Encore Series, Inc./Peter Nero and the Philly Pops Announce New Board Members

Encore Series, Inc./Peter Nero and the Philly Pops® elected five new members to its Board of Directors at its Annual Meeting on Wednesday, August 19, 2009. D. Walter Cohen, D.D.S., of Philadelphia, PA, began his tenure as chairman of the Board immediately following the Annual Meeting. Salvatore M. DeBunda, shareholder and co-managing partner of Archer & Greiner, P.C., of Blue Bell, PA, was also nominated as vice chairman of the Board.

Five area business and community leaders joined the Board: Donald R. Caldwell, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, Inc., of Haverford, PA; Frank Giordano, president of Atlantic Trailer Leasing Corp., of Moorestown, New Jersey; The Honorable Sandra Newman, of Gladwyne, PA; Eliana Papadakis, of Wayne, PA; and Elliot A Roth, a partner at Amper, Politzner & Mattia, certified public accountants and consultants, of Cherry Hill, NJ.

Biographical information on Chairman of the Board D. Walter Cohen, D.D.S., Vice Chairman Salvatore M. DeBunda, and the five newly-elected Board members and a listing of the organization’s Board of Directors are attached. A complete listing of the Encore Series, Inc.’s Board of Directors, officers, and executive committee is printed in each concert program book for Peter Nero and the Philly Pops’ concerts at the Kimmel Center and on the POPS’ website. Encore Series, Inc., is a registered not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1999 under the laws of Pennsylvania. A copy of the organization’s official registration and financial information can be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 800.732.0999 toll free within Pennsylvania. Registration is a routine matter of law and does not imply governmental endorsement.

A Philadelphia native, Dr. D. Walter Cohen attended the University of Pennsylvania and earned his D.D.S. from its School of Dental Medicine in 1950. Following a Research Fellowship in Pathology and Periodontics at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, he returned to Penn as assistant instructor in the Dental School. During his 35-year career there, he established the School’s department of periodontics and served as its first chairman, rose to the rank of professor of periodontics, and served as associate dean for academic affairs before becoming dean. During his tenure as dean from 1972 to 1983, he established a preceptor model of education, introduced new courses, recruited new faculty, and established a residency, described in his book, Educating the Dentist of the Future: The Pennsylvania Experiment. He serves as dean-emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

A prominent member of the scientific community with 22 books and more than 100 published articles to his credit, Dr. Cohen became president of the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1986 and, in 1993, chancellor of the Medical College of Pennsylvania. He has received numerous awards and honors from all over the world, including honorary degrees from Boston University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Athens, the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, the University of Detroit, the Carol Devilla University in Romania, Drexel University, and Gratz College. He received the Gold Medal from the American Academy of Periodontology and was only the third American to earn honorary membership in the British Society of Periodontology. In 1982 the French government bestowed its Legion of Merit Award upon Dr. Cohen and in 1990 Ambassador Walter Annenberg endowed the D. Walter Cohen Professorship and Chair in Periodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. In 1997 the Hebrew University of Jerusalem dedicated the D. Walter Cohen, D.D.S. Middle East Center for Dental Education in Israel. In 1998 Dr. Cohen became Chancellor-Emeritus of Drexel University College of Medicine. A member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Cohen chaired the Pennsylvania Diabetes Academy and served as president of the National Museum of American Jewish History. He is a member of the Board of the Jewish Publication Society and he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia University, Gratz College, National Disease Research Interchange, and the Hadassah Medical Organization.

Salvatore M. DeBunda is a shareholder of Archer & Greiner, P.C., senior member of its corporate department, and co-managing partner of its Philadelphia offices. Mr. DeBunda’s major accomplishments in the legal profession include representing cable television franchisees in obtaining and negotiating cable franchises throughout many jurisdictions in the United States, including the representation and negotiation of the cable franchises for Greater Media, Inc., and Wade Communications, Inc., in the City of Philadelphia. As counsel for the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, an organization that represents trainers and owners at Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, PA, Mr. DeBunda was the primary drafter of the horsemen’s sections of the Pennsylvania Slot Bill, signed in July 2004. Mr. DeBunda is president and owner of Dun Roamin Farms, Inc., a corporation formed to purchase, own, race, and sell thoroughbred race horses. He is the founder and executive producer of the television show Let’s Go Racing, which appears weekly on Comcast Sportsnet. Mr. DeBunda has received many honors during his career, including recognition in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who in Entertainment, and Who’s Who in Finance and Industry.

Donald Caldwell is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Cross Atlantic Capital Partners, Inc. Mr. Caldwell oversees the operations of all of Cross Atlantic’s offices, adds considerable value on its portfolio boards, and is involved in the growth of the Cross Atlantic franchise through fund raising, network development, and deal flow. He serves on the Boards of several publicly and privately held companies and civic organizations, including Voxware Incorporated (NASDAQ); Rubicon Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ); Management Dynamics; Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (chairman); the Committee for Economic Development; and he has been a principal in 13 IPOs. Until March 1999, Mr. Caldwell was president and chief operating officer of Safeguard Scientifics, Inc., where he also previously served as executive vice president. Prior to joining Safeguard in 1993, he held a number of executive and financial positions, including chief administrative officer of a predecessor company of Cambridge Technology Partners, Inc. (MA), a provider of information technology consulting and software development; executive vice president and then president of Atlantic Financial; and as a partner in the national office of Arthur Young & Co., a predecessor to Ernst & Young, LLP. Mr. Caldwell is a CPA in the State of New York and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College and a Master of Business Administration from the Graduate School of Business at Harvard University.
 
Frank Giordano is president of Atlantic Trailer Leasing Corp., a transportation and storage equipment company that has been in the Giordano family since 1949. In addition to his position with Atlantic Trailer Leasing, he was the 64th President of the Union League of Philadelphia and is past chairman of Goodwill Industries of Southern New Jersey/Philadelphia. Mr. Giordano is also a Board member of the Committee of Seventy and is active in many other area clubs and foundations. He holds directorships in the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the West Jersey Chamber Music Society, and is a consultant to the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament. Mr. Giordano is a graduate of Rutgers University and resides with his wife, Dorothy, in Moorestown, New Jersey.
 
The Honorable Sandra Schultz Newman served as the first female justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court from 1995 to 2006. A former member of the Cozen O’Connor law firm, she has also served as a judge for The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania and was the first female assistant district attorney in the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office. Justice Newman has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute, is a member of the executive committee of the Board of Trustees of the Drexel University College of Medicine, and serves as a fellow of both the American Bar Foundation and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She is a past president of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a past chairperson of the Board of Consultors of Villanova University Law School. She is also a member of the American Judicature Society, the Montgomery Bar Association, the National Association of Women Judges, and the Montgomery County Bench Bar Association. Justice Newman earned her law degree from Villanova University School of Law, her master of arts from Temple University, and her bachelor of science from Drexel University. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Drexel University, Gannon University, Widener University Law School, and Clarion University. Designated a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania, her other awards include the 2005 Anne X. Alpern Award from the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Women in the Profession Committee, the Medallion of Achievement Award from Villanova University Law School, and the Drexel 100 Award.
 
Eliana Papadakis holds a Masters of Education in Social Foundations with a concentration in educational administration, sociology, and psychology, from the University of Cincinnati. She is also a certified teacher. Mrs. Papadakis has served on the Board of Managers of the Philadelphia Foundation, which manages $200 million in assets entrusted for philanthropic purposes; the Board of Directors of Carelift International, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving global health by creating measurable solutions to the problems that challenge developing countries in healthcare systems; the Divas Committee of the Opera Company of Philadelphia, who raise funds through educational and social activities for the Opera Company; and the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Southern Pennsylvania Chapter. Until 1985 Mrs. Papadakis was employed by Catholic Social Services in Ann Arbor, MI, as assistant director to children’s services. This included management and supervision of adoption, foster care, staff workers, social workers, and volunteers. She has also worked for Montgomery County in Silver Springs, MD, as CETA Specialist where she designed and implemented the comprehensive employment and training act for the Department of Labor.
 
Elliott Roth is a partner in Accounting and Auditing, Quality Assurance, Risk Advisory Services, and the Litigation and Valuation Group at Amper, Politziner & Mattia. Mr. Roth has taught at the university level for over 25 years and is a frequent speaker on accounting and forensic related topics at universities, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) seminars, business and professional organizations, law firms, and financial institutions. He has published articles in several legal newsletters and periodicals, and recently completed 20 years as an adjunct lecturer in Temple University’s Executive MBA Program. A certified public accountant in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, he is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, PICPA, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants, the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for Encore Series, Inc., Mr. Roth is a member of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and he was recently elected to a three-year term on the Cherry Hill, NJ, Board of Education. He is a summa cum laude graduate of Case Western Reserve University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He received his Master of Business Administration degree from Drexel University.

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