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Board of Directors

2024

Eileen Javers, President

Eileen was Senior Vice President, Global Response Team for Right Management, a division of Manpower, Inc. Working with businesses in more than 52 countries, she developed solutions for downsizing organizations in accordance with local labor laws and customs. These solutions included career coaching, job search strategies, and recruitment forums for individuals in Right’s local offices and global career centers, serving up to two thousand former employees. As well she designed and implemented worldwide programs for executive assessment and talent management. Prior to Right, Eileen was a career counselor at Options for Women, the groundbreaking organization which provided career services focused on the specific needs of women. Later, she was appointed Associate Director of Career Services at Temple University, responsible for redesigning and expanding the career-recruiting program for graduating seniors and MBA students. Eileen served as Executive Director of Chestnut Hill Hospital’s Main Street Fair from 1986 to 1989. Eileen’s volunteer activities have included membership on the boards of: Jobs for Youth; 60 East 96th Street Cooperative; Chestnut Hill Community Association; Chestnut Hill Academy; North Chestnut Hill Neighbors; Teenagers, Inc. She received a BA in Psychology and Economics and a MA in Counseling. She and her husband, Ron live in Chestnut Hill, a place where they fell in love with the community and raised their two sons.

Bill Webster, 1st Vice-President

Bill and his partner Jeff Dugan moved to Chestnut Hill in 2018. Bill is currently the Chief Communications Officer for SEPTA, managing all customer and press facing external communications and internal communications for the Agency’s 9,000+ employees. Bill has always been an active member of the communities in which he’s lived and has made significant commitments to historic preservation organizations. While in Manhattan, he was a member of both the Riverside Park and Central Park Conservancies. Bill was also a longtime resident of South Orange, New Jersey, where he raised his four sons in their 1884 Queen Anne Victorian home. There he served on the board of the Montrose Park Historic District Association (MPHDA). MPHDA secured State and National Historic District designation for Montrose and successfully championed the establishment of the South Orange Historic Preservation Commission. Bill serves on the Board of Visitors for Fenway Health, the nationally recognized leader in LGBTQ health research and services and has served as Chairman of the Board of the AXA Foundation (currently the Equitable Foundation), an organization committed to advancing racial equity and social justice. He is a graduate of Williams College. He has supported the Conservancy’s Night of Lights events and lends his expertise to the Conservancy’s strategic plan and marketing. 

Patricia Marian Cove, Vice-President of Preservation

Patricia has a BA in Communications and Art History and graduate degrees in Educational Psychology and Architectural History. She is the Principal of Architectural Interiors and Design in Chestnut Hill, which she has owned since 1986. The practice specializes in renovating and restoring historically significant buildings and has completed prestigious projects for Philadelphia University, The Lutheran Theological Seminary, and the Woodward House Corporation, to name a few. She has been an educator of Secondary School English and Communications and has taught Interior Design at Philadelphia University. Patricia has spoken at the National Convention of The American Society of Interior Designers on the topic of Preservation and Design and has lectured to organizations on specific architectural features of historic interiors. Her volunteer work currently includes a seat on the  Conservancy’s Executive Committee as VP of Preservation, Chairman of the Historic District Advisory Committee ( HDAC), and as our RCO representative on the Development Review Committee.  Patricia served as President of the Chestnut Hill Historical Society from 2002 to 2006. She has also served as Physical Division Vice President of the Chestnut Hill Community Association and the Chestnut Hill Business Association. 

R. Scott Hanson, Vice-President of Collections

R. Scott Hanson has lived in Chestnut Hill for the past 15 years. He is the senior scholar in Urban History and Material Culture in the Department of History and Lenfest Center for Cultural Partnerships at Drexel. He holds a PhD in History of Culture from the University of Chicago and specializes in American urban history, immigration and ethnic history, religion, political rhetoric, oral history, ethnography, folklore (including the history of music and foodways), and public history more generally. In addition to teaching, he also works with the team of the Lenfest Center in the Atwater Kent Collection of the former Philadelphia History Museum.
Previously, he was a lecturer in the Department of History and Director of the Social Justice Research Academy at the University of Pennsylvania, and an adjunct associate professor of History and American Studies at Temple University. He was also a curatorial research associate at the American Philosophical Society where he helped curate exhibits on Thomas Jefferson’s years in Philadelphia, and he has helped curate exhibits at the Queens Museum of Art and Flushing Town Hall. He also serves as an advisor for the Pluralism Project at Harvard University and as a mentor in Drexel’s Liberty Scholars Program.
In 2023 he worked on two exhibitions with the Lenfest Center: “Seeing Philadelphia” spanning 300 years of paintings, cartography, and photography from the Atwater Kent Collection from July – September at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and “Electrified” on the 50th anniversary of the Electric Factory from September – December at Drexel.

Dan Macey,Vice-President of Governance

Dan Macey became immersed in conservation and preservation work after he and his husband, Paul Savidge, purchased the Louis Kahn designed Margaret Esherick house in 2014 located in Chestnut Hill. Their conservation and preservation work to make the house more livable have received local and national recognition. His commitment to historic preservation – especially mid-century buildings – continues as a board member of the local chapter of docomomo where he also co-chaired in 2021 the national symposium entitled Yo! Modernism that brought light to Philadelphia’s contribution to modernism. He has worked professionally as a journalist and commercial food stylist and continues to write and speak on food history and sits on the board of the Historic Foodways Society of the Delaware Valley. He is particularly proud to be a part of the Conservancy’s work in preserving and educating the public of the significance of the internationally acclaimed mid-century homes that are a part of the unique Chestnut Hill community.

Charles “Charlie” Day Dilks

Charlie Dilks has conducted numerous consulting assignments in technology-led economic development as President of Dilks Consulting since 2000.  For over 35 years prior, Dilks served in various senior officer positions at the University City Science Center, managing the development and operations of the nation’s first urban research park. The nearly 20 partnerships, joint ventures, and subsidiaries there generated over $30 million in annual revenues. Mr. Dilks was also instrumental in establishing the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTC), and was involved in the founding of Science Center International with the Kyoto Research Park of Japan.  A former Lieutenant in the United States Navy, Mr. Dilks earned a BA from Yale and an MBA from Drexel University.  He has served in leadership positions on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Association of University Research Parks, Friends of the Wissahickon, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Schuylkill Valley Nature Center and the SUNY Downstate Technology Center.  He has served on the joint CHHS/FOW Easement Committee for 10 years, and has lived in Chestnut Hill since 1968. 

Deborah R. Popky, Secretary

Deborah is a life-long Chestnut Hill resident and is happy to have raised her sons here. Deborah has a B.A. in American Literature from Haverford College and a J.D. from the Villanova University School of Law. After litigating for many years, Deborah changed course and has been working in various capacities in the Federal Courthouse in Philadelphia for many years. Deborah is dedicated to preservation and she and her father were the proud recipients of the Conservancy’s Preservation Recognition Award for the rehabilitation of the red slate roof on their family home. Deborah has a seat on the Conservancy’s Executive Committee as VP of Governance. She is also a member of the HDAC and the CEC. Deborah is also Vice President of the Board of Trustees at the Crefeld School.

Diane Drinker, Vice-President of Development

Diane joined the Major Gifts Committee in 2015 and the board in 2016.  She serves as Vice President of Development working with the Executive Director and the Development Manager to raise funds to meet and exceed the Conservancy’s Mission Goals.   She worked in marketing for the Xerox Corporation, Scott & Fetzer, and Pillsbury before she and her husband John welcomed their two children, then in Development at Chestnut Hill Academy/Springside Chestnut Hill Academy for 19 years.  Diane’s Junior League volunteer work includes the restoration of  Belmont Mansion through a designer show house, docent at Bartram’s Garden, the restoration of a Jens Jenson garden in Highland Park, Il, and as a contributor to a book on the architecture of Chicago’s North Shore,   She also served on the Waterworks executive committee and the subsequent Woman for the Waterworks, which raised the money for the restoration of this iconic Philadelphia landmark. She is an active member of the Wissahickon Garden club, chairing numerous committees and serving as President from 2012 through 2014, and serves on the board of the Philadelphia Committee of The Garden Club of America, serving as their chair from 2018-2020.   

Shirley Hanson, Founder

To the Conservancy, Shirley brings 30 years of experience as a marketing consultant with results activated for her clients. She gained her Master of City Planning degree in 1978 from the University of Pennsylvania with faculty recognition for being an outstanding student of the graduating class. In Chestnut Hill, she worked for the Chestnut Hill Development Group under Lloyd Wells, starting in 1964. Then, she began writing for “The Chestnut Hill Local,” and her articles extend to the present. Shirley headed the Long-Range Planning Committee for the Chestnut Hill Community Association from 1988-1994. For the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, she became a founding board member in 1967 and President from 1970-1972. She and Nancy Hubby chaired fund raising and the first restoration of the Gravers Lane Station in 1979-81. With Nancy Hubby and Richard Snowden in 1985, she chaired the nomination of Chestnut Hill to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1987 Shirley chaired the Capital Campaign to purchase Conservancy Headquarters. She originated the Historic District Advisory Committee and the Development Review Committee. In 1983 she and Nancy Hubby published through McGraw-Hill “Preserving and Maintaining the Older Home.” From 1985-1990 Shirley worked as a Preservation Consultant for investment and tax credit projects. She initiated the Major Gifts Committee in 1997, then named the Anniversary Society. Now she chairs with Co-Chair MM O’Neill the Conservancy’s Preservation Committee. Shirley, with Marie Kitto, founded the Springfield Township Historical Society.

Jean McCoubrey, Vice-President of Programs

A native of New England, Jean McCoubrey arrived in Philadelphia in
1980 to pursue a Master of Architecture degree at Penn. In 1994, she and husband/fellow architect Dan McCoubrey and their three children decamped from Spruce Hill to Chestnut Hill. As an architect with the local firm Runyan Camp; Associates until 2019, Jean worked on numerous institutional, residential, and mixed-use building projects in Chestnut Hill and beyond. As a community volunteer, she serves on the CHCA’s Land Use Planning & Zoning Committee and the Greenspace Initiative. In past years she helped organize and build the playground at Jenks, ran a support group for parents of children with special needs, and co-chaired Chestnut Hill Tree Tenders. A Conservancy director since 2019, Jean co-chairs the Programs Committee and helps steer our pilot sustainability project, “This Green Old House.” The Conservancy’s mission taps her enthusiasm for the rich architectural and cultural heritage of Chestnut Hill and its inherent sustainability as a community.

Lawrence “Larry” J. Salva,
Vice-President of
Conservation and Easements

Larry Salva moved to Chestnut Hill in 2016 into a conserved property and immediately embraced the mission of the Chestnut Hill Conservancy. He and his wife, Rita, relocated here from Princeton, NJ, just months before he retired from Comcast Corporation, where he had served as the Chief Accounting Officer and Controller for nearly 18 years. Larry and Rita have assisted the Conservancy with annual fundraising events, and Larry has served on the Major Gifts Committee.  He enthusiastically serves on the Conservation and Easements Committee and is its Co-Chair.  Larry is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees of Rowan University and chairs its Audit Committee. He also is on the Board of Trustees of the Financial Accounting Foundation and chairs its Audit & Finance Committee.

Robert “Rob” Fleming

Rob Fleming and his wife Susan have lived in Chestnut Hill for nearly
fifty years and raised their three daughters here. Rob is a landscape
architect who earned his professional degree at the University of
Pennsylvania during the tenure of the late Ian McHarg. He joined the
firm of Hanna/Olin (now Olin) at its founding in 1977. After a seven-year apprenticeship he formed an independent practice and later moved his office in Chestnut Hill, where local work included projects along Germantown Avenue, restoration of the gardens at Krisheim, and a long collaboration with the Friends of Pastorius Park that continues today. Rob was a Lecturer in Historic Preservation and member of the Board of Overseers at Penn’s Graduate School of Fine Arts (now the Weitzman School of Design). He served on the Vestry of the Church of St Martin-in-the Fields, on the boards of the Highlands Historical Society and Morris Arboretum (where he chaired the Facilities Committee), and was Chair of the Wyck Association. As a Conservancy volunteer Rob serves on the Preservation and Program committees, helps with easement monitoring, and has led tours and given illustrated talks. In 2011 the Conservancy enlisted him to curate an exhibit on the career of Pastorius Park’s designer, Frederick Peck. More recently he mounted a pictorial essay, ”The Evolution of Pastorius Park,” which he is repurposing as a contribution to the Historic American Land Survey. Rob helped organize the 2020 evening symposium, "Living Among Landmarks: The Olmsted Legacy in Chestnut Hill” and afterwards adapted its exhibits for the 2023 Night of Lights. Rob has stayed close to his origins in Iowa, where he maintains the farm he grew up on as a demonstration of conservation practices and sustainable agriculture. As board member, he hopes to lend his Midwestern and local experience in support of the Conservancy’s mission.

Susan Jacobson

Susan is an award-winning communicator, strategist and advisor, bringing decades of experience to her work as president of Jacobson Strategic Communications, a leading Philadelphia-based public relations, public affairs, and crisis management firm. Prior to joining the communications sector, Susan oversaw government relations as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell. Susan and her company have won numerous awards and recognitions, including securing a spot on the Inc. 5000 for three years in a row. Susan recently served as the immediate past chair of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Board. As an owner of an 1860s carriage house, Susan has been part of the Chestnut Hill community since 1990 and is excited as an incoming Director to do everything possible to preserve and enhance Chestnut Hill’s beauty and historic charm.

Emilie Lapham

Emilie Lapham is a designer and has specialized in working with historic buildings and gardens. She is a graduate of University of the Arts and The Attingham Summer School in England. Emilie is a member of Wissahickon Garden Club, is a judge and exhibitor for Garden Club of America in Floral Design and Photography, and teaches workshops in Botanical Arts. She is also a Vice Chairman of GCA Garden History and Design, which is part of the Smithsonian Archives of American Gardens. For the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, Emilie is the auction objects photographer. She has served on the Building and Grounds Committee for Woodmere Art Museum for many years. Emilie has traveled to many places in the world to explore architecture and art of other cultures. She is a longtime resident of the community and a past board member of the Conservancy, but most importantly, a preservationist. Emilie and her husband Peter live in Wyndmoor on an old estate that is a lifetime restoration project. She is committed to preserving history and building a future for architecture, environment, and quality of place.

Nancy Newman

Nancy has lived in her home in CH for forty years and loves this community. Her daughters both attended Springside, where she was very involved at the time, including serving on the Board of Trustees. She now has two grandsons in the lower school at SCH. Her experience in strategic planning, fundraising, Board governance, and management comes from twenty years at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, where she served as Executive Vice President. Nancy retired three years ago after directing three major capital campaigns, annual fund campaigns, major gala events, etc. Together with the President and Board, worked to “bring back the Mann” after many years of the organization facing declining ticket sales, a minimal donor base, and an unengaged Board of Directors. Over the years, Nancy has been involved in numerous volunteer roles and currently is Treasurer of the Acorn Club and; Executive Council member of The Giving Circle. Nancy is also delighted to have a small but wonderful consulting practice in the areas of fundraising, Board development, and some organizational development.

Susan Peck

A New Englander by birth, Susan worked in the field of public health in Boston for many years before moving to Chestnut Hill in 1998.  Locally, she is actively involved with the Morris Arboretum, the Chestnut Hill Garden District Fund, the Garden Club of Philadelphia, and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy.  She and her husband Bob, a life-long Chestnut Hiller, live in a 200 year old greenhouse with a garden designed by the Olmstead Brothers and renovated by Bob’s father, Frederick Peck, who was the subject of a Chestnut Hill Historical Society exhibition and symposium in 2011.

Alice Lea Tasman

Alice Lea Tasman, a Wyndmoor native, has been with the Chestnut Hill Conservancy since its founding in 1967 as the Chestnut Hill Conservancy.  She has also served on the board of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, which awarded her with its 2015 Heritage Award, and lends support by working at and improving life for patients at the Wills Eye Institute (WEI) through the Form in Art program. Tasman is also a guiding force for the National Society of the Colonial Dames in America, (NSCDA) having served as president of the local chapter.

Steven Gendler

Steven Gendler is the founding Principal of MIS Capital LLC, a social impact real estate development firm, where he is responsible for the project conception, financing and transaction structuring, overall project development, and budget. Steve also has designed modern interpretive renovations to an 1849 vintage house in Center City, enjoys living in a 1926 stone house in Chestnut Hill, tending to orchids, and several outdoor sports, including tennis, running, biking, and keeping a vintage Jaguar roadster running! He serves on the Center For Architecture and Design Board of Directors and the Land Use Planning Committee for the Chestnut Hill Community Association. Steve has a B.A. in Economics and Architecture from Columbia University, an M.Architecture from Rice University, and an Associate Broker, PA, and Architect.

Thomas S. “Tim” Greenwood

Tim Greenwood was born and raised in Chestnut Hill and graduated from Chestnut  Hill Academy. He and  his wife Sandy met at the University of Denver (many  years ago). Tim was a Partner in The Boothby Group, a business risk management and benefits  consulting firm which  was acquired by Tompkins Financial Corp. and is located in Blue Bell, PA. Tim is a former Trustee of Hurricane Island Outward Bound School in Maine  and a Founding Trustee, along with Michael Nutter and Nancy Goldenberg, of the Philadelphia Outward Bound School. He was Chair for 8 years and still serves on the Board. He is an Emeritus Trustee of The Philadelphia Zoo and former Vice Chair of the Independence Seaport Museum. Tim and his wife Sandy live in Wyndmoor, with three grown  children and three grandchildren also living in the area.

Brendan Kelly 

Brendan Kelly is the father of two daughters and a Managing Vice President at Gartner, Inc., the world’s leading technology research and advisory firm. Brendan moved to Chestnut Hill in 2021 after raising his family in the Lehigh Valley. Prior to joining Gartner, Brendan was the co-founder of two apparel brands, during which he was named to Philadelphia Style magazine’s “30 Under 30.” A graduate of Salesianum School and Muhlenberg College, Brendan is a former recipient of Muhlenberg’s Alumni Association Undergraduate Merit Award, a former member of the university’s Alumni Executive Council, and a current member of the Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Society. Brendan is an avid reader and athlete with a passion for leadership development. In association with the Swain School and Moravian Academy, Brendan has founded the Krista Siri Kelly Memorial Scholarship Program in honor of his late wife.

Federico Mingozzi

Federico Mingozzi is currently Chief Executive Officer of a startup biotechnology company based in Philadelphia. Previously he was Chief Scientific Officer at Spark Therapeutics. Federico studied biology in Italy at the University of Ferrara and after completing a PhD he moved to the United States to work at the Children’s Hospital Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. He then moved to Paris, France, where he was an independent investigator at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and the research institute Genethon. Federico serves as the treasurer and a board member of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. He is also a member of scientific advisory boards for non-profit organizations and biotech companies. His frequent travels between Europe and the United States nurtured a fondness for Chestnut Hill, where he has been residing for the past 7 years with his family. The proximity to nature, the beauty of the Wissahickon Park, the charm of the streets and buildings, the sense of community, and the historical significance collectively contribute to making it a cherished location for him and his family. Their home on Saint Andrews Road sits on a property that has an easement to protect the land and some of the existing trees from development. While the easement was established by the previous owners, it well embodies their philosophy in terms of nature preservation and sustainable development.

Paul Toner

 Paul is a founding partner of Orphanides & Toner, LLP, a leading Philadelphia law firm with a practice concentration in real estate law.   Paul has worked with neighbors, community groups, and institutions on preserving some of Chestnut Hill’s essential landmarks and critical features of its historical legacy.  In not just Chestnut Hill but throughout Philadelphia, Paul has worked with, consulted, and led some of the City’s most prominent community organizations on matters such as zoning, land development, and governmental compliance.  Paul and his wife Suzanne are raising their three children in Philadelphia and can be regularly found enjoying the City’s trails, parks, and cultural institutions.

J. Randolph “Randy” Williams  

Randy and his wife Nancy have just finished building a significant new house (designed by Larry McEwen) off of Germantown Avenue. It is behind an 18th century townhouse that Randy renovated for office use. Before that they lived on St. Martins Lane and he was a market maker on the floor of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, trading equity options for twenty years. And, before that he converted Old City warehouses to loft apartments while living on Elfreth’s Alley.  Randy has an MBA in Finance and has been on a number of boards, often serving as the caretaker/ maintenance/ grounds person.  But, he also has been on finance committees and he served as president of the Wyck board. 

OFFICERS

President:
Eileen Javers
1st Vice-President:
Bill Webster
Secretary:
Deborah Popky
Vice-President, Collections:
Scott Hanson
Vice-President, Conservation and Easements:
Larry Salva
Vice-President, Development:
Diane Drinker
Vice-President, Governance:
Dan Macey
Vice-President, Preservation:
Patricia Marian Cove
Vice-President, Programs:
Jean McCoubrey

Executive Committee At-Large:
Shirley Hanson

DIRECTORS

Charlie Dilks
Robert Fleming
Steve Gendler
Thomas S. Greenwood
Susan Jacobson
Brendan Kelly
Emilie Lapham
Federico Mingozzi
Nancy Newman
Susan Peck
Mrs. William Tasman
Paul Toner
J. Randolph (Randy) Williams

ADVISORY BOARD

Rolin Bissell
David Contosta
Margaret Greenawalt
John Haak
James H. Hill, Jr.
Tom Keels
Ann Kelly
John Levitties
Jefferson M. Moak
Mary Ounsworth
Jane Pollock
Sarah L. O. Smith
Nancy Williams