PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Nov. 18, 2002 (PRIMEZONE) -- Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP) today announced the recent election of Robert Barchi M.D., Ph.D. and Jenne Britell to its Board of Directors. "We welcome Dr. Barchi and Ms. Britell to our Board and look forward to the knowledge, expertise and experience that they will bring to our governing body," noted RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President and CEO, BFTP/SEP.
Robert L. Barchi, M.D., Ph.D., is currently the Provost and Chief Academic Officer at The University of Pennsylvania along with David Mahoney Professor of Neurological Sciences at the University. Barchi is also an attending physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and is a consultant for the Dana Alliance for Brain Research. Among his numerous appointments at the University, Barchi has served as Chairman of the Neurology and Neuroscience Departments, President of Penn NeuroCare, and Director of the Mahoney Institute of Neurological Sciences.
Barchi is a member of several academic and professional honor societies across the country and has received multiple awards for his outstanding work in the sciences. As a distinguished writer, Barchi has co-written four books and co-authored more than 100 research articles.
He is a graduate of Georgetown University, (Washington, D.C.) and earned his Ph.D. and M.D. from The University of Pennsylvania (PA).
Jenne K. Britell, Ph.D., is currently Chairman and CEO of Structured Ventures, Inc., a private company that focuses on financial and management restructuring, disposition and liquidation of portfolio companies for venture capital firms and financial institutions. Dr. Britell is also a director of Crown Cork & Seal, Circles, CentraLink, LLC, Lincoln National Corp., and the U.S.-Russia Investment Fund. Previously, Dr. Britell held several senior positions at GE Capital, the Financial Services subsidiary of General Electric. She served as executive vice president of Global Consumer Finance, president of Global Commercial and Mortgage Banking, president and chief executive officer of GE Capital, Central and Eastern Europe, and was the president and chief executive officer of GE Mortgage Services.
Prior to joining GE, Dr. Britell was executive vice president, chief lending officer, and general manager, Mortgage Banking, of Dime Bancorp. She also served as the founding chairman and chief executive officer of the Polish-American Mortgage Bank, in Warsaw, Poland.
Dr. Britell holds both her M.S. and Ph.D., from Columbia University. She received her M.A. and B.A., with honors, from Harvard University. Dr. Britell is a trustee of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Franklin Institute, Curtis Institute of Music, Children's Crisis Treatment Center and a member of the board of advisors of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School Institute on Aging.
About Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania
An independent not-for-profit economic development organization, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP) (www.sep.benfranklin.org) was established in 1982 to stimulate economic growth through innovation, entrepreneurship and the development and adoption of new technologies. BFTP/SEP, part of a statewide network supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, provides capital and expertise in technology, finance and business that helps entrepreneurs and established companies overcome challenges and plan for growth. Through our network of resources, the organization fosters dynamic relationships among companies, institutional and private investors, research institutions and the university community.