Say hello to City & State PA’s 2023 Advisory Board

Last year, we introduced you to our inaugural Advisory Board, made up of members who contributed their insights and expertise that served as invaluable in helping us craft our power lists each production cycle. This year, we added a new member to join our already impressive Board.Luke Bernstein joins us from the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. I am thrilled to have him – and introduce our new board chair, Michael Newmuis, who recently took an executive position with FS Investments, a leading asset management firm headquartered in Philadelphia. Each board member brings a unique perspective about the communities they serve and we are eager to share that hard-won knowledge with you as we put together our power lists, which are developed through thoughtful research internally and based on a set of criteria. 

Board Chair

Michael Newmuis

Michael Newmuis is a cross-sector executive with a 15-year track record of achievement. As Head of Impact at FS Investments, Michael leads philanthropic and civic engagement efforts, building upon the firms’ unwavering commitment to its clients, colleagues and surrounding communities. As of September 2022, FS had more than $35 billion in assets under management, with headquarters in Philadelphia and offices in New York, Orlando, and Leawood, KS. Michael previously served as Chief External Affairs Officer and Chief of Staff at Visit Philadelphia, the award-winning destination marketing agency focused on stimulating the regional economy, supporting business and workforce development, and providing a sense of pride for residents. 

Luke Bernstein

Luke Bernstein is president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. A seasoned financial, government, and public policy professional, Luke came to the organization in 2022 with more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Before leading the PA Chamber, Luke was most recently executive vice president, chief operations and technology officer at Orrstown Financial Services.  He had served as Orrstown’s corporate spokesperson since 2017. He was previously senior vice president of external affairs at the Pennsylvania Bankers Association from 2015 to 2017 and deputy chief of staff for former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett from 2011 to 2015. 

Keir Bradford-Grey

Keir Bradford-Grey is a partner in Montgomery McCracken’s Litigation Department and serves as the firm’s Diversity and Inclusion co-chair. She concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation and white collar and government investigations and draws on her deep government experience to advocate for her clients in state and federal trials. As a trial and appellate attorney, Keir achieved record-breaking wins while defending high-profile clients  at the state and federal levels. Prior to joining Montgomery McCracken, Keir was the Chief Defender of the Defender Association of  Philadelphia. As the chief executive, she led a staff of over 500 and managed an annual budget of $50 million.

Samuel Chen

Samuel Chen is the founder and principal director of The Liddell Group, an award-winning political, policy and communications strategy firm. He additionally hosts the television new journal Face the Issues and is a political contributor for Alhurra TV. Outside of politics, Chen teaches political science at Northampton Community College and is a member of the Leadership Network and Conservative Education Reform Network (CERN) at the American Enterprise Institute. Chen is the author of two books: Thirteen Minutes: Winning, Losing, and Living as Taught by the 2016 Election and E Pluribus Unum: The Scope of Church and State in American Liberal Democracy.

Michael Days

Now retired from The Philadelphia Inquirer, Michael Days last served as Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion at the paper, where he led cultural literacy programs. He spent 10 years as editor of the Philadelphia Daily News, which, under his leadership, won a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for investigative reporting. Days is the author of “Obama’s Legacy – What He Accomplished as President,” published in September 2016 by Center Street Press. He is now a partner in Editorsoncall LLC, an editorial services company founded by his spouse, Angela P. Dodson, which links freelancers to clients in need of writing, editing, graphic and editorial services.

Joseph Hill

Joe Hill leads Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ government relations and public advocacy efforts in Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania. He previously served as statewide political director and deputy campaign manager for Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s successful reelection effort and served in several roles with Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and the Democratic National Convention Committee. He currently serves on the boards of Mural Arts Philadelphia and the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts and graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in government and philosophy. 

Lindy Li

After working for the CFO of Merck and then for Morgan Stanley investment banking, Lindy — endorsed by 18 Members of Congress — was the youngest female congressional candidate in U.S. history at age 25. In 2020, she successfully ran to be a DNC delegate for President-Elect Biden, garnering 108,556 votes from Philly alone, which was one of the state’s highest delegate vote totals. Lindy is a political commentator for MSNBC and CNN. At the Democratic National Committee, Lindy serves as Women's Chair and Mid-Atlantic Chair for the Ethnic Council, coordinating voter mobilization efforts across the Eastern seaboard. She helped to organize the first-ever Asian American Heritage Month celebration on May 17th, 2022 at the White House. 

Teresa Lundy

Teresa M. Lundy is the principal and founder of TML Communications, an award-winning strategic public relations, crisis communications and community engagement firm. TML Communications, which celebrated its five-year anniversary in August 2020, recently received the Inspiring Excellence Award from the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Lundy served as campaign manager for Sheriff Rochelle Bilal’s election to defeat the two-term incumbent and become the first woman to head the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office. In addition, she is a regular contributor to publications such as Metro Philadelphia, writing articles to help entrepreneurs grow their business and find success. 

Sharmain Matlock-Turner

Sharmain Matlock-Turner began her tenure as CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition in March 1999 with the special distinction of being the first woman to lead it. The Urban Affairs Coalition unites government, business, neighborhoods and individual initiatives to improve the quality of life in the region, build wealth in urban communities and solve emerging issues. In partnership with a diverse board of directors made up of business, nonprofit and community leaders, Ms. Matlock-Turner and her team of managers and nearly 450 employees create partnerships and build consensus to help families reduce poverty and reach the middle class. 

Dennis Owens

Dennis is a 15-time Emmy Award winning television journalist. As host of “This Week in Pennsylvania,” nightly news anchor and Capitol reporter for WHTM, the ABC affiliate in Harrisburg, he is one of the most respected and reliable sources of information in the state Capitol. He has interviewed presidents and many running for the highest office. He covered the pope on his historic visit to Philadelphia. He is Philadelphia born, LaSalle College educated, but for 30 years a Capitol-area resident. In addition to the Emmys, Dennis has won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for his reporting on the influence of lobbyists at the state capitol. 

Dave Reed

Dave grew up in Homer City and graduated from Homer-Center High School and then went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from the Robert E. Cook Honors College at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a master’s degree in governmental administration. After graduating, Dave ran for the State House of Representatives at the age of 24. When first elected, he was the youngest member of the State House, twice elected by his peers to become the House Majority Leader. At the conclusion of his eighth term, Dave joined First Commonwealth Bank as their Regional President for the Pennsylvania Community Markets and today serves as their Pennsylvania State President.

Al Spivey Jr.

Al Spivey, Jr., is a government relations and political affairs strategist with over 30 years of experience in campaign management, operations and issues management, having a reputation for winning elections, shaping public opinion and advocating for strong, engaged communities. He served as chief of staff to Philadelphia City Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. and led the councilman’s strategic and crisis communication efforts throughout his tenure. In 2016, Al was recruited to provide consulting to Morgan Cephas’ successful bid for the 192nd Representative District, an insurgent beat party endorsed candidate by 4K votes in a five-way race and has been instrumental in winning campaigns for countless more Democratic candidates throughout Pennsylvania. 

Paul R. Steinke

Paul Steinke serves as executive director of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, a membership-based organization whose mission is to promote the appreciation, adaptive re-use and development of the Philadelphia region’s historic buildings, communities and landscapes. Paul ran for Philadelphia City Council in the May 2015 Democratic primary.  Although he was not elected, Paul received numerous endorsements. Prior to his run for public office, Paul served as general manager of the Reading Terminal Market for 13 years, where he oversaw numerous improvements in the facility and tenant mix. Earlier in his career, Paul served as a founding member of both the University City and Center City districts.

Brian Tierney

Brian Tierney is a serial entrepreneur who has built and sold three advertising/strategic communications firms to publicly-traded companies; he led the group that purchased and ran the Pulitzer-Prize winning Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com, where he served as CEO and publisher. He launched a fourth agency specializing in digital marketing and strategic communications, Brian Communications, where he now serves as CEO; he is also chairman of Realtime Media. Tierney is a sought-after advisor to Fortune 500 chief executives who trust his counsel. He serves on several public and private boards and chairs the Poynter Institute Foundation.

Lauren Vidas

Lauren Vidas is an attorney and government relations professional who formerly served in the mayor’s office during Michael Nutter’s administration. She is founder of Enact Strategies, a full-service public strategies firm. Lauren’s years of experience navigating state and local politics has made her a trusted adviser to clients across a diverse array of sectors. 

Ray Zaborney

During his more than a decade in politics, Ray Zaborney has played a key role in advising some of Pennsylvania’s leading political figures. Before co-founding Red Maverick Media, Zaborney served as a political strategist for some of the Republican Party’s top elected officials, party committees and corporate leaders. He and his team have helped lead Republicans to majorities across the country, including winning and protecting Republican majorities in Pennsylvania.