Anne Bovaird Nevins Named As Next President Of Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC)
PIDC’s Chief Strategy and Communications Officer, Anne Bovaird Nevins will be the eleventh chief executive and the first woman to serve in the role in PIDC’s 60-year history.
PHILADELPHIA – Mayor Jim Kenney and Rob Wonderling, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, announced today that the PIDC Board of Directors has appointed Anne Bovaird Nevins to serve as the organization’s next President. PIDC is the non-profit, economic development organization founded by the City and Chamber of Commerce more than 60 years ago with the mission to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive inclusive growth to every corner of Philadelphia.
“During her 13-year tenure at PIDC, Anne Nevins successfully built the partnerships that deliver resources to diverse businesses, non-profits, and development projects,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “She brings focus and attention to connecting growth to the people and places in our city that need it the most. We are excited to continue the City’s long-term partnership with the Chamber of Commerce through PIDC under Anne’s leadership, and look forward to working together to foster economic growth that benefits all Philadelphians.”
Rob Wonderling, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia noted, “Anne Nevins has been a great partner with the Chamber community throughout her time at PIDC. She has been on the front-lines of understanding the needs of growing businesses of all sizes and developing and delivering PIDC’s critical financing and real estate resources to meet those needs. We at the Chamber look forward to our continued partnership with the City, building on our 60 years of history working through PIDC and its skilled and professional management team with Anne at the helm to move toward an inclusive economy with opportunity for all.”
Nevins is currently PIDC’s Chief Strategy and Communications Officer, serving as a member of the executive team and overseeing capitalization, product development, strategic communications, and partnerships. In her current capacity, Nevins has served on the Mayor’s Refinery Advisory Group for the City of Philadelphia, co-managed Philadelphia’s Amazon HQ2 bid, and has created and led PIDC and ULI Philadelphia’s partnership advisory committee on the future of work and its impact on industrial and commercial land. Prior to this role, Nevins served as PIDC’s Senior Vice President for Marketing and Business Development for six years where she led a team that transformed PIDC’s brand identity, developed new lending products, and generated 360 loans to small, diverse, and growing businesses investing over $117 million dollars located in 94% of Philadelphia’s zip codes.
“I am thrilled to have been selected by the PIDC Board of Directors to lead this organization at this exciting time in Philadelphia,” said Anne Bovaird Nevins. “The city’s recent job and population growth has created momentum and opportunity, but we recognize that too many people and communities are not yet benefiting. Our challenge is to accelerate and sustain economic growth and, at the same time, to ensure that the benefits of that growth, including job opportunities and wealth creation, are shared more broadly across our city. I look forward to working with our partners at the City and Chamber, and across the business, civic, and philanthropic community, to achieve a Philadelphia economy that is growing, diversified, and inclusive.”
Nevins joined PIDC in 2007 to develop new business and manage client relationships and she delivered more than $265 million in PIDC financing. Within the hospitality sector, she initiated financing for six hotel projects that resulted in more than 1,800 new hotel rooms for the Philadelphia market and created 550 new jobs. Over her tenure, Nevins has taken on a series of increasing leadership roles in the organization and has worked closely with every department and business unit within PIDC. She possesses a deep understanding of PIDC’s mission and vision for the future of Philadelphia’s economy.
“Anne Nevins brings more than a decade of client-facing and executive experience at PIDC, a deep commitment to inclusive growth in Philadelphia, and prior experience leading high-performing teams and major initiatives in organizations of all sizes,” said M. Walter D’Alessio, PIDC Board Chairman. “As Chief Strategy and Communications Officer, Anne has played a major role in managing the daily operations of the organization, while also building new relationships with partners, clients, and investors, and she is fully prepared to lead PIDC as it continues to understand the challenges and opportunities for Philadelphia and ensure that PIDC’s resources go where we can make an impact.”
From 1999 to 2001, Nevins served in the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs, responsible for coordination between the White House and all cabinet agencies. She then joined the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and managed the logistical and hospitality arrangements for all U.S. dignitaries attending the Olympics. Nevins returned to Philadelphia and managed corporate sponsorships for the Kimmel Center and then served as Director of Development for Historic Philadelphia, Inc. raising funds to renovate Franklin Square, an 8-acre urban park in Philadelphia’s historic district.
Nevins holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania. Nevins resides with her family in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and serves on the Board of Directors of the Friends of Bache-Martin, supporting the neighborhood public school.
In November of 2019, the PIDC Board of Directors appointed a Transition Committee, led by Andrea Allon, Chief Operating Officer of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and Vice Chair of PIDC, to manage the transition to new leadership. Transition Committee members were Terry Booker, Vice President Corporate Development and Innovation at Independence Blue Cross; Jay Goldstein, Chairman and CEO of Spring Garden Lending; Anne Fadullon, Director of Planning and Development; and Harold Epps, Director of Commerce for the City of Philadelphia. All are members of the PIDC Executive Committee. The Committee put forth the recommendation for Nevins’ appointment, which was approved by the full PIDC Board of Directors yesterday.
Nevins will assume the role of president on January 27 following the departure of current PIDC President, John Grady.
About PIDC
PIDC is Philadelphia’s city-wide, public-private economic development corporation. A non-profit founded in 1958 as a partnership of the City of Philadelphia and the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, PIDC’s mission is to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive growth to every corner of Philadelphia. Over its history, PIDC has settled over 7,500 transactions with a diverse range of clients–investing more than $17 billion of financing and more than 3,200 acres of land sales—which has leveraged $30 billion in total investment and assisted in retaining and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in Philadelphia.
For more information about PIDC, visit www.PIDCphila.com and follow us @PIDCphila on Twitter.