Spring Garden Soup Society

Spring Garden
Soup Society

Feeding the hungry in Philadelphia since 1852

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Board of Managers

The Spring Garden Soup Society Board of Managers
meets twice a year to assess the organization's performance
and establish goals for the future.
As you will see by reviewing the profiles below,
our members bring a broad range of experience and talent
to their stewardship responsibilities.
Continuity adds stability, with many members serving extended terms,
and several following in the footsteps of a forebear.

	President - John Dallas Bowers Mr. Bowers was elected as a second-generation board member in 1988, his father having served from 1968 until shortly before his death in 1992. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Bowers was Vice-President and Chairman of the Executive Committee. He worked in broadcast promotion and sales for 15 years before becoming a marketing, advertising, and communications consultant in 1977. He also serves on the board of the Crozer-Keystone Health System, Cornerstone Center for Change, and Radnor Studio 21. He is a hospice volunteer, a member of Church of the Saviour in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and lives in nearby Villanova.
	Vice-President - Frank E. Noyes, II, Esquire A member of the board since 2001, Mr. Noyes is an attorney at the Philadelphia firm of Fineburg McCarthy, PC, focusing on counseling small to medium businesses, and commercial litigation. He is licensed to practice in both Pennsylvania and Delaware. He also serves as Commissioner in the Delaware County community of Nether Providence, where he was recently elected to a 4-year term. He is an active member of Wallingford Presbyterian Church in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, particularly in Christian education, and currently teaches in the adult level Sunday School.
	Secretary - William C. Hale, Ph.D. Dr. Hale develops educational commons-dilemma games about sustainable resource use and holds a Ph.D. in "Energy Management and Policy." Previously, he worked for Raytheon Engineers as a nuclear-mechanical engineer. He lives in Rose Valley, Pennsylvania where he serves on Borough Council and on the Planning Commission. He also serves as Rental Chairman of the Rose Valley Folk and as an Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 272, BSA. He joined the SGSS board in November 2005.
	Treasurer - Kenneth L. Gibb Mr. Gibb is the Executive Director of the law firm of White and Williams LLP where he oversees the administrative and business operations for the firm. He was elected to the SGSS Board in 1988, and served as secretary for several years before assuming his current position in 1997. He is a third-generation member, continuing a tradition begun by his grandfather, who was treasurer from 1939 to 1968, and then his father, who was a board member for over 20 years and president at the time of his death. Mr. Gibb is also treasurer of the Homeless Advocacy Project in Philadelphia, and tutors children from center city Philadelphia in reading. He lives in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
	Clara Callahan, M.D. Dr. Callahan is a practicing pediatrician and the Lillian H. Brent Dean of Students and Admission at Jefferson Medical College, where she has been on the faculty since finishing her fellowship training in 1982. She was the first woman elected to the SGSS Board of Managers, and has served since 2002. She was previously a member of the Medical Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Southeast Pennsylvania. Dr. Callahan resides in Spring House, Pennsylvania.
	Douglas E. Cook, Esquire Mr. Cook is an attorney practicing in the fields of trusts and estates, real estate, and nonprofit corporations. He lives and works in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. Mr. Cook joined the SGSS Board of Managers in 1979 and has served as its Treasurer and President. He is currently a trustee of the Broughton Foundation, the Frances D. Sheetz Charitable Trust, and the Northwood Cemetery Company. For thirty years, he was legal counsel to the Penn Home.
	Barry Washington Mr. Washington, who joined the board in 2012, was born and raised on the Main Line and currently lives in Phoenixville. He studied liberal arts at Eastern Baptist College and Penn State University, and spent the lion's share of his professional career in marketing and business development at several large and small computer companies in New England and Philadelphia. He is also serves on the board of the Council for Relationships in Philadelphia.
	Robert J. Gill, M.D. (Emeritus) Dr. Gill tendered his resignation from active membership in May 2011. The board extends its profound appreciation for his 22 years of faithful service.
	Jeffrey Swarr Mr. Swarr, who joined the board in 2010, is a sales professional with Avnet Technology Solutions, a global distributor of enterprise computers and software. As a two-term member of the Board of Deacons at Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church and chairman of the church's Hunger Task Force for five years, he helped provide an avenue for BMPC families to experience service to others through support of soup kitchens in West Philadelphia, Chester, PA and Piedras Negras, Mexico. He lives in St. Davids, Pennsylvania.
	Philip H. Peterson, Jr. (Emeritus) Mr. Peterson became a second-generation member of the board in 1975, following his father's induction 35 years earlier. He served with distinction for many years as secretary and then president of the Society, resigning from active membership in 2003. The board recognizes with deep appreciation Mr. Peterson's 28 years of service, and is delighted to have him as an active emeritus member.
	Robert H. Louis, Esquire Mr. Louis is a lawyer specializing in tax, estate and retirement planning for businesses and their owners. He is a partner in the Philadelphia law firm Saul Ewing LLP and Co-chair of its Personal Wealth practice. His charitable and civic activities have included the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Abington Township Public Library, and the Friends of Briar Bush. Mr. Louis, a resident of Glenside, Pennsylvania, joined the board in 2006.
	R. Brooke Porch Mr. Porch is a consultant assigned through the Pennsylvania's Department of Education's Distinguished Educator Program to assist administrators and teachers in under-served school districts to improve classroom instruction and student performance. Prior to his time as a consultant, Mr. Porch was the Director of Special Education for the Upper Darby School District. He joined the Board in 1997 and lives in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
	Rev. Katherine C. Rick-Miller Rev. Rick-Miller, who joined the Board in 2005, is the pastor of the Falls of Schuylkill Presbyterian Church. Before her call to Falls Church in 2004, she worked on the Food Stamp Enrollment Campaign with the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. She is currently serving on the Building Healthy Communities Committee of the Philadelphia Presbytery. Rev. Rick-Miller lives in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
	E. Roy Shirley Mr. Shirley joined the Board in 2005. He is co-founder of Cornerstone Center for Change in Glenside, Pennsylvania, an organization which offers faith-based counseling as well as life and executive coaching and consultation, team building, and conflict resolution in both the missions and secular environments. He is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church of America, a member of Peace Valley Community Church in Chalfont, and a resident of Glenside, Pennsylvania.
	J. Jon Veloski Mr. Veloski is a statistician and Director of Medical Education Research at Jefferson Medical College where he provides analytic services to other faculty members, and studies outcomes assessment with support from the government and private foundations. A member of the SGSS Board of Managers since 1989, he served as its secretary from 1997 to 2010. He lives in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania.
	Howard McFarland Mr. McFarland, a Havertown resident, was elected to the Board in 2012. He is a graduate of Taylor University with a degree in business and economics, and spent 32 years with a major computer company in marketing, manufacturing, and Information Technology. He has held a number of trustee and teaching positions in his church, and credits his Christian faith for creating his heart for the poor, disadvantaged, and needy.
	Vincent McDevitt Mr. McDevitt has spent over 15 years in corporate compliance with several major organizations, including Vanguard, Turner Investment Partners, INC Clarion Real Estate Securities, and Aberdeen Asset Management. He is currently Head of Compliance for DuPont Capital Management Corporation, where he also volunteers with Habit for Humanity. Mr. McDevitt lives in Phoenixville with his wife and young daughter, and is an active member of the West Chester Wellspring congregation. He was elected to the board in 2013.
	Richard O. Coe, Ed.D. Dr. Coe served the Bucks County Intermediate Unit from 1972 to 2007 in the roles of teacher, supervisor, Special Education Director, and Executive Director. A resident of Washington's Crossing, he is currently Executive Director of Kids Voting Southeast Pennsylvania, a grassroots nonpartisan organization working with local school districts in Bucks and eastern Montgomery counties and the community at large to enhance civics education and provide students with a realistic experience of voting on election day. He joined the SGSS Board of Managers in 2012.

We remain committed to the spirit of our founders' vision,
and invite tax-deductible donations from those who feel led
to support our commitment to feed the hungry.
For more information on how you can help
please click here .

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Questions or encouraging words are always welcome at
SpringGardenSoupSociety@verizon.net