FREE LIBRARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

George Day, Elizabeth Grenald, and Patrick Michael Oates join Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation Board of Directors

PHILADELPHIA, February 8, 2010—The Free Library of Philadelphia was pleased to appoint George Day, Ph.D., Elizabeth Grenald, and Patrick Michael Oates, Ph.D. to the Free Library of Philadelphia Foundation Board of Directors at the January 26 meeting.

The Geoffrey T. Boisi Professor of Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, Dr. George “Sandy” Day also serves as the Co-Director of Wharton’s Mack Center for Technological Innovation. He has held previous appointments at the University of Toronto, the International Management Development Institute in Lausanne, Switzerland, Stanford University, and the Marketing Science Institute. The author of 17 books in the areas of marketing, strategic management, and technological innovation, Dr. Day is the recipient of numerous professional leadership awards and presently serves on five editorial boards, including as the Chairman-elect of the American Marketing Association. Dr. Day received a Ph.D. from Columbia University, an M.B.A. from the University of Western Ontario, and a B.A.Sc. from the University of British Columbia. He has been a member of the Free Library’s George S. Pepper Society since 1998, and in the summer of 2009, he established the Bobbie Gohn Day Memorial Lecture in honor of his late wife, who was also a longtime Library supporter and board member.

The Free Library’s Board of Directors also welcomed Elizabeth “Sis” Grenald, the former owner of the Chapter and Verse bookstore. Mrs. Grenald is involved in a number of civic organizations, including the Fox Chase Cancer Center, where she was a board member for many years. She currently serves on the Center’s fundraising Board of Associates, which she formerly chaired. Mrs. Grenald also serves on the boards of the Moore College of Art and Design and the PKG Foundation—her family foundation—and is a long-term volunteer with the Philadelphia Museum of Art as a Park House Guide. A member of the Cosmopolitan Club, Mrs. Grenald is also a member of the Pepper Society Council and a regular participant and supporter of many Free Library programs and services.

A native Philadelphian, Dr. Patrick Michael Oates is the Director of Business Development for Cherokee Analytical Laboratory Services. Before assuming his position, Dr. Oates served as Director of Government Affairs and Scientific Relations for Cherokee Pharmaceuticals. After receiving a doctorate from Howard University, Dr. Oates held positions with GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. He has also served on the board of directors of several community organizations such as Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center, the American Diabetes Association, and the Philadelphia High School Academies. Dr. Oates currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Sciences of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Tribune Charities.

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The Free Library of Philadelphia system consists of 49 branches, three regional libraries, the Parkway Central Library, and the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. With more than 6 million visits annually, the Free Library is one of the most widely used educational and cultural institutions in Philadelphia.