NACD Philadelphia Chapter Names New Leader and Board Members

Philadelphia, PA – July 27, 2021  The NACD Philadelphia Chapter, the advocate for the profession of directorship, today announced the election of Melissa Ludwig as chair of the NACD Philadelphia Chapter and four new highly regarded leaders to the chapter’s board of directors: Beth Albright, Dave Burkavage, Romy Diaz, and Adrienne Kirby.

Nominating and Governance Committee Chair Alan J. Kaplan, of Kaplan Partners, stated, “Our Nominating and Governance Committee explored many options and worked hard to identify these talented leaders. They are tremendous additions to our board and bring diverse experience and skill sets, enabling NACD Philadelphia to continue to bring forward-looking guidance and resources to our members to elevate board performance.”

The leadership succession will take place in July 2021. Outgoing Chapter Chair Jim Dunigan will remain on the board and continue his role as Sponsorship Committee chair.  “Our chapter has accomplished a great deal over the past two years, and I have been fortunate to serve as chair during that period of growth and transition,” Dunigan said. “On behalf of the entire board, I am delighted to welcome Melissa to chair. Her engaged and strategic leadership style and board experience will be invaluable to our members.”

New Chapter Chair

Melissa Ludwig most recently served as the NACD Philadelphia Chapter member engagement chair. A former Macy’s executive, Ludwig has more than 30 years of retail and consumer products industry experience, heading businesses ranging from $300 million to $600 million in value. She has been actively engaged in multiple for-profit and nonprofit organizations as a board member, strategic advisor, investor, and consultant. She served as a board member for CSS Industries Inc. (NYSE: CSS), a consumer products company, and was integral to the successful selling of the company.

Ludwig also serves as a board member for the Forum of Executive Women, Women in Leadership Committee (chair), Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Philadelphia Chapter ALS Association. She is also an advisor for early-stage ventures and an executive committee member, advisor, and investor for Angel Investor Group (Broad Street Angels).

Newly Elected Board Members

Beth Albright is an experienced chief human resources executive and is currently on the Board of Directors for Darling Ingredients (NYSE: DAR), Penn State’s School of Labor and Employment Relations advisory board, and The Power of Professional Women—a nonprofit organization. She was formerly on the Board of Directors for Crozer Keystone Health System and the International Employers Forum and was management lead for the Chemours (NYSE: CC) Compensation Committee. Albright is an NACD Board Leadership Fellow.

Dave Burkavage is an assurance partner as well as the managing partner for EY’s Philadelphia office where he provides direction and guidance to more than 1,500 cross-functional team members who serve some of the area’s largest public companies as well as a diverse base of innovative and entrepreneurial organizations. An active member of the Philadelphia business community, Burkavage is a member of the CEO Council for Growth, the boards of directors of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Capital and Technologies and the Philadelphia Youth Network. He also actively participates in Life Sciences PA and the Association for Bioscience Financial Officers.

Romy Diaz serves as an independent director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and an advisor to PBJ Marketing LLC. Prior to retiring from the Exelon Corp. in 2020, Diaz was general counsel of PECO Energy Co., City Solicitor of Philadelphia, and a presidential appointee at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. He serves on numerous nonprofit and governmental boards, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pan American Association of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, and Center City District.

Adrienne Kirby is the former executive chairman and CEO of Cooper University Health Care. She is currently an independent board director for Trellis Rx; MedVet, where she serves on the Compensation Committee; Greenway Health, where she serves as chair of the Compliance Committee; and SILA REIT, where she serves on the Audit and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committees. Kirby also chairs the Advisory Board of healthPrecision—a healthcare decision support company. She has received numerous professional and community service awards and has been named by the Philadelphia Business Journal several times as a Most Admired CEO, Power 100, and a Woman of Distinction.

In addition, five NACD Philadelphia Chapter Board members were re-elected to a second term: Glenn Booraem, Jim Dunigan Alex Lord, Arlene Yocum, and Trish Wellenbach. The chapter also thanks outgoing board members Howard Brownstein, Tom Pappas, Tim Reese, and Bob Bauer for their service.

Full biographies can be found on the NACD Philadelphia Chapter Leadership Page.

About NACD Philadelphia Chapter

NACD Philadelphia Chapter provides a forum for NACD members to exchange knowledge and discuss leading boardroom practices in the Philadelphia area, including the greater Delaware Valley. NACD’s 20+ chapters enhance the value of NACD membership by providing directors with a local forum to address governance challenges in order to elevate their board’s performance. Members enjoy peer-to-peer dialogue about critical boardroom issues such as cyber risk, CEO succession planning, activism, and leadership. To learn more about NACD Philadelphia Chapter, please visit https://philadelphia.nacdonline.org/.

About NACD

The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) empowers more than 21,000 directors to lead with confidence in the boardroom. As the recognized authority on leading boardroom practices, NACD helps boards strengthen investor trust and public confidence by ensuring that today’s directors are well prepared for tomorrow’s challenges. World-class boards join NACD to elevate performance, gain foresight, and instill confidence. Fostering collaboration among directors, investors, and corporate governance stakeholders, NACD has been setting the standard for board leadership for more than 40 years. 

For More Information

Shannon Bernauer, Executive Director, NACD Philadelphia Chapter
610-812-9122    shannon@philadelphia.NACDonline.org