PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Jim Kenney today announced that Anne K. Nadol, a Philadelphia-based executive with more than three decades of experience spanning government, business, higher education, and economic development roles, will become the City’s Commerce Director, effective March 29, 2022. In her role as Commerce Director, Nadol will oversee the City’s economic development efforts and implement policies to support the growth of small businesses along with the attraction and retention of major companies.
“Anne’s background and experience are exactly the right fit for Philadelphia as we continue to navigate the complex economic climate facing the city in the wake of the pandemic,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “With her expertise in both the public and private sectors, and her track record of forging collaborative, cross-sector partnerships, I’m confident that Anne is the right person to help Philadelphia’s business community continue to rebound and set our city up for an equitable recovery in the months and years ahead.”
Previously, Nadol worked for Temple University for more than twenty years in a variety of senior leadership positions, most recently serving as Vice President and Secretary to the Board of Trustees and serving as chief of staff to the President. During her time at Temple, Nadol also led the charge to modernize Board operations and managed various special projects and initiatives including the review of the university’s sexual assualt policies and dispciplinary process and the NCAA recertification. Nadol served five different University presidents and led the President’s Office staff.
“I am excited to build upon and enhance our partnerships in the public and private sector as we work to implement business development efforts that will help spread economic vitality and opportunity to every corner and zip code of Philadelphia,” said Anne Nadol. “I’m honored and humbled to help champion Philadelphia’s small businesses, which are the backbone of communities across the city. As the City’s economic development driver, the Commerce Department is just one critical piece to the larger business ecosystem, and it will take enhanced and focused collaboration across all sectors as we work to drive an inclusive and equitable recovery.”
Prior to her arrival at Temple University in 2000, Nadol served in various roles in government at the local and federal levels, including as Special Assistant to Mayor Ed Rendell where she helped lead Citywide strategic planning initiatives and co-directed preparation for the City’s Five-Year Financial Plan for submission to the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority. In addition, she was a Presidential Management Fellow in the Public and Private Programs Office at the International Trade Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce, where shere coordinated with state development agencies, world trade centers, chambers of commerce, and small business development centers to provide export development support to U.S. businesses. Since 2017, Nadol has served as a Mayoral and Chamber of Commerce appointee on the board of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC).
The Commerce Director position had been vacant since the resignation of Michael Rashid in December 2021.
A headshot for Nadol is available for download online.