WILMINGTON, Del., June 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Delaware Business Roundtable (DBRT) announced today that it has named Robert W. Perkins, a Wilmington business executive and former senior Delaware government official, to serve as its Executive Director, effective immediately. The announcement was made by Mark Turner, President and CEO of WSFS Financial Corporation, the parent company of WSFS Bank, who serves as Chairman of the Delaware Business Roundtable.
Mr. Turner said, "We are excited and very fortunate to have Bob serve as the DBRT's Executive Director. The depth and breadth of his experience in public policy is matched by his passion for both Delaware and the meaningful, positive impact that business can have in Delaware."
The Delaware Business Roundtable is a volunteer consortium of CEOs and Executives from leading Delaware companies employing tens of thousands of workers in the State of Delaware. Since its inception in 1981, the Roundtable's broad mission is to enhance the quality of life in Delaware by promoting commerce, job creation and select public policy issues. In recent years, the Roundtable has been a leading supporter of Delaware public education transformation and developing and supporting entrepreneurs in Delaware.
"The Delaware Business Roundtable has a rich history of significant and far-reaching work on major policy issues impacting the lives of all Delawareans, and I am honored to be selected by its members to help lead the important work the group will undertake in the future," Mr. Perkins said. "The business community has a critical role to play in Delaware public policy, and I look forward to asserting that role through robust public advocacy on key policy issues."
Mr. Perkins is President of Brandywine Public Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm he founded in 2012. The firm develops innovative strategies for dealing with challenging public issues by working at the crossroads of policy and politics. He has worked for three decades in the private sector, the non-profit sector and government.
In the private sector, he worked at several major companies where he led innovative public affairs strategies designed to drive shareholder value and favorably impact reputation with key stakeholders. He served as Vice President of Global Public Policy at AstraZeneca, leading the company's efforts to enhance transparency, create industry-leading access to health programs and create external messages on the value of pharmaceutical innovation to drive the company's global policy advocacy. At DuPont Pharmaceuticals, he created an innovative nationwide initiative on patient safety that protected patients and dramatically improved sales performance.
In the non-profit sector, Mr. Perkins served as Executive Director of Together Rx, a coalition of major pharmaceutical companies offering senior citizens discounts on prescription drugs prior to the advent of Medicare Part D. Under his leadership, Together Rx became the largest private sector prescription drug savings card in the U.S. with more than one million cardholders.
In the government sector, he served as Chief of Staff and Press Secretary to two Delaware Governors, Pierre S. du Pont IV and Michael N. Castle. He was Deputy Campaign Manager for Pete du Pont for President during the 1988 Presidential campaign.
Mr. Perkins has been active over the years in a number of professional and civic organizations, including the Board of directors of Easter Seals of Delaware. He presently serves on the Board of Directors of the Delaware Public Policy Institute, an affiliate of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.