Updates

James K. Wujcik and Caroline H. West Lead Economy League Board

February 12, 2010

February 12, 2010 

 

 

The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia is pleased to announce new leadership of its Board of Directors for its 101st year. 

 

James K. Wujcik, Market Executive for Sovereign Santander, was elected to serve a one-year term as Chair following his election to Vice Chair in 2009. He succeeds John F. Smith, III, Esq., partner at Reed Smith, LLP.

 

Caroline H. West, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance and Risk Officer at Shire Pharmaceuticals, was elected to serve as Vice Chair for 2010. The Economy League's 72-member Board is comprised of leading national and regional corporations and health and educational institutions working together to improve Greater Philadelphia as a place to work and live.

 

Wujcik is Market Executive for Sovereign Santander's business banking in Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey with particular responsibility for small to medium businesses. A Board member since 2003, Wujcik characterized his interest in the Economy League. "What is unique and important about the organization is its capacity to investigate the multi-layered issues that impact the region's competitiveness and to emerge with useful analysis and solutions informed by top notch research."

 

In addition to his leadership with the Economy League, Wujcik is active in the community.  He served as an elected official on the Burlington County, New Jersey, Board of Chosen Freeholders from 1997 through 2009 and was the Board's Director for three terms. He was the Department Head for the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management for twelve years and served as Department Head of Economic Development and Regional Planning. Currently, Wujcik is Treasurer of "Love Thy Neighbor," a faith-based community redevelopment effort in Trenton and serves on the Board of Samaritan Hospice. He chairs the Third Century Initiative of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and participates on its Small Business Advisory Board. Wujcik lives in Cinnaminson, New Jersey.

 

West joined the Economy League Board in 2006. At Shire, one of the world's leading specialty biopharmaceutical companies, her responsibilities include the development of its compliance program and oversight of corporate risk management. She is active with the Pharmaceutical Compliance Forum and other industry-related groups and is a frequent speaker. In addition, West serves on the Board of Trustees of the Mendelssohn Club Chorus and on the Finance and Nominating Committees at St. Paul's Church in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. West lives in Philadelphia.

 

"Shire is a fast-growing company with a global presence that made a strategic decision to consolidate our US operations in Wayne, PA, in 2004," said Caroline West. "Our corporate interest, as well as my personal one, is to see Shire and Greater Philadelphia prosper in tandem."

 

"We just marked our first 100 years in the business of analyzing ways to improve Greater Philadelphia's infrastructure, governance, educational attainment, and overall economic climate. Looking to the next century, we know that fostering global connections is the key to success in these areas. Both Jim and Caroline's international perspective will be invaluable to moving the region forward," said Steve Wray, the Economy League's executive Director. (Sovereign is a subsidiary of Spain's Banco Santander, and Shire's world headquarters is in Basingstoke, England.)

 

A few of the initiatives and projects that the Economy League is engaged with are:

 

  • World Class Greater Philadelphia, an initiative to develop and implement the Global Positioning Strategy for ensuring a prosperous, sustainable, and authentic future for our region

  • Greater Philadelphia Leadership Exchange 2010 to the San Francisco Bay Area with 100+ regional heads in government, business, and nonprofits

  • A study of the economic value of protected open space for the GreenSpace Alliance and DVRPC.

Details of current initiatives as well as an archive of past studies can be found at EconomyLeague.org.

Recent Past Chairs of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia

 

2009                    John F. Smith, III, Esq., Reed Smith

 

2008                    James R. Waddington, Jr., Lockheed Martin

 

2007                    James P. Dunigan, PNC Bank

 

2005-06              Mary Stengel Austen, Tierney Communications

 

2003-04              Gregg Melinson, Esq., Drinker Biddle & Reath

 

2001-02              Eric Rabe, Verizon

 

2000                    Kenneth G. Lawrence, PECO Energy

 

 

About Economy League of Greater Philadelphia

 

The Economy League of Greater Philadelphia is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to research and analysis of the region's resources and challenges with the goal of promoting sound public policy and increasing the region's prosperity. ELGP is an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Economy League, Inc., with offices in Harrisburg, Wilkes-Barre, and Pittsburgh. For more information, visit www.EconomyLeague.org.