Power Moves: After setting up CIC in Miami and Philly, Sally Guzik joins Pittsburgh’s innovation economy – Technical.ly Philly
Power Moves is a column where we chart the comings and goings of talent across the region. Got a new hire, new gig or promotion? Email us: [email protected].
Cambridge Innovation Center Director Sally Guzik has left the coworking space and incubator after more than three years, including two as director, to join a national economic development strategy firm as its VP of strategic initiatives.
Guzik has relocated to Pittsburgh — closer to family — for the role with Fourth Economy Consulting where she will focus on new business development opportunities, DEI initiatives and innovation economy growth, she told Techhnical.ly. The 11-year-old firm was recently acquired by Steer, a global management consultancy.
“I’m proud to join a brilliant team working towards equitable economic growth,” Guzik said. “I joined Fourth Economy and Steer because their approach embraces the intersections within development, taking into account people, skills, enterprise, infrastructure, mobility, and innovation to deliver sustainable, inclusive, and equitable economies.”
After opening CIC Miami, Guzik came to this region to work at CIC Philly, the entrepreneurship campus that operates locally out of University City’s 3675 Market, in April 2018 as a senior community engagement lead. She then became the hub’s director in spring 2019. During her tenure, she led the expansion of its 140,000 square feet of coworking, office and lab space for startups.
“I am grateful for CIC’s faith in my leadership and to our talented, diverse team here in Philly for its support throughout our launch and growth,” Guzik wrote in a statement on LinkedIn. “Our success has been a team effort, and I envision many more powerful innovations for CIC Philadelphia and the greater Philadelphia region.”
The nomination isn’t entirely surprising, as Biden has deep roots to the Philadelphia area. Cohen also hosted the first fundraiser for Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign at his Philadelphia home in April 2019.
David Cohen. (Technical.ly file image)
Cohen was one of Comcast’s top execs until 2020, when he began transitioning away from his role to become a senior advisor to the CEO. He’s been with the broadcast giant for nearly two decades. Over the years, his role has included corporate communications, government affairs and corporate administration.
“As I look toward my 65th birthday next year, I recognized that I needed to focus on Comcast’s next 10 years — who was going to be by Brian’s side as he continues to lead our company into the future — and on my own personal life which has candidly taken a back seat to my professional life,” Cohen said in an email to staff at the time.
David Thornburgh, civic nonprofit Committee of Seventy’s CEO since 2014, announced this week that he will be stepping down from his role in January 2022 to become a senior advisor, with a focus on guiding C70’s flagship reform efforts like fair redistricting and opening Pennsylvania’s primary elections to independent voters.
The nonprofit, which advocates for ethical and fair government, said it has tripled its use of nonpartisan online voter education resources, reaching more than a quarter million voters in 2020, under Thornburgh’s tenure. It also supported reforms to PA voting laws, engaged more than 12,000 citizens in a redistricting process, and was a partner in launching the Open Primaries PA coalition advocating for the right of the state’s 900,000 independent voters to participate in primary elections.
David Thornburgh (with Ben Franklin). (Video by Draw the Lines PA)
“I am stepping aside as CEO to focus my energy on two reform issues critical to rebuilding the governing process, as well as to allow me to dedicate more time to guide other similar initiatives,” Thornburgh said in a statement. “Having taught public policy and leadership at three Pennsylvania universities, I’m also looking to deepen my commitment to the development of the next generation of public leaders.”
C70’s board will begin a search for a new CEO this year with a goal of having a new leader in place at the beginning of next year, when Thornburgh officially steps down.
GreenLight Fund Philadelphia, the regional arm of a national venture philanthropy fund launched in Boston in 2004, last week introduced new Executive Director Felicia Rinier. She comes to the role after the departure of long-serving former Executive Director Omar Woodard, who stepped down in March to become VP of of the national consortium Results for America.
Felicia Rinier. (Courtesy photo)
GreenLight Fund is a “venture philanthropy” fund that invests in critical infrastructure needs for children and families struggling with poverty while offering intensive support and measuring outcomes. In Philadelphia, GreenLight Fund has a portfolio of five nonprofits, with a committed dollar value of over $4 million.
Rinier brings with her a breadth of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, including stops at Reinvestment Fund, Big Brothers Big Sisters and her most recent position as the director of the Philadelphia Collaborative for Health Equity at Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Health.
“When I think about just Philadelphia, [I’m] very hopeful about the future of this city and the residents that live here,” Rinier told Generocity. “And I think, at GreenLight, we’re no different.”
On Tuesday, leadership development and board placement program DiverseForce On Boards graduated its sixth cohort of professionals which includes mid-to-senior-level leaders of color from companies such as Comcast NBCUniversal, Accenture and Black Rock. The program is a partnership between DiverseForce and ImpactED at Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity on nonprofit boards.
In its four years, DiverseForce has created a network of more than 300 local nonprofits to serve as board matching partners and graduated 160 professionals. This cohort includes 26 graduates: