BFTP elects two new board members

Ben Franklin Technology Partners has elected two new members to its board of directors.
According to a press release (PDF) issued by BFTP, Walter Buckley and Dr. Kenneth Lawrence have taken the seats on the board, which now numbers 27 members.
Both men bring a highly specialized expertise to the board. Buckley has extensive experience in technology investment, while Dr. Lawrence is considered an energy expert with decades of experience in the industry.

Currently, Buckley is the head of NASDAQ-listed Internet Capital Group, a Wayne-based company that invests in Internet B2B companies, including the makers of that Blackboard software you used in college. ICG has stakes in several PA-based companies, including ClickEquations, Captive Capital Corp. and StarCite, which we wrote about in April. Prior to ICG, Buckley was VP of acquisitions of local VC-firm Safeguard Scientifics.
Dr. Lawrence is a vet of PECO energy, having worked there for 35 years at many positions, including CFO, before ascending to president.
In a conversation with Technically Philly about Digital Philadelphia last month, Southeastern Ben Franklin Technology Partners CEO Roseann Rosenthal said the BFTP would like to see more local resources utilized in establishing a smart grid, a goal that may have led to the Lawrence’s election to the board.
“There’s a lot of activity tacking what’s coming out of Washington and the importance of the smart grid and I think it’s a component that needs to be integrated [into Philadelphia],” she said.
Ben Franklin Technology Partners did not respond to a request for comment.