We are thrilled to be welcoming three new members to our Board of Directors!Get to know our new members:
Jill Durovsik:
Jill joins us as former volunteer and member of My Daughter’s Kitchen that she particpated in along with her duaghter Paige. You can read a few blogs that Jill has written about those classes here!
Jill Durovsik is the Past Board Chair of the Cancer Support Community, a global nonprofit network of 175 locations which deliver $50 million in free support to cancer patients and their families annually. Jill has a long and varied history with the organization, having been a founding member of the Philadelphia affiliate over 25 years ago and more recently was the Founding Chair of the organization’s Research and Training Institute, dedicated to conducting cutting edge psychosocial behavioral and survivorship research. Prior to CSC, Jill spent the bulk of her career in financial services and building entrepreneurial companies.
Ms. Durovsik currently serves on the Board of Trustees of PAFA and on the Board of Directors of Patient Planning Services, Inc. She is a graduate of Skidmore College from which she received the “Creative Thought Matters Award of Distinction” in 2016. Ms. Durovsik lives in Philadelphia with her husband Tom.
What about Vetri Community Partnership inspires you?
I am passionate about all things Philadelphia and Vetri Community Partnership lifts up our entire community and makes Philadelphia a better place to call home. As a bedrock for all families, a focus on education, health and nutrition is a winning recipe for success!
Why is Vetri Community Partnership’s mission important to you?
It is very personal for me and my family. My daughter Paige and I have participated as a Mother-Daughter Team visiting Philadelphia public schools across the city and experienced up-close, the impact Vetri Community Partnership can have on children and their families. My daughter Paige is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Drexel University and by combining her work with Vetri Community Partnership was able to give back to the community in a meaningful way.
Laura Emanuel:
Laura Emanuel is Vice President and Director of Public Relations at Brownstein Group – an independent advertising and public relations agency based in Philadelphia. Founded at the height of the Creative Revolution in 1964, it is one of the longest-running independent agencies in the country, offering expertise across brand strategy, advertising, public relations, social media, and digital services. The agency builds unstoppable brands by helping clients navigate the changing tides of culture and business. Brownstein is an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, a PRNEWS Small Public Relations Firm of the Year finalist, and an inductee into Advertising Week’s Madison Avenue Walk of Fame.
As Director of the agency’s PR group, Laura’s responsibilities include department operations and management of 20+ team members, strategic campaign planning for global and regional clients, staff development, and business development. In 2019, Laura saw the team to its most notable recognition when PR News — the industry’s leading news source — named it a “Small PR Agency of the Year” finalist. Under Laura’s leadership, the team also cracked the top 100 shops in the U.S. according to O’Dwyer’s Public Relations News.
In her 14 years at Brownstein, Laura has concepted and led award-winning campaigns for a variety of national and global clients across financial services, tourism and hospitality, architecture and design, retail and business-to-business categories. As a result, Laura is entrenched in principal clients, including NJM Insurance, Inspira Health, DuPont, TruGreen, Lyft, American Water, Xfinity Mobile, Campus Apartments, Saint-Gobain, ACI, Trinseo and more. Laura is also a lead liaison in Brownstein’s partnership with Worldwide Partners – a network of independent agencies from 70+ countries – in this role, Laura brings Brownstein’s PR services to agencies across the globe.
Prior to becoming Director, Laura established the team’s AEC practice group, which supports brand communication efforts for a variety of clients in the B2B areas of architecture, interior design, construction management, real estate development, building materials and home goods. Laura has served on the boards of Green Building United and Girls on the Run Philadelphia.
She graduated summa cum laude from Cabrini University where she remains an active alumna to support the University’s marketing and communications programs. She resides in Mullica Hill, NJ and when she’s not making headline for her clients, you can catch her running on the Peloton leaderboard.
What about Vetri Community Partnership inspires you?
Nothing has more staying power in someone’s life than education. Thru education, VCP is helping thousands of kids (and adults!) understand the joy and ease of cooking healthy foods and experimenting with cuisines from all cultures. That kind of appreciation and understanding can be the start of healthier habits in the kitchen that can last a lifetime.
Why is Vetri Community Partnership’s mission important to you?
Food brings people together unlike anything else. The mission of VCP has the ability to bring people from all ages, races and cultures together through a shared appreciation of food, and respect for culinary traditions. There has never been a more critical time in our city’s history for us to deliver on that mission.
Jason Ray:
Jason Ray is the founder & CEO of Zenith Wealth Partners. Jason works to address structural wealth inequalities by scaling the delivery of investments and financial advice. Early in his career, Jason gained extensive experience evaluating and creating solutions for financial advisors at Lincoln Financial and FS Investments.
Prior to founding Zenith, Jason helped renovate a longstanding independent wealth advisory firm, Carnegie Wealth Management, by building new technology, private placement structures, and research capabilities. He delivered investment advice and financial plans to families worth >$10M.
In these past roles, Jason became an effective investment professional, financial analyst, and wealth advisor. He also realized that effective wealth management techniques should not be unique to high net worth individuals. His top skills involve financial analysis, delivering advice, valuing investments and businesses, and public speaking.
Jason founded Zenith Wealth Partners to deliver accessible, high quality financial education, advice, and technology to individuals, families, and organizations.. His work is inspired by racial and age wealth inequalities that persist in society.
Jason grew up in Michigan and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics from Princeton University. At Princeton, Jason was an all-conference football player and league champion. He is a candidate for Level III of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Jason serves on the boards of CB Community School and Cannon Dial Elm Foundation. He currently lives in Philadelphia with his wife Rukiya, and daughter Juniper. If you are downtown you may find Jason running, biking, or reading in the park.
What about Vetri Community Partnership inspires you?
– I believe that food insecurity and unequal access to healthy food creates broader racial and class inequalities in our society. I’m inspired by VCP’s mission to engage young people to inspire and develop a relationship with healthy eating and food preparation in the greater Philadelphia region. I also love food and want to learn how to better teach myself and my family the benefits of preparing healthy food.
Why is Vetri Community Partnership’s mission important to you?
– Unhealthy eating and lifestyle has been a detractor to many of my family and friend’s life expectancies, in my opinion. As I’ve witnessed too many early deaths and illnesses, I feel I’ve finally found a way to directly address the unhealthy food habits that I’ve experienced through my role with VCP.
