Power Moves: Drexel’s Youngmoo Kim takes on a community-focused VP role

Youngmoo Kim, a longtime Drexel University professor and founding director of its ExCITe Center, is taking on a new position as Drexel’s VP of university and community partnerships, a role intended to help the university continue its civic engagement work.

“I am honored to step into this unique role and deeply humbled by the legacy of Dr. Lucy Kerman and the many accomplishments of the Office of University & Community Partnerships, which have spearheaded Drexel’s commitment to be ‘the most civically engaged university in the nation,'” Kim told Technical.ly in an email. Kerman was the inaugural holder of Kim’s new title.

“I believe this to be one of the most distinctive and impactful aspects of our university and will be even more important for the future of higher education,” he said. “I intend to carry our work forward in the best traditions of community and scholarly partnership, and Drexel will continue to be a model anchor institution for our city and for Universities around the world.”

Kim’s work with the ExCITe Center has led to partnerships with community, cultural and educational organizations throughout the city. That includes the Science Leadership Academy and SLA Middle School; the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation and Technology; Opera Philadelphia; and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia.

“We are confident that Youngmoo is the ideal leader to build upon Drexel’s infrastructure for neighborhood and community partnerships and continue the work of establishing Drexel as the most civically engaged university in the United States, across all three dimensions of engagement: academic; student and employee volunteerism; and institutionally supported neighborhood investment,” Drexel President John Fry said in a statement.

Kim’s research has long been focused on diversifying the tech industry, including tech-focused education. In a 2019 TEDx speech, he argued that we must examine the “monoculture” of the industry.

“Look for companies that are embracing the principles of inclusive design, not only for accessibility, but for broadening representation, and most importantly, maintain a healthy skepticism towards new tech-driven initiatives,” Kim said during that talk. “So often, they have blind spots when it comes to equity and inclusion.”

Eamon Gallagher departs the Science Center

After nearly seven years with the University City Science Center, Eamon Gallagher has departed his role as senior director of commercialization, his third role with the Science Center since he joined in 2016. Gallagher, a lawyer and Philly startup scene booster, led ic@3401 and played a key role in the expansion of startup-related programming and resources at the institution.

Gallagher wrote in a LinkedIn post that during his tenure, he worked with more than 250 startups that have gone on to raise more than $450 million, and created more than 750 jobs. Next up, he said, he’ll be looking for more opportunities after a period of rest.

“I am proud of the many successes and celebrations that the Commercialization team witnessed and participated in, and the many, many people internally and externally that helped along the way,” he wrote.

Villanova’s new business school dean

Wen Mao. (Courtesy photo)

Villanova University’s School of Business (VSB) will get a new dean this summer, following the departure of Joyce Russell.

Russell will transition out of her role of the Helen and William O’Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business to become dean emeritus, as well as teach in the school’s Department of Management and Operations.

In her place, the school appointed Wen Mao, who has been at the School of Business since 1995. She will take on the role Aug. 1, stepping up from vice dean. In this role, she has oversight of all aspects of VSB’s academic and day-to-day operations. She brings with her experience as chair of the Department of Economics.

“Villanova is a special place for me. I have great pride for what our community has collectively achieved, and I am eager to continue serving VSB in this new capacity,” Mao said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with our faculty, staff, students and alumni — all of whom share my deep commitment to our Augustinian Catholic mission and values — to envision the next great chapter in VSB’s history.”

Department of Health’s new chief epidemiologist

Last week, the Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced it had appointed Dr. Megan Todd as its new chief epidemiologist. Todd is a demographer and social epidemiologist, and takes this role after a tech-focused one, as the director of the data lab for the health department’s Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention.

In that role, she led the development of the PhilaStats dashboard, which details trends in population, mortality and natality in Philadelphia. The project highlights the disparities by race and ethnicity, poverty status and education.

“In prior roles, I have worked to understand how social disadvantage gets under the skin to cause health disadvantage,” Todd said in a statement. “I am excited to take on the new challenges of the Chief Epidemiologist position and to build on the Health Department’s efforts to communicate public health data in a clear, accessible, and interactive way.”

76ers’ Buy Black Program

Lokal Artisan Foods, which specializes in French toast food and beverages, is the third recipient of the annual 76ers Buy Black Program. The program was created to support local, Black-owned businesses via marketing, advertising, educational programs and other growth tools. Lokal Artisan Foods was chosen this year out of hundreds of applicants, per the Sixers.

“We’re proud to announce Charisse McGill of Lokal Artisan Foods as this year’s Buy Black Program winner,” said David Gould, 76ers chief diversity and impact officer, in a statement. “Charisse’s business acumen and grit epitomizes Philadelphia. The Buy Black Program and our partnership with Lokal Artisan Foods represents our commitment to working with and growing diverse businesses across our city.”

Technical.ly’s new editorial director

Christina Kristofic. (Courtesy photo)

Technical.ly recently welcomed Christina Kristofic to the newly created role of editorial director. She comes to Technical.ly with about 20 years of experience as a reporter, social media manager and editor for news organizations across Pennsylvania, including most recently Philly’s WHYY. Across newsrooms, she’s played a major role in establishing social media campaigns and analytics performance management efforts.

In this new role, Christina Kristofic will work with the Technical.ly newsroom to ensure we’re informing and engaging with our communities in the best ways possible. Reach her at christina@technical.ly.