Arts + Business Council Annual Awards Celebration – Past Winners

The Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia is pleased to announce past honorees from our Annual Awards Celebration, as we enter a month-long nomination period for Awards 2018. Visit our nomination site and let us know who you think fits the bill for the region’s top creative leaders, organizations and partnerships.

“We are honored to continue this decades-long tradition of bringing attention to the exciting things that happen at the intersection of business and creativity. Year after year, our winners exemplify the Philadelphia region’s leadership in expanding audiences for the arts, in embedding creativity in communities and in fostering an environment where creative professionals and organizations can sustain themselves and contribute to our economy,” said ABC Executive Director Karin Copeland.

Nominated by their peers throughout the 11-county region and selected by a jury comprised of Arts + Business Council Advisory Board Members, the awards are presented in eight publicly nominated categories. Past winners include:

PNC Arts Alive Award for Innovation in Honor of Peggy Amsterdam

This award has been sponsored with Producer Circle support by:

This award recognizes a visual and/or performing arts group that has successfully demonstrated an innovative approach to increasing arts access and engagement.

Past Winners:

2017 – Mural Arts Philadelphia’s 47 Stories
2016 – BlackStar Film Festival
2015 – Art-Reach
2014 – InLiquid
2013 – People’s Light & Theatre Company
2012 – The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA)
2011 – Association for Public Art

Business + Arts Partnership Award: Business with an Arts + Cultural Organization

This award has been sponsored by:

This award recognizes a successful partnership between a business and an arts or cultural organization. In previous years, this award was separated into categories depending on the size of the partnering business.

Past Winners:

2017 – Taller Puertorriqueno + PECO
2016 – Century 21 Department Store + Moore College of Performing Art & Design

Past Winners for Large Partnership:

2015 – SEI + Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
2014 – Art at the Airport: Philadelphia International Airport & Regional Artists and Cultural Organizations
2013 – PNC & The Barnes Foundation
2012 – Clear Channel Outdoor & Philadelphia Museum of Art
2011 – IBM & City of Philadelphia Mural Arts
2010 – PECO – An Exelon Company & The African American Museum in Philadelphia
2009 – PNC Bank & Pennsylvania Ballet
2008 – Dranoff Properties & Philadelphia Theatre Company
2007 – LUKOIL & Eastern State Penitentiary
2006 – IBM & Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
2005 – PNC Bank with Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia Museum of Art and GPTMC
2004 – Philadelphia Department of Recreation Mural Arts Program and GMAC Mortgage
2003 – First Union Regional Foundation and The Village of Arts & Humanities

Past Winners for Small Partnership:

2015 – Elixr Coffee + Individual Philadelphia Artists
2014 – The Resource Exchange & Revolution Recovery
2013 – Globe Development Group & Philadelphia Sculptors
2012 – NextFab Studio & Breadboard
2011 – Crane Arts LLC & InLiquid
2010 – Calfayan Construction & Abington Art Center
2009 – Minima & DesignPhiladelphia
2008 – Sneaker Villa & Art-Reach
2007 – Red Tettemer & First Person Arts
2006 – Exton Square Mall with Chester County Art Association
2005 – WPVI-TV/6 ABC with Philadelphia Zoo
2004 – La Colombe and The Print Center
2003 – George E. Michael, Inc. and James A. Michener Art Museum

Creative Economy Award for Distinction in a For-Profit Creative Field

This award has been sponsored with Producer Circle support by:

This award strives to recognize a successful business that has strong ties to Philadelphia’s creative sector and could be said to be at an intersection between arts & business.

Past Winners:

2017 – Bluecadet
2016 – History Making Productions
2015 – Art Star
2014 – ex;t + J2 Design Partnership
2013 – ShootersINC
2012 – Indy Hall

Business On Board Volunteer of the Year Award:

This award has been sponsored by:

This comprehensive four-month leadership development program consists of four interactive classroom sessions coupled with the experience of observing a cultural board for the duration of the program. Most participants are elected to the board they observe and current members of arts and culture nonprofit boards are welcome to participate at a reduced rate. Business On Board Volunteer of the Year award winners are nominated by the arts clients they served.

Past Winners:

2017 – Edmond Ghisu, Associate General Counsel and Chief Investment Counsel, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
2016 – Frances Sperling Feldbaum, CPA, Principal, St. Clair CPA Solutions
2015 – Karen Greene, Vice President, Global Financial Shared Services, AmerisourceBergen
2014 – Andrea Wikerd, Senior Manager, Ernst & Young LLP
2013 – Melissa Blanton, Esq., Partner, Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP
2012 – Nicholas Durso, Senior Manager, Asher & Company, Ltd.
2011 – Stacy Maria Dutton, Board President of Lantern Theater Company
2010 – Jerilyn Dressler, Associate,Your Part-Time Controller LLC
2009 – Michelle Hong, Esq., Director of Wealth Planning, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
2008 – Edward M. Mayer, Esquire
2007 – David Elderkin
2006 – Steven N. Haas, Cozen O’Connor
2005 – John R. Janney, Independence Blue Cross
2004 – Nancy M. Stuski, Philadelphia WEEKLY
2003 – Nancy L. Miller, UNISYS
2002 – Vincent McGuinness, Esq., Cozen O’Connor

Business Volunteer for the Arts Volunteer of the Year Award:

This award has been sponsored with Producer Circle support by:

Business professionals are placed as volunteer consultants with nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. Working on a project basis, these volunteers build capacity in our creative sector by lending their skills and time. Business Volunteers for the Arts Volunteer of the Year award winners are nominated by the arts clients they served.

Past Winners:

2017 – Christine Ostrowski, Deputy Chief Financial Officer, School District of Philadelphia
2016 – Edward P. Paziccky, Principal, E*P*P Consulting
2015 – Audrey Klijian, Independent Consultant
2014 – David Othmer, Retired Station Manager, WHYY
2013 – Mary Rosenberger, Owner and CMO, Amare Inc.
2012 – Karen Zinn, Principal, KZB Advisors
2011 – Carolyn Picciotti, Principal, Picciotti Consulting LLC
2010 – Carolyn Ashburn, SPHR, Manager, Employee Relations, Temple University Health System
2009 – William H. Haines, Senior Vice President, Pennsylvania Trust
2008 – Heather Newcomb, Vice President, Strategic CommunicationsSage Communications Partners
2007 – Susanne Iannece, Organizational Consultant, Iannece & Associates, Inc.
2006 – Samuel A. Spurlock, CAI
2005 – Lori A. Cooper, Gillespie Group Marketing & Advertising
2004 – Jill Kristin Malila, Mercer Human Resource Consulting
2003 – Steven J. Cousart, Insignia/ESG
2002 – Peter Burwasser

Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Volunteer of the Year Award:

This award has been sponsored with Producer Circle support by:

ABC places volunteer attorneys who provide pro bono and low cost legal assistance to help artists and arts and cultural organizations address their arts-related legal issues. Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts Volunteer of the Year award winners are nominated by the arts clients they served.

Past Winners:

2017 – Sekou Campbell, Managing Member, Law Offices of Sekou Campbell, PLLC
2016 – Edward P. Pazicky, Principal, E*P*P Consulting
2015 – Jonathan S. Ziss, Partner + Michael P. Luongo, Associate, Goldberg Segalla LLP
2014 – James Holman, Partner, Duane Morris LLP
2013 – Keith B. Joseph, Esq., Associate, Ballard Spahr, LLP & Maura McKenna, Esq., Solutions Consultant, LexisNexis
2012 – Darius Gambino, Esq., Partner, DLA Piper
2011 – Michael B. Fein, Esq., Member, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
2010 – Jeffrey P. Bates, Esq., Shareholder, Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman and Goggin
2009 – Bruce Bellingham, Esq., Associate, Spector Gadon & Rosen
2008 – Michael E. Costa III, Esquire and Steven D. Kim, Esquire, Ballard Spahr

Technology Connectors Volunteer of the Year Award:

This award has been sponsored with Producer Circle support by:

Technology professionals are placed as volunteer consultants with nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. The result empowers these organizations to use technology strategically and effectively. Technology Connectors Volunteer of the Year award winners are nominated by the arts clients they served.

Past Winners:

2017 – Brendan McGeehan, Senior Manager, Enterprise Business Intelligence, Comcast + Jacob Field, Procurement Operations Associate, Accenture
2016 – Chris Gibson, Consultant, SAP America
2015 – Dan Zuena, Managing Partner, GD64
2014 – Ricardo Torres, Senior Manager, The North Highland Company
2013 – John Tigh, Principal, The North Highland Company
2012 – Henry Guckes, Sr. Consultant, Allied InfoSecurity
2011 – Joseph Di Stefano, Senior Sales Consultant, Dimension Data North America
2010 – Stan Coplan, User Experience Designer (UX) and Manager of Human Factors Engineering (HFE), Aetna, Inc.
2009 – Geeta Ahya
2008 – Jeffrey D. Green, Owner, Savant Technology Consulting
2007 – Antonio Tedesco, Senior Consultant, Computer Sciences Corporation
2006 – Elise Miller, DataTime Consulting
2005 – Cliff Stevens, MyOwnITGuy, Inc.
2004 – Samuel T. Adenbaum, STA Technology

Designing Leadership Award:

This award has been sponsored with Producer Circle support by:

This award, new in 2016, is intended to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of individual leaders in the creative sector who have invested in professional and personal development by completing the Designing Leadership curriculum. One program graduate will be recognized each year.

Past Winners:

2017 – John Orr, Executive Director, Art-Reach
2016 – David Gloss, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Phenom People