On the Boards

Julia Menzo

has been elected president of the recently reorganized

Southeast Pennsylvania Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

, a nonprofit group that coordinates planning with county emergency-management agencies and voluntary agencies. She is a volunteer and disaster-response coordinator for Liberty Lutheran.

Nancy L. Wasch has been appointed cochair of the Employee Benefits Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She is a lawyer practicing in employee benefits, compensation, and Employee Retirement Income Security Act matters at Archer & Greiner P.C., Philadelphia.

Friends of the Japanese House and Garden, the nonprofit group that operates, maintains, and administers the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park, has named the following to its board of directors:

Emilio Gravagno is a retired double bassist from the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Kazumi Teune is executive director of the Japanese American Society of Greater Philadelphia.

Ulricke Wegst is assistant professor in the department of material sciences and engineering at Drexel University.

Shushi Yoshinaga is assistant professor of typography in the department of design at Drexel.

The Marian Anderson Award, a nonprofit group that honors artist humanitarians, has elected the following members to its board:

Valerie V. Gay is assistant dean, institutional advancement, in the College of Education at Temple University.

Susan Jacobson is president of Jacobson Strategic Communications.

Robert S. Taylor is chairman and chief executive officer of the Cameron Cos. L.L.C.

The Franklin Institute has reelected Marsha R. Perelman as chairwoman of its board of trustees. She is the founder and CEO of Woodforde Management Inc. and is a board member of Penn Virginia Corp. and Penn Virginia Resource Partners L.P.

The following new members have been named to the board:

Peter K. Classen is executive vice president for regional presidents at PNC Bank, where he also is a trustee of the PNC Foundation.

Christopher Gali is chief information officer of eMortal Inc. and cofounded AdminServer Inc., which was acquired by Oracle Corp.

Joseph W. Rogers is a real estate investor.

James G. Stewart is the retired executive vice president and chief financial officer of Cigna Corp.

Dennis Zeleny is the senior vice president and chief human resources officer for Sunoco Inc.

The National Constitution Center has elected Jeff Shell to its board of trustees. He is chairman of NBCUniversal International and had been president of Comcast Programming Group. W. Joseph Duckworth, Stephen J. Harmelin, and William A. Slaughter have been reinstated to the board for another term. Duckworth is the founding partner of the Arcadia Land Co. Harmelin is cochairman of Dilworth Paxson L.L.P. Slaughter is a partner at Ballard Spahr L.L.P. in Philadelphia and is chairman of the firm's litigation department.

The City Avenue Special Services District, a public/private organization, has named the following officers to its board:

Bernard A. Prazenica, president and general manager of 6ABC, is chairman.

Matthew Schure, president and CEO of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, is vice chairman.

Michael Woodward, owner of Woodward Properties Inc., is treasurer.

Susan McKee is secretary.

Educating Communities for Parenting, a private nonprofit organization that provides education programs, has elected Donna Piekarski to its board. She is vice president of education for Brightside Academy in Philadelphia.

The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce-Philadelphia, a nonprofit business organization, has named the following officers to its board:

Erwin D. Apell, partner at Apell & Detrick P.C., is chairman.

Bengt Å. Nestell, founder and owner of International Industrial Design Inc., is vice chairman.

Johan Nordbrandt, an accountant at QlikTech Inc., is vice president.

Patrik Fornander, a business student at Temple University, is treasurer.

Kristina G. Hofmann, a broker associate at Weichert Realtors, is secretary.

Peter J. Tucci has been elected to the board of the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation Inc., a nonprofit organization created by former 76ers player Dikembe Mutombo to help the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is a partner at Fox Rothschild L.L.P., cochair of the international practice group at the firm, and a member of the executive committee.

William J. Cohen has been installed as president of the American Institute of Architects, West Jersey Chapter, and will continue as chairman of the design/build committee. Cohen is president of Cohen Design/Build Associates P.C., Cherry Hill.

The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers, a professional association for commercial brokerage agencies, has appointed Ken Ewell to its board and its operational oversight committee. He is executive vice president of the Graham Co., Philadelphia.

The Association for Corporate Growth Philadelphia, which focuses on professionals involved in corporate growth and mergers and acquisitions, has named Richard Jaffe to its board. He is a partner at Duane Morris L.L.P.

Presby's Inspired Life, a not-for-profit, faith-based ministry that provides continuing care and affordable housing for area seniors, has appointed the following to its board:

Francis E. Maloney is executive vice president and chief operating officer, Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

Edward E. McFalls is vice president of Wooldridge Construction of Pennsylvania Inc.

Julie D. Pfaff is an adjunct professor at West Chester University.

Kim R. Jessum has been appointed treasurer of the Campaign for Qualified Judges for the Political Action Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. The committee raises money to support judges who have been recommended by the Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention of the association. She is of counsel in the intellectual-property practice group at Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young L.L.P.

Frank McCartney, executive director of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, New Hope, has been named president of the International Bridge, Tunnel, and Turnpike Association, an international organization for transportation policy and advocacy.

Philadelphia Charters for Excellence, an organization of high-performing Philadelphia charter schools, has elected the following members to its board:

Naomi Johnson Booker, CEO, Global Leadership Academy, is chairwoman.

Jurate Krokys, CEO of Independence Charter School, is vice president.

Peter Kountz, head of school at Charter High School for Architecture and Design, is secretary.

Laurada Byers is founder and chairwoman of the Russell Byers Charter School.

Stacey Cruise is CEO of First Philadelphia Charter School for Literacy.

Scott Gordon is CEO of Mastery Charter Schools.

- Mike Zebe