which focuses on training data-informed public leaders to bridge context, analysis, and practice. In his roles, Cameron contributed to the management and leadership of program admissions, stakeholder relations, marketing and communications, and operations.
Areas of Expertise
Non-profit Management
Carol de Fries is an expert at building successful strategic partnerships for economic and civic growth, with more than 15 years of experience in business development, finance, government relations, philanthropy, higher education and economic and workforce development.
Most recently, she served as the Community College of Philadelphia's (CCP) Vice President of Workforce and Economic Innovation, where she positioned the College as a key asset to Philadelphia's efforts to grow and expand its economy. She created the strategic vision and implementation plan to expand the form and the function of the College's workforce development, continuing education, career readiness, job training and job creation programs by establishing partnerships with local businesses and the institution.
During her tenure, Ms. de Fries secured and generated over $30M in revenue, grants, and public funding to support the division's mission; grew program offerings by 176%; achieved over 70% minority and women-owned business participation in Power Up; and pioneered the College and Philadelphia's state-of-the-art Career and Advanced Technology Center.
Ms. de Fries' previous roles in Philadelphia include Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for the City's economic development agency Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC); Executive Director of the Office of Government and Community Affairs for the University of Pennsylvania (Penn); and Special Assistant to the Director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia. Before moving to Philadelphia, Ms. de Fries was a federal Procurement Administrator for a DC-based international firm negotiating the purchase and shipment of goods for USAID projects across the world. Ms. de Fries holds a Masters in Government Administration from the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgetown University.
As a civic leader, she helped found Campus Philly, a 501(c)3 organization aimed at retaining the region's college population and created and launched Power Up Your Business Program at CCP. She serves as the Secretary of Philadelphia250, and is on the boards of the Center City Business Association, and Philadelphia Life Sciences Advisory Board. She recently was honored as a 2022 "Women of Distinction" by the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Areas of Expertise
Higher Education
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
- Director at Econsult Solutions, Inc.
Cassandra Brown is a director at Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI). She comes to ESI with a deep background in higher education, working in various roles with alumni, faculty, and the external business and governance community for 15 years at Drexel University. Ms. Brown received her M.B.A. at Drexel University.
Prior to joining ESI, Cassie served as the Executive Director of Drexel University's Gupta Governance Institute, which encompasses the Center for Corporate Governance and the Center for Nonprofit Governance. In this role, she assembled academics with corporate and nonprofit leaders, leading to research, insights and programming focused on best practices in governance. Cassie also served as the Executive Director of Drexel University LeBow College of Business's Alumni Relations and Engagement initiatives, where she increased alumni engagement by creating affinity groups, forums and programming, connecting the College's constituents and expanding their opportunities and outcomes.
In addition to her role at Drexel University, Cassie served as the Executive Director of the National Association of Corporate Directors Philadelphia Chapter. She provided support to the Chapter via membership growth and retention, program development, securing sponsorships, and board structure to fulfill the mission and vision of the NACD Philadelphia Chapter.
Areas of Expertise
Project Management
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Founding Principal of the Riddle Company
Catherine Timko is the founding principal of The Riddle Company, a Washington DC based economic development marketing firm, as well as a senior advisor at Econsult Solutions. The Riddle Company works with communities and companies across North America and positions them to effectively compete. Projects range from strategic business and marketing planning to positioning and business development strategies. We help our clients to craft strategy and language to advance business development, business attraction and investment. We leverage our relationships with the target industries and the media to enhance our clients' public profiles. Our work has resulted in over $75M of earned media for client communities, influenced the creation of over 4,250 jobs, 3.5 M SF of new retail development, and nearly $1 Billion of investment.
Retail attraction is one of her specialties. Catherine has completed retail marketing and attraction strategies for almost every major market on the East Coast including Miami, Atlanta, Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark and Boston. Her recent work on the Center City Philadelphia retail campaign, Be In On It, has achieved national recognition and resulted in over 300,000 SF of new retail investment. Catherine is an active member of APA, IDA, IEDC, ULI, and ICSC, and is the former Dean for Economic Development for ICSC University of Shopping Centers.
Earlier in her career as a city planner, Catherine worked for Wallace, Roberts and Todd on downtown planning and economic development projects and served as the project manager for what is now the SoFI District in Miami Beach. She has been involved in more than 75 downtown planning and marketing projects nationwide. and has been instrumental in the development of critical financing and marketing tools while working in local government and then as a consultant to communities and private investors. Catherine recently completed a national study analyzing the impact of BIDs and promotion on local business performance. Her knowledge of best practices is invaluable in shaping and implementing community based retail development models that work.
Over the past 20 years, she has consulted with communities, economic development organizations, and BIDs of all sizes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Florida and Washington, D.C., advising them on retail and business attraction programs with measureable success. Private clients include Madison Retail Group, Marcus & Millichap, Lowe Enterprises, Bank of America, Roadside Development, City Center Retail, Pritzker Residential, Equity Residential and Tishman. Catherine is an active member of APA, IDA, IEDC, ULI and ICSC, and is the former Dean for Economic Development for ICSC University of Shopping Centers.
Areas of Expertise
Retail Attraction
Chris Geraghty is a senior analyst at Econsult Solutions, Inc (ESI). As an educator in Philadelphia's Catholic schools, he gained formative experience working directly with the city's youth and families. In March of 2023, he graduated from Drexel University's LeBow College of Business with a Master of Science in Economics.
While pursuing his degree, Chris engaged in available internship opportunities. Most recently, he served as a Planning Intern with Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's (DVRPC) Office of Community and Economic Development. He has also completed internships with Public Financial Management (PFM), Drexel Solutions Institute, and as a Data Analyst with Esperanza Immigration Legal Services.
During his teaching career, Chris served as Resident Advisor for a community center in South Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood, where he currently supports the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program as co-coordinator. He holds a Master of Education from Cabrini University and a Bachelor of Arts in History from John Carroll University.
Areas of Expertise
Economics
Christophe P. Terlizzi is a Senior Advisor of Econsult Solutions. He has extensive experience in real estate financing in the northeastern United States real estate markets with twenty-five years in executive leadership roles. His expertise includes sales management, financial planning, credit process, portfolio management, loan servicing, and compliance. He has a proven track record as a business builder, innovator, and senior leader.
He is a principal of Associated Real Estate Consultants, LLC which he co-founded with three prominent Philadelphia real Estate Industry executives following his retirement from KeyBank Real Estate Capital. Associated Real Estate Consultants, LLC provides solutions to complex commercial real estate problems for private, institutional, and public companies. Past assignments have ranged from debtor consultation to expert witness/ litigation support and general advisory support for family offices.
Mr. Terlizzi serves on the boards of Center City District and Central Philadelphia Development Corporation where he is Treasurer and chair of the audit committee. He is actively engaged with ULI Philadelphia having served as district council chair and chair of the governance committee.
Individually, Mr. Terlizzi has been a panelist and expert witness in a long list of cases that drew on his financing and real estate experience.
He holds a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Business Administration from St. Joseph's University and has completed various non-degree programs offered by Professional and Academic Institutions.
Areas of Expertise
Real Estate Financing
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Director at the Financial Management Center
Christopher Dwyer has been the Director at the Financial Management Center in the Department of Community and Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania since 2005. In this position, he leads financial operations of the $1 billion agency implementing Governor's economic development agenda, through grants, loans, tax credits and targeted federal funding to benefit low-income Pennsylvanians. He is also the Special Advisor to the Budget Secretary for the Commonwealth. In this position he provides representation, analyze major policy issues and lead management and productivity initiatives for advisor to Governor responsible for preparing $61 billion budget and the activities of over 800 employees. He has served on Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) and Pittsburgh ICA, overseeing finances of state's largest cities, approving Philadelphia's $7 billion budget, Pittsburgh's $436 million budget, and five-year plans
Prior to these appointments, Mr. Dwyer held a number of different positions. Between 2004 and 2005, he was Special Assistant to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the school district of Philadelphia, where he supported Finance, Chief Executive Office and other offices with financial research and analysis, assistance with government relations and revenue enhancement initiatives. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked for the City of Philadelphia as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission, where he oversaw operations of City's first independent tax reform commission, and was charged with comprehensively reviewing and restructuring Philadelphia's $3 billion system of local taxation in eight months; and as the Assistant Director at the Office of Management, where he was charged with restructuring government business practices to reduce costs, increase revenues, and improve performance by researching and analyzing best practices and conducted management reviews of government operations as requested by Mayor's Office and Finance Director.
Mr. Dwyer has also worked in independent consulting; was a program associate at the American College of Physician's Division of Education; and was the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Program Director at the Princeton Review. Mr. Dwyer began his career as a research associate and assistant at the National Economic Research Associates.
Mr. Dwyer received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Columbia, in New York City, NY, and a Masters of the Fine Arts in Radio-Television-Film from Temple University, in Philadelphia, PA.
Areas of Expertise
Economic Development
Christopher Swann is an economist, currently engaged in applied economic research and private consulting, and is an adjunct instructor in economics at both Temple University and Drexel University.
He began his career at Bell Atlantic (now Verizon Communications) where he held positions in research, business marketing, and product management. His work encompassed rate planning and witness support, corporate planning, and consulting. After completing his Ph.D. in Economics, he joined WEFA/Global Insight (now IHS) as a Senior Economist, responsible for developing the U.S. macroeconomic forecasts, and also written analyses on the U.S. economy, business investment, and the labor market. As Director of the World Service he coordinated global publications and developed various international country studies and forecasts. As Senior Consultant he developed analytic reports spanning a number of industries including telecommunications, equipment leasing, and electronic payments, He later joined the Bureau of Economic Analysis in Washington, D.C. before returning to Philadelphia as Vice President, Research Services, at Select Greater Philadelphia.
He served on the Board of Directors of National Association for Business Economics (NABE) and is currently a member of the editorial board of Business Economics, the NABE journal. He continues to serve as a member of other NABE working committees engaged in developing curricula for the Certified Business Economist program. He is a past Chair of the NABE Technology Roundtable, and is a past President of the Philadelphia Council for Business Economics.
He holds a B.A. in economics from Washington University, St. Louis, an M.A. in economics with a concentration in econometrics from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in economics also from Temple University with concentrations in industrial organization and international economics.
Areas of Expertise
Industry studies
Corinne Packard Beasley is a senior advisor to Econsult Solutions, Inc. (ESI) and President of Packard Beasley Consulting, as well as an Assistant Professor of Real Estate at Georgetown University. She previously served as a director at ESI, in addition to serving a former vice president of development at the Hudson Yards Development Corporation (HYDC), which is the New York City entity charged with spearheading the implementation of the Hudson Yards development program, which included the extension of the No.7 Subway Line, the redevelopment of the MTA Railyards, as well as other development sites between roughly 30 th Street and 42 nd Street, west of 8 th Avenue. Prior to working at HYDC, Ms. Packard Beasley was a vice president of the Financial Services division of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), where she structured city incentives and discretionary capital investments in real estate and economic development projects throughout the five boroughs, including Atlantic Yards and Coney Island. Prior to joining NYCEDC, she worked in real estate finance at Capital Trust, a publicly traded real estate investment trust in New York focusing on high-yield debt investments in real estate assets and operating companies; and in real estate acquisitions at Heitman, a real estate investment management company.
Cori is also a lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania and brings experience in both government and private development to her teaching, which is focused on public-private development and post-catastrophe revitalization. Ms. Packard Beasley is also a member of the ULI National Public-Private Partnership Council, a member of the local Philadelphia ULI Community & Economic Development Council and has served as the co-chair of ULI's Post-Sandy Task Force.
Areas of Expertise
Economic Development
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Advisor With
Craig Schelter is a Senior Advisor with Econsult Solutions. In 2002, combining 34 years of experience in the fields of city planning and urban economic development, Mr. Schelter founded the consulting firm Schelter & Associates. His practice provides counsel and support to organizations that promote quality development and that seek to balance growth with environmental, design, historic and community sensitivity. His client list includes numerous quasi-public development corporations and private developers in the greater Philadelphia area, with references available on request. His work has focused on the complex real estate development process of structuring public- private partnerships and managing the public approval process for complex projects. He regularly provides expert testimony before City Council, the City Planning Commission, the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Historical Commission in Philadelphia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Advisor With Marathon Capital Strategies
Dan Connelly has over 20 years of financial consulting experience at the federal, state, and local government levels. Mr. Connelly's public finance experience includes multi-year financial planning, capital improvement planning, budgeting, cash flow analysis, debt structuring, workforce and labor cost analysis, pension review, strategic planning, financial feasibility evaluation, tax policy analysis, privatization analysis, management review and audit, and credit rating evaluation, among other areas. He is a Series 50 Municipal Advisor Representative and has advised on over 40 debt financings, hedging, and bond proceed/escrow investment transactions totaling over $2.5 billion in par/notional amount. He has provided expert testimony in labor arbitration hearings and various court proceedings and developed written expert testimony for municipal asset sales. Mr. Connelly has extensive experience developing multi-year financial plans for Pennsylvania municipalities participating in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Act 47 Program for Distressed Municipalities and the Strategic Management Planning Program.
In addition to his role at ESI, Mr. Connelly is also a Senior Advisor with Marathon Capital Strategies, an independent municipal advisory firm headquartered in Glassboro, New Jersey. Since joining Marathon in 2018, Mr. Connelly has advised on over $800 million in par amount consisting of a mix of fixed and variable rate and public and private issuance. Mr. Connelly provides transaction management, credit analysis, financial planning, refunding analysis, credit enhancement strategy, arbitrage rebate, and escrow verification services to governmental and non-profit entities. He is familiar with traditional and synthetic fixed and variable rate debt structures and has helped clients meet their capital planning needs through the public and private debt markets.
Prior to joining Marathon, Mr. Connelly worked at Fairmount Capital Advisors, Inc., an Independent Registered Municipal Advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. At Fairmount, Mr. Connelly headed the firm's government consulting practice and led engagements such as five-year financial planning and budgeting, financial feasibility studies, and strategic planning, among others.
Before joining Fairmount, he worked for the management consulting firm American Management Systems (now CACI). At AMS, he was responsible for managing strategic planning and certification programs for organizations within the U.S. Navy.
Areas of Expertise
Public Finance
Dan Garofalo is a creative problem-solver and strategic thinker with more than 30 years of experience in a variety of consulting, institutional, and government roles. As an accredited LEED architect, he has overseen and planned sustainability projects for public sector, higher education, and non-profit organizations to improve lives and promote equity.
Mr. Garofalo's experience in higher education includes over 20 years as a consultant and senior director at public and private institutions. As the Senior Facilities Planner at the University of Pennsylvania, he chaired the University Transportation and Infrastructure Coordinating Groups to develop consistent strategies across campus and coordinate initiatives with agencies of the City of Philadelphia. As Penn's first Sustainability Director, he created and implemented university-wide policies and practices for energy conservation, green building and design, waste minimization, sustainable transportation, and engagement programs for the campus community.
As University Architect at Rowan University, he initiated master planning sustainability efforts while managing capital project programming and execution. Mr. Garofalo has over 15 years' experience as a consulting architect for design firms in Princeton, New York, and Philadelphia, where he led construction and design projects for a variety of commercial, healthcare, and institutional clients. Mr. Garofalo has contributed to communities through public service. He founded Community Design Collaborative, a pro-bono design center in Philadelphia, PA, and served as a founding board member and board chair of Green Building United, formerly the Delaware Valley chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. He has served twice in the Peace Corps, in Malawi and in Sri Lanka. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the City of Philadelphia Civic Design Review Committee, leading monthly assessments of major development projects in the City of Philadelphia, and on the Philadelphia Navy Yard's Design Advisory Review Board.
Areas of Expertise
Architecture
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Regulatory Public Utility Economist
David Magnus Boonin is a nationally recognized regulatory public utility economist, thought leader and change agent with over four decades experience in public utility regulation, policy and strategy. Mr. Boonin synchronizes the public and private interests. Mr. Boonin founded TBG consulting in 1992, which finds superior solutions for its clients that include electric, gas and water utilities (both investor owned and municipal), regulatory agencies, energy consumers, competitive energy companies, financial and insurance institutions, foreign companies and organizations, start-up or second phase companies, law firms and consulting companies. He provides expert testimony and serves as "C" level officers.
Mr. Boonin has held numerous other positions, including in part: Commissioner and Executive Director of the Philadelphia Gas Commission, Chief Economist at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Principal for Electric and Multi-Utilities at the National Regulatory Research Institute and President of New Energy Ventures Mid-Atlantic, which grew into the nation's largest competitive energy services firm.
David earned his Masters of Arts degree in Economics from Brown University in 1976. He holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Areas of Expertise
Public Utility Regulation
Job Titles:
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
Dr. Bernard E. Anderson has been the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since 2001, when he returned from serving in the Clinton Administration. The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Anderson in early 1994 as Assistant Secretary for the Employment Standards Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. He formerly served on the board of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation.
Dr. Anderson has held leadership positions in academia, public service, private sector, and civic life. He was professor of Industry at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Anderson has authored six books and numerous articles on economic and employment policy, and was a member of the Black Enterprise Magazine Board of Economists. He began his career as an economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Appointed in 1991, he was the inaugural chairman of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Corporation Authority - the fiscal oversight board for the City of Philadelphia. His memberships on professional and corporate boards included the Manpower Demonstration and Research Corporation for which he was Vice Chairman, the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company, and Lincoln University, for which he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He currently serves as vice chairman, board of trustees, Tuskegee University, Alabama. He is a member of the American Economic Association, a former executive board member of the Industrial Relations Research Association, and a former President of the National Economic Association. He advised Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter on creating the Philadelphia Office of Economic Opportunity to increase minority participation in business contracting.
Dr. Anderson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, graduating with highest honors from Livingstone College, in Salisbury, North Carolina; a Masters of Arts in Economics from Michigan State University, in East Lansing, Michigan; and a Ph.D. in Business and Applied Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2022, Dr. Anderson received the Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award from the Labor and Employment Research Association.
Areas of Expertise
Management
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Project Manager at Becker & Frondorf
Elizabeth Kay Miller (Beth) is a project manager at Becker & Frondorf, a project management and cost estimating firm based in Philadelphia.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team
Mr. Brian Uher has most recently managed sustainability law compliance projects with Cushman and Wakefield as well as test projects for emerging green building technologies with MIRACORP. This work includes bi-directional grid flow coupled with EV charging, building management system upgrades and AI, and electrification of building heating systems. He also maintains Wall Wright, LLC Consulting and is a founder and former Director of Amicus Consulting Services in Kensington, MD. His work has focused on demand-side efficiency in the building industry, and he has developed methods for incorporating return-on-investment with energy modeling and life cycle analysis to identify and quantify best in class sustainable building techniques. He has also written resiliency guidelines focused on building stock upgrades on the east coast. He has also written on valuation approaches and analysis of market uptake in the multi-family and commercial building sectors. He has spoken widely to the real estate and development communities with a focus on a market-based approach to selling green and high-performance building.
Brian is a LEED accredited professional, has been HERS/RESNET certified, a BPI analyst and envelope professional and has taught the Green Remodeling course for the Washington, DC chapter of National Association of the Remodeling Industry. He has also held a Passive House Consultant certification (residential and commercial standards). Mr. Uher holds a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and the Wharton School of Management, as well as a master's of science degree in molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Chicago.
Areas of Expertise
Climate Technology
Job Titles:
- Member of the Vice Presidents and Directors Team