Rick joined Independence Mission Schools as President in June 2017. Immediately prior to IMS, Rick served as CEO and President of Softgate Systems, Inc, a company, acquired by Paypal, that offered an electronic payment solution for consumers to pay their bills and utilities with cash in participating stores. Rick has over 18 years of sales experience in the financial industry. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Wagner College.

Ben’s association with the St. Malachy School, now an IMS school, dates back to the mid-1990s. Pastor John McNamee officiated Ben’s wedding and, around that time, he and his wife Margie fell in love with Father McNamee’s vision of ministry to children in Philadelphia, who are among the city’s most needy. In the most recent twelve years of his Private Banking experience, working with clients around their philanthropic planning and innovation has become a passion. Ben believes IMS is a shining example of this kind of work.

Jim graduated from the LaSalle College Evening Division, after which he launched a successful career in the insurance industry. A service-driven individual, he is a passionate advocate for a number of local organizations including the Girard College Development Fund and the Bethesda Project, which provides support to Philadelphia’s homeless.

As a graduate of both Villanova University and an IMS elementary school in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia (St. Frances Cabrini School), Anthony realizes first-hand the positive impact a Catholic education can have on a young person. He hopes to keep those same opportunities available via his work to support the Independence Mission Schools model.

Bill holds a B.S. in Accounting and M.B.A. in Finance from St. Joseph’s University as well as a JD from Temple University School of Law. Through his work at Porter & Curtis, Bill and his team provide insurance, claims administration, and risk management information system support. They are known nationally for their work providing these services to Catholic dioceses.

Following his graduation from Drexel with a Civil Engineering degree, Jack joined L.F. Driscoll and rose through the ranks, becoming President, CEO, and owner. He sold the company in 2009 and retired in 2014. Jack is a parishioner at St. Katharine of Siena Church in Wayne and is a dedicated philanthropist. He received the Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in 2016.

John moved to the Greater Philadelphia region in 2002 following time spent in the Boston area and California. He helped establish a School Board and served as the first board president of the DePaul Catholic School in Germantown, now an IMS school. John currently resides in Bryn Mawr with his wife, Lisa, and their four children.

Bishop Fitzgerald was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1980 beginning his ministry as Parochial Vicar at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. In 2010, Bishop Fitzgerald was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia. He is a Fourth Degree Member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Lorie’s passion for helping others reach their education dreams began as a benefactor for a single student. Today, as the Executive Director of the Howley Foundation, Lorie helps hundreds of students in Ohio and Philadelphia get a transformative school experience.

Mike began his career with Ernst & Young, LLP and has over 20 years of experience in tax compliance, financials planning ,and wealth transfer strategies. He is a CPA and co-author of two books – The Tools and Techniques of Income Tax Planning and The Tools and Techniques of Financial Planning – which are widely used as educational resource material by those in the financial planning profession.

Brother Richard has been a De La Salle Christian Brother for over fifty years, serving the needs of people in various stages of life. He is a native Philadelphian, proud of his early education from the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the De La Salle Brothers, and realized early in his youth that he wanted to be a teacher. He recently retired from his position as President of West Catholic Preparatory High School in West Philly.

Mary is known as the architect of the Jubilee Schools in Memphis. Her education career spans everything from teaching algebra, to school and system leadership, to leadership mentoring and consulting. In 2012, she founded, and is CEO/Presidents of, MCD Partners, a national education consulting firm with a focus on urban education. She shares her incredible insights nationally as a published author and national speaker, and was the featured speaker at the White House Summit on Urban Education.

Brian has long been a believer in the importance of the Catholic School system to the city of Philadelphia. In addition to his role with IMS, he serves on the Board of BLOCS, an organization that raises and allocates scholarship funds that allow students to attend Catholic schools. His advocacy in the area of scholarship funding has helped ensure that all families, regardless of income, have access to a high-quality education for their children. Brian received his Bachelor’s Degree and MBA from Drexel University in 1972.

Anne is thrilled to serve on the IMS board after spending the last 5 years as part of the founding IMS management team, first as our CFO and from March 2015 as President.
While she loved her role in leading IMS in its early years, she is even more excited to now serve as Chair of our Development Committee and help develop the unfolding legacy of Independence Mission Schools for our city. Anne is a Philadelphia native and proud product of Catholic schools.

In addition to his 40-year career in Employee Benefits and Financial Services, Dick has been involved in many philanthropic endeavors throughout his life. For almost 30 years, he served The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in various capacities, both nationally and locally. Dick also served on the Board of the Bethesda Project for eleven years, and he is currently a member of the Board of St. Malachy School.

Maris has long been an advocate for youth and education. In addition to IMS, she serves on the Board of the Presbyterian Children’s Village, The Board of St. James School, the Owl Fund Advisory Board, the Carson Valley Children’s Aid Advisory Board and the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society.   In her spare time, Maris enjoys gardening, travel, music and woodworking.

Dan, now a Partner with BA Securities, has over 20 years of corporate finance and mergers and acquisition experience at several large regional investment banks. He has served on the boards of various corporations, both public and private, and is currently on the boards of St. Malachy School and St. Thomas Aquinas School.

Ken joined the U.S. Department of the Treasury as its first ever Chief Risk Officer in November of 2014. Prior to this, he served as the Chief Risk Officer for a number of large financial institutions. Ken holds a JD from Villanova University School of Law and a Masters in Economics from Trinity College, Dublin and has more than 20 years of experience in finance across risk management, capital markets and structured products.

Michael most recently served as President and CEO of the AmeriHealth Mercy Family of Companies, following 14 years of serving as the company’s Executive Vice President. He earned a Master’s of Business Administration in Finance from the Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Southern California.

Prior to his work with Morgan Stanley, Marc served as a member of the Private Wealth Management Group of Deutsche Bank. Marc is a member of the Board of Directors of The Agnes Irwin School and St. Martin de Porres, an IMS school.

Joe is a corporate partner at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, where he co-chairs the firm’s Technology Law Group. He is a member of the Board of St. Christopher’s Foundation for Children as well as the Board of St. Martin de Porres, an IMS school. Joe is a longtime volunteer at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

During his work with Brandywine since the company’s founding in 1994, Jerry has overseen the growth of the company from four properties to over 28 million square feet of real estate. He serves as Chairman of the Boards of the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. Jerry is also co-founder and co-CEO of Bonomo Turkish Taffy LLC.

Michael founded Classic Management Inc. in 1982, a residential and commercial property management and development firm of which he serves as CEO. He is a member of various Boards including BLOCS, St. Martin de Porres, an IMS school, and Invisible Sentinel. Michael and his wife Sue have helped support inner-city students with scholarships to Philadelphia’s more prestigious high schools for 15 years.