Facebook’s former Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly visits Philly

Chris Kelly, who was Facebook‘s first Chief Privacy Officer before running for public office in 2010, dropped in on Philly’s tech scene and liked what he saw.

“It’s wonderful for me to see the technology route taking hold in traditional cities,” said Kelly, who visited the Comcast Center and Center City coworking spot Benjamin’s Desk.

The occasion for his visit was a New Leaders Council recruitment event. Kelly, a Silicon Valley angel investor, is the chairman of the New Leaders Council, a national “political entrepreneurship” training program and network with 32 chapters across the country, including one in Philly.

The Philly chapter, started in 2011, has been making a concerted effort to get more tech-minded people to join the organization because, as co-president Kellan White put it,”tech people will be the ones who save the city.” (It’s also a group that former Navy Yard Israeli business connector Brett Goldman, who recently split for D.C., has been active in.)

The New Leaders Council offers a five-month “grassroots political” training program that includes sessions on political messaging, fundraising and how to stick to a budget, said Philly recruitment director Tiffany Reid. In order to join the program, a New Leaders Council alumni member must nominate you.