• Philadelphia Sunset Skyline

    WHY WE GPLEX

    2019 Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange participants share their perspectives on this year's Exchange in Philadelphia.

  • ostapenko yuliya
GPLEX
September 16th 2019

Ostapenko: Why I GPLEX

Last year, I participated in GPLEX program for the first time and what I learned and connections I made cannot be replicated with any other program that I know of. Economy League found a right creative formula for how to help connect leaders in Greater Philadelphia region. I am absolutely looking... Read More
  • liebowitz jay
GPLEX
September 9th 2019

Liebowitz: Why I'm GPLEXing This Year

Being new to the Philadelphia area, I feel that GPLEX will provide a unique exposure to some of the issues, challenges, and opportunities for advancing the City of Philadelphia on a number of fronts.  This semester at my university, I have organized a Fall 2019 Distinguished Lecture Series on "Jobs... Read More
  • frishkoff andrew
GPLEX
September 9th 2019

Frishkoff: Why I GPLEX

I attend GPLEX in the revolutionary spirit of Franklin and Shakur, not Marx: “We must all hang together or most assuredly we will all hang separately” (Ben); “We can never go nowhere unless we share with each other, we gotta start makin' changes, learn to see me as a brother instead of two distant... Read More
  • emge john
GPLEX
December 5th 2018

Emge: Bringing the Learnings Home

Admittedly, my initial thoughts about what I might learn from participating in the Economy League’s GPLEX trip to Seattle in early October 2018 were far from what is now in my lasting impressions, more than a month later. From my perspective as someone who has spent his career with United Way, a... Read More
  • briggs amara
GPLEX
October 23rd 2018

Briggs: What Seattle Has Taught Us About Wealth Creation

Bringing technology jobs to Philadelphia is not enough.  True wage security comes with providing balanced skills—technical and financial literacy skills—to all.   On my flight to Seattle to attend GPLEX, I reviewed my Briefing Book, which provided statistics on median income and employment.... Read More
  • rhodes william
GPLEX
October 19th 2018

Rhodes: Washington State’s Citizen-Led Referenda are an Advantage for Solving Local Problems

    During our recent visit to Seattle through the Economy League's Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange, we heard about the challenges and successes experienced by civic leaders there in addressing local needs such as transportation, homelessness, and affordable housing.  We listened to... Read More
  • reid
GPLEX
October 9th 2018

Reid: Thinking About What Success Looks Like

“Stop me if you think you’ve heard this one before” – The Smiths   This week in Seattle I had a great opportunity to soak in the perspective of the many Seattle representatives that stepped on stage this week – while wielding the universally feared “5 Minutes/2 Minutes/1 Minute/STOP!” placards... Read More
  • addimando leo
GPLEX
October 9th 2018

Addimando: Seattle GPLEX Exhilarating & Thought-Provoking

The GPLEX visit to Seattle was simultaneously exhilarating and thought provoking. Coming from Philadelphia where we have just crossed the Red Sea of managing decline to managing (some) growth, we were thrust into the hyper-loop of Amazonia. All of a sudden dogs outnumber people, strollers are... Read More
  • mittelman michael
GPLEX
October 9th 2018

Mittelman: Energized and Determined to Be Part of Solutions

This was my first GPLEX, so I really didn’t know what to expect.  This experience provided us a target rich environment of ideas that can take us down many paths.    I came away from GPLEX with was a whole new network of friends, greater insights and a better understanding and appreciation of... Read More
  • jh headshot
GPLEX
October 9th 2018

Jeff's Takeaways from GPLEX 2018

My key takeaways from GPLEX 2018: Seattle has incredible wealth and a political system and culture that are conducive to collaborating to solve big challenges.  Because Seattle raises revenue primarily by special levies on property, which must be approved at the ballot box, policymakers must... Read More
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