People

Behind the inspiring organizations, dynamic businesses, compelling events, intriguing communities, and notable news items that help make Philadelphia global, are individuals who bring a wealth of expertise and commitment.  Meet the scholars, researchers, students, diplomats, curators, artists, linguists, educators, attorneys, financiers, transportation experts, scientists, administrators and others who contribute so much to the globalism of the region.  (GPA members appear at the beginning of the list, followed by non-members in alphabetical order.)

Add yourself to the list today!

Focus your search
Pat graduated from Penn State with a MBA following a tour of duty with the US Army in Vietnam. He is a CPA and worked for nine years with the Deloitte & Touche Philadelphia office and left as an Audit Manager.
Sam Katz is a lifelong Philadelphian who has had a unique career in public and project finance, venture capital, civic affairs, development, politics and documentary filmmaking.
Kristy Kelly is assistant clinical professor and director of School of Education's Global and International Education Program at Drexel University. Dr. Kelly's research is situated at the intersection of sociology of gender, anthropology of policy, and the politics of knowledge. She uses gender and education as critical lenses to study social change in Southeast Asia, particularly in post-socialist Vietnam where she has worked since the early 1990s.
Associate General Secretary for International Programs, American Friends Service Committee
President, United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia
Assistant Professor of Integrative Arts, Penn State Brandywine
Frode W. Kjersem is president of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce Philadelphia, a non-profit membership organization formed to promote trade, create business opportunities, professional relationships, and goodwill between the U.S. Philadelphia Region and Norway.   Kjersem is also a senior E-commerce Program Manager at De Lage Landen, a global provider of high-quality asset-based financing products.  
With more than 15 years of experience designing for the nonprofit, health, and higher education sectors, her favorite projects are those that span cultures, borders, and languages. Being a cultural nomad herself, she has worked and lived in her native Mexico, as well as Germany, Lebanon, and the USA, where she currently resides with her family. She holds a bachelors degree in Graphic Design from Universidad de las Américas-Puebla, and a masters degree in Journalism (Magazine Production) from the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.
Development, Independence Charter School
President, The Pennsylvania Council for International Education (PaCIE); Executive Director, Philadelphia Schools for American Paradigm Schools, Inc.
Chris Laing oversees the Science Center’s programs for commercialization, startup investment and business incubation. Since 2009, participants in these programs, which include QED, Phase 1 Ventures, the Digital Health Accelerator, and the Port business incubators, have collectively raised hundreds of millions in venture financing. Chris also facilitates access by program participants to Greater Philadelphia’s academic and clinical communities through the Science Center’s Scientific Advisory Committee for the Board of Directors.
Lived, worked and schooled in EU and Asia for many years. She advises businesses on how to prepare and implement a global localization plan. Full execution of such plan worldwide - one stop shopping for all translation needs. This includes a strong Asian engineering capability, web design and full publishing of information. Software I18N also available. 
Provide clinical counseling for individual adults and families in Spanish and Portuguese
Psychotherapist; Acting President of the Society for Ibero-Latin American Medical Professionals (SILAMP).
The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan and non-profit organization, works at the local, state and national levels, paralleling the levels of American government. We act on behalf of particular legislation, and we work to promote information about the candidates for political office. The organization's name, like its mission, derives from the proud legacy of the women's suffrage movement. Today's members are women and men; any citizen aged 18 or older can join.
Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Citizenship, Progressive Business Publications
Levinson was the owner of an architecture and interior design firm for fifty years: Joel Levinson Associates. He is now semi-retired. His work, which has been honored by various universities, has been published in numerous professional journals and exhibitions. Levinson's architectural drawings are being collected by the Architectural Archives at the University of Pennsylvania.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Visit Philadelphia