Jessica Dasher
Board Chairwoman
Vice President - Health Systems Enterprise, Quest Diagnostics
Jessica has more than 20 years of health care experience, all of them focused within the realm of financial planning, strategic planning, and operations. Jessica earned a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University in 1996 and holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, 1993. She is an active volunteer with the Greater Philadelphia Duke Alumni network, and is actively involved with St. Thomas of Villanova Parish, and Rosemont School of the Holy Child. Jessica resides in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
James T. Britt '72
Academic Excellence and Enrollment Chair
Adjunct Faculty - Neumann University, Temple University
Jim received a Bachelor of Arts degree from LaSalle University majoring in Sociology/Criminal Justice, and a Master of Science degree in Sports Management from Neumann University. Jim is a retired U.S. Postal Inspector, conducting criminal investigations and internal audits for 25 years throughout the United States. In 2005, Jim was hired as the first employee of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation, guiding the growth and development of what the National Hockey League describes as the gold standard of community relations and social responsibility organizations in North America. In 2017, Jim retired as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Office of The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Jim and his wife Celeste reside in Philadelphia, and have 4 children and 4 grandchildren.
Fran Crowley '77
Governance and Nominating Committee Chair
Partner - Blank Rome
Following his graduation from West Catholic, Fran attended the University of Pennsylvania where he received his degree in Political Science. Upon graduation, Fran attended the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Fran joined Blank Rome in Philadelphia PA in 1984, and has been there for 34 years.. Fran has previously served as President of the West Catholic Alumni Association and served as a coach for more than 20 years. Fran resides in Drexel Hill PA with his wife Nancy (’78) and has three children who are all alumni of West Catholic – Matt(’10), Terry (’05) and Caitlin (’03).
Eleanor Fauls Dezzi '65
Real Estate Committee co-Chair
President Emeritus - The Dezzi Group
Eleanor M. Dezzi founded The Dezzi Group, Ltd. in 1995. Eleanor has spent her career in public service serving in multiple administrations at both the local and state level. Mrs. Dezzi has been active in civic causes and political campaigns throughout her career. She has worked on campaigns at the Federal, State and Local level. In an effort to help increase women’s involvement in the political process and corporate governance, Mrs. Dezzi co-founded the Genevieve Society. The Genevieve Society is a non-partisan not for profit which mentors and educates women to help them achieve elected office and positions of corporate governance. Eleanor also serves on the President’s Council at Gwynedd Mercy University and Montgomery County Community College.
Duane Glover '81
Manager/Technical Director at Glover Associates and Consulting
Duane Glover is a seasoned Information Technology professional with more than 25 years of experience in higher education, corporate and non-profit settings. He has demonstrated success in a diverse range of technologies and has the ability to bridge the technological gap between end user needs and business goals to provide cost effective technology solutions. Duane received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Engineering Technology from Spring Garden College and his Master of Science Degree in Organization Development and Leadership from Saint Joseph’s University. Duane is an avid Philadelphia sports fan and a Member of the Knights of Peter Claver. He and his family reside in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia.
Jeanie Ward Heffernan '80
Chief Human Resource Officer - Independence Blue Cross
Jeanie Heffernan leads the People Strategy for the Independence Blue Cross Family of companies. In this role, she helps the organization to build a culture of People with Purpose and ensuring that the company is fully engaging their talent and have the right organizational structure in place to effectively execute their business strategy and meet their goals. Jeanie joined Independence in 2011 with 25 years of experience in multiple business sectors. Jeanie has been active in the Non-Profit arena over the course of her career and has served on the Boards of the Peoples Emergency Center, The Veteran’s Group. She currently serves on the board of Graduate Philadelphia.
J. Michael Jenkins '72
Chief Human Resource Officer
Michael recently completed six years as Vice President of Global Human Resources at Quantum Global Technologies LLC. There, he managed the global human resources functions of the company, and was also responsible for the development and active facilitation of the global change management, a strategic planning process. Michael is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and holds a Master’s Degree in Human Services, with a concentration in Human Systems Management from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Michael has additional executive education studies in Strategic Human Resource Management at Harvard University, University of Southern California, as well as a certification in Total Quality Management from the Center for Quality Management in Boston.
Brother Ed Koronkiewicz FSC, '72
Associate Registrar - LaSalle University
Brother Edward Koronkiewicz, FSC is currently the Associate Registrar for Student Enrollment at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has held this position since 2000. Prior to La Salle, he spent 12 years as the Assistant Principal of Academic Affairs at West Catholic HS from which he graduated in 1972. Other assignments include 9 years as teacher and Dean of Students at Archbishop Carroll HS in Radnor, PA and teacher at Bishop Walsh HS in Cumberland, MD. He holds degrees from La Salle University and Villanova University.
James Logue
Development Committee Chair
President & CEO, Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc.
Jim is the President & CEO of Therm-Omega-Tech, Inc., a company he purchased from the estate of Frederick L. Pirkle in August 2012. Prior to Therm-Omega-Tech, Jim served as Principal of Innovative Capital Partners, LLC(“ICP”). ICP was an investment banking firm specializing in debt restructuring, family business succession and turnaround management for privately held companies. Jim is a graduate of Villanova University and began his career as a CPA with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
William F. Lynch, PhD
Academic Excellence Committee Chair, Enrollment Committee Chair
Professor & Former Dean at Drexel University School of Education
Bill served as Dean for Drexel University’s Goodwin College of Professional Studies from 2004 to 2013. In his role at Drexel, Bill was responsible for the leadership and growth of the college’s offerings and reach. Prior to his role at Drexel, Bill served at George Washington University for 17 years as a professor and then Interim CEO and Vice President for GWSolutions, a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of the George Washington University which launched August 11, 2001. Bill received his Ph.D. from Maryland University.
Pat McLaughlin '61
President - West Catholic Alumnae Association
Pat retired as Product Marketing Manager from Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) in 1998 where she worked for 36 years and held several management positions in the Marketing Department. Pat joined the West Catholic Alumnae Association Board in 2010 and has served as president since 2016. Pat is also a board member of the Ruth Newman Shapiro Cancer and Heart Fund in Margate, NJ.
Leonard Mazur '63
CEO - Citius Pharmaceuticals
Len has spent many years in the pharmaceutical industry. He is an accomplished entrepreneur and pharmaceutical industry executive with notable accomplishments in founding, building and creating value and returns for investors. Mr. Mazur was the Chairman of Leonard Meron Biosciences, Inc. prior to its merger with Citius in March 2016. He is the co-founder and Vice Chairman of Akrimax Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Akrimax”), a privately held pharmaceutical company specializing in producing cardiovascular and general pharmaceutical products. Mr. Mazur is a member of the Board of Trustees of Manor College and is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Mr. Mazur received both his BA and MBA from Temple University and has served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves.
James F. McManus '65
Institutional Advancement Committee Co-Chair
Retired, Regional Vice President - Caron Foundation
Jim retired from his position as Regional Vice President of the Caron Foundation in December, 2015. Jim was with Caron since 2002 and directed fundraising and marketing for the organization in the Greater Philadelphia Area. Prior to joining Caron, he held executive positions at Sovereign Bank, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC). Jim is a past chairman of the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development and served on the board of PIDC. Jim is a 1965 graduate of West Catholic High School and is a former member of the Council of President’s Associates at his alma mater, La Salle University. Jim also received a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Drexel University.
Anthony Nichols '57
Real Estate Committee co-Chair
Chairman Emeritus - Brandywine Realty Trust
Mr. Nichols founded The Nichols Company, a private real estate development company, through a corporate joint venture with Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. and was President and Chief Executive Officer for many years. From 1968 to 1982, Mr. Nichols was Senior Vice President of Colonial Mortgage Service Company (now GMAC Mortgage Corporation) and President of Colonial Advisors (the advisor to P.N.B. Mortgage and Realty Trust). Mr. Nichols has been a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (“NAREIT”) and former member of the Board of Governors of the Mortgage Banking Association and Chairman of the Income Loan Committee of the regional Mortgage Bankers Association and the Executive Committee of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.
Emily Okala
Psychiatry Specialty Sales Manager
Emily Branch-Okala is a Louisiana native, attending Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, LA for both her MHA and BA in Psychology. Emily served in the United States Army Reserves from 1987 to 2008, and retired as Sergeant First Class after serving 21 years. She was activated for Operation Desert Shield/Storm serving both in the United States and in Europe.
Emily held a number of roles in HealthCare from 1998 through 2010, most notably as a Public Affairs Specialist and as a Financial Analyst. She has held senior positions in marketing and territory management within the Pharmaceutical Industry for both Quintiles and Pfizer from 2000-2010.
Emily lives in Wayne, PA with her husband, Philip, and children, Eliana and Philip Jr. She is also a member of Jack and Jill of America Incorporated (Chester County Chapter) since April 2016. She served as the Chair of Biennial Fundraising in 2017 and will have this role in 2019.
Tia Noelle Pratt, PhD '95
Inclusion and Diversity Committee Chair
Scholar-in-Residence - Aquinas Center
Dr. Pratt is a sociologist of religion specializing in the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. Specifically, Dr. Pratt studies African-American Catholic identity, systemic racism in the U.S. Catholic Church, and millennial generation Catholics. She is currently the Scholar-in-Residence at the Aquinas Center in Philadelphia, PA. Dr. Pratt is a member of St. Matthias parish in Bala Cynwyd, PA where she serves as a lector and greeter and was inducted into the West Catholic Hall of Fame in 2014.
James Scanlan
Finance Committee Co-Chair
Retired, Partner - PwC Assurance
Jim joined PwC in 1976 and was admitted to Partnership in 1986. He was also past Partner in Charge of Philadelphia Healthcare Practice (1989–1992); Philadelphia Financial Services Practice (1993–1997); and Southwest Regional Financial Services and Insurance Practice (1998–2001). He was a Member of PwC Extended Leadership Team from 2007 through 2013. He has been a Director of RLI Corp. since January 1, 2015. Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Warranty Group and Jackson National Life Insurance Company. Jim holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University.
Aaron Spence '03
President - West Catholic Alumni Association
Aaron M. Spence currently serves as the Data & Analytics Manager at Design Pickle. Aaron graduated from West Catholic in 2003 and earned a Bachelor’s from La Salle University. He also serves as President of the African-American Alumni Association at LaSalle. Aaron resides in West Philadelphia and finds peace serving others. Aaron began serving as the President of the West Catholic Alumni Association in Winter 2018. Under his leadership, the organization has begun working to ensure the legacy of West Catholic and to serve as a model of engagement for our future alumni.
Liana Taylor '10
Finance Committee Chair
Senior Associate - PwC Assurance
Liana J. Taylor is currently a Senior Associate in PwC Assurance, serving mainly pharmaceutical clients. Liana is also currently serving as the Vice President, Finance of the West Catholic Alumni Association. Liana earned a bachelor’s in accounting and finance from Saint Joseph’s University in 2014. Liana is a licensed CPA in Pennsylvania. Liana resides in Northeast Philadelphia with her two dogs.
