Center in the Park Board of Directors welcomed five new members in June, 2011: Ernest Freeman, Germantown resident; Kathy Clupper, Germantown resident; Jennifer Coleman Pugh; Mt. Airy resident; William Epstein, Mt. Airy resident; and, Martha Young, Olney/Logan resident.

ERNEST FREEMAN (Ernie) - Certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners, Ernie has served as Director of Policy, Planning and Development for the City of East Orange, NJ; Director of Community Development, Plainsboro, NJ; Executive Director of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority; Director of Planning & Codes Administration, City of Norfolk; and in similar capacities in various other cities, including: San Diego; Baltimore; Cincinnati: Portsmouth, VA; and Columbus, OH. He is a member of several professional planners associations and has received numerous awards throughout his career. Ernie has recently relocated to Philadelphia and has been serving as a volunteer on CIP's Economic Development & Housing Committee. He received his Master of City and Regional Planning degree from the University of Illinois.

KATHERINE L. CLUPPER (Kathy) - is a Managing Director of the PFM Group and works with a range of issuers in the Mid Atlantic Region. In addition, she assists in the development of non-profit and higher education clients in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
She currently works with several state level issuers such as the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority, State of Maryland, Commonwealth Financing Authority, and the New Jersey Educational Finance Authority. Additionally, she provides financial advisory services to a variety of local issuers both large and small, including the City of Philadelphia, City of Baltimore, City of Wilmington, North Penn Water Authority and several smaller Pennsylvania school districts and municipalities. Over her 20 years of experience in the area of public finance, Ms. Clupper has assisted her clients in successfully entering into the public markets, implementing best practices in managing their debt portfolio, analyzing and developing credit and long term assest/liability strategies.
Ms. Clupper has an MBA in finance from Temple University, is a resident of Germantown and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Ogontz Avenue Reviltization Corporation.

Jennifer Coleman Pugh, MPA, Dipl. Ac., M.Ac., L.Ac - A life committed to public service with a post graduate degree in Public Administration, from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, Jennifer chose challenging and successful careers touching many people in the fields of foreign affairs, career counseling, education and health care.
As a Program Officer at Eisenhower Fellowships, an international leadership organization she worked with leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. In 2006 she entered an intense three year study of Acupuncture at Won Institute of Graduate Studies, the first and only accredited school of Acupuncture in the State of Pennsylvania. She graduated with a Master Degree in Acupuncture Studies. She is a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Pennsylvania and successfully passed the National Chinese Medical Boards. Jennifer is certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and credentialed as a Diplomate in Acupuncture. In addition to her private practice at Jenkintown Psychological Associates' Center for Integrative Health, Ms. Coleman Pugh also practices at Community Acupuncture of Mt. Airy in Philadelphia.

WILLIAM EPSTEIN (Bill) - William Epstein is Director of Communications for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1776, where he has served since 2005. The Local is based in Plymouth Meeting, PA and represents more than 24,000 men and women who work in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland in retail food and drug stores, meatpacking plants, professional offices, nursing homes and manufacturing plants.
Before joining Local 1776 Epstein directed public relations and government relations in the public and private sectors, including the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Amtrak, the School District of Philadelphia and Roy F. Weston, Inc. Prior to that he served in Washington, DC as Communications Director for former U.S. Rep. William H. Gray, III and the U.S. House Committee on the Budget, and in Philadelphia as Assistant to the President of the University of Pennsylvania. He also has directed communications for political campaigns in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania, including the 1983 campaign of W. Wilson Goode for Mayor of Philadelphia.
Epstein earned his undergraduate degree in 1969 from The Pennsylvania State University College of Communications and an MBA in 1987 from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
He and his wife, Stephanie, live in Philadelphia, where they raised their two children and are preparing to welcome their first grandchild.

MARTHA C. YOUNG (Marty) - is a retired Educator with 33 years experience as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, elementary and middle school principal in the School District of Philadelphia; and, also served as Parent Involvement and Community Participation Administrator; and, as Co-President of the Educational Renewal Associates, Inc., an educational consulting group. She is an experienced conference planner and member of the National Alliance of Black Educators. Following retirement from the District, Marty joined CIP and has been an active and contributing member of the Songsters Unlimited and the Music for the Spirit and Music from the Heart Committees.

Also, elected new officers: President, Derek Green; (photo) Vice President, Nancy Muth;(photo) Secretary, Altressa Boatwright; and, re-elected Treasurer, Larry Griffin.

          
President, Derek Green               Vice President, Nancy Muth

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