About

H.F. (Gerry) Lenfest is the Chairman of The American Revolution Center's Board of Directors. He is a media entrepreneur and philanthropist. After graduating from Columbia Law School in 1958, he practiced law at the New York firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. In 1965, he became corporate counsel of Walter Annenberg’s Triangle Publications. In 1970, he was made managing director of the company’s communications division. With the purchase of two cable television companies from Triangle, he started Lenfest Communications in 1974. In 2000, he sold his cable television operations to Comcast. Mr. Lenfest serves or has served as chairman of the boards and councils of many non-profit organizations, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress. He is a trustee of Columbia University, a past trustee of Washington & Lee University, and past president of the board of Mercersburg Academy. He served actively for three years in the U.S. Navy and spent 24 years in the Reserves, retiring as captain. He resides in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Marguerite. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Mr. Pappas was most recently CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania. Prior to holding that position, he was chairman and CEO of TNP Holdings, Inc., which he started in 1999 to provide marketing and management support to companies in a broad range of industries. For more than 15 years, Mr. Pappas was employed at Johnson & Higgins in New York and Philadelphia, prior to its merger with Marsh & McLennan in 1997, and worked on the integration team through 1998 for the merged entity – J&H Marsh & McLennan. Mr. Pappas has spent the majority of his career in Philadelphia and the greater Northeast. An active member of the community, he has been recognized for his contributions to the Philadelphia area. He is a member of the Union League Club of Philadelphia, and served as its president in 1997 and 1998. Mr. Pappas is vice chairman of the board of trustees at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He received his undergraduate degree from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a master’s degree from Wharton. He resides in the city.

An arbitrator and mediator for the past 25 years, Mr. Acton specializes in the resolution of a wide range of commercial, construction, and international disputes. He previously served as a real estate developer (general manger of Hershey’s Mill for five years) and a corporate executive (secretary and general counsel of Leeds Northrup Company for eight years), as well as an admiralty litigation attorney and a principal of two entrepreneurial ventures. He served for two years as an officer on active sea duty in the U.S. Navy (1955-1957), between attending Yale University (B.S. in English in 1955) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D. in 1960). Mr. Acton previously served on the board of directors of the Chilton Company, a major publisher of books, manuals, and trade journals before its sale in 1979 to ABC Publishing. He also served for five years on the board of directors of the Merion Cricket Club, for 15 years as the secretary (president) of the Yale Class of 1955, and for nine years on the board of the Alumni Society of the Episcopal Academy.

John B. Adams Jr. is President, CEO and director of Bowman Companies, a private real estate holding company in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He is also Chairman of Fauquier Bankshares, Inc., a community bank in Warrenton, Virginia, where he has been a director since 2003. He is also a member of the board of Universal Corporation, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Universal, through its subsidiaries and affiliates, is the world's leading leaf tobacco merchant and processor. He is a member of the Audit and Finance Committees. Mr. Adams serves as Chairman of the National Theatre Corporation in Washington, DC and is a former Trustee of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Virginia Historical Society. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the Virginia Military Institute and JD from Washington and Lee University School of Law. Mr. Adams is Chairman of the Board of the George C. Marshall Foundation.

Josiah Bunting III is president of The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation in New York. He has been a leading educator for more than two decades, having served as Superintendent and Professor of the Humanities at the Virginia Military Institute for eight years and as president of Briarcliff College and Hampden-Sydney College. Mr. Bunting was commissioned a major general in the Virginia Militia and was promoted to lieutenant general in 2002. An accomplished author and sought-after lecturer, he holds honorary degrees from several colleges. He recently published a biography of Ulysses S. Grant.      Mr.Bunting is a former trustee of the George C. Marshall Research Foundation and the Guggenheim Foundation, and a former trustee of the American Association of Rhodes Scholars. He was appointed to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, the National Humanities Council of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Civic Literacy Board of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), and ISI’s Lehrman American Studies Center.

Mr. Burson is founding chairman of Burson-Marsteller, one of the largest public relations agencies in the world. For more than 50 years, Mr. Burson has contributed to the public relations industry and worldwide community as a member and leader of several organizations. He has served as presidential appointee to the Fine Arts Commission, chairman of the National Council on Economic Education, chairman of the USIA Public Relations Advisory Committee, and board member of the World Wildlife Fund. He is founder of the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund, a director of Kennedy Center Productions, Inc., and a trustee and founder of the Fortas Chamber Music Fund. Mr. Burson has received numerous honors and awards, including the Public Relations Society of America Gold Anvil Award, and the Arthur W. Page Society Hall of Fame Award, among many others. He is a World War II veteran with service in France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Mr. Burson is currently the author of a blog focused on the ever-changing role of public relations today.

Stephen H. Case is the managing director and general counsel at Emerald Development Managers LP. For 28 years, he was a partner in the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. He is a Trustee of Columbia University and is non-executive Chairman of the Board of Motors Liquidation Company (formerly General Motors Corporation). Mr. Case, an authority on bankruptcy law, is a graduate of both Columbia College and Columbia Law School. He has taught at the Georgetown University Law Center.

Mr. Dietrich is president of the Dietrich American Foundation which was established in 1963 to collect and make available to the public historically and aesthetically important examples of American decorative and fine arts, primarily of the 18th century.  The Foundation's collection is on loan to more than 25 museums and historic houses around the country.  Prior to that, Mr. Dietrich has served with organizations such as the American Farmland Trust as vice president of development, the Sierra Club as director of foundation and corporate relations, and Conservation International as manager of corporate partnerships.  As an independent consultant, Mr. Dietrich has worked with the Inter-American Development Bank's Multilateral Investment Fund to help establish an institute to train financial professionals in management of funds geared toward direct equity investments in small and medium sized enterprises in Latin America and the Caribbean.  He served as a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development where he conducted research on world social indicators.  He also assisted with the drafting and presentation of a proposal in Spanish for a World Bank judicial reform project in Ecuador.  Earlier in his career, he worked for Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island.  Mr. Dietrich received a B.A. from Wesleyan University and an M.B.A. from Yale School of Management.  He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife, Ginger, and their two young daughters, Olivia and Gardiner.

Mr. Dubose has been in real estate development and construction in Atlanta for the past 40 years. At an early age, through his father and grandfather, he developed a love of history and collecting military artifacts. With his father, he assembled the largest private collection of Civil War military equipment. The exhibit “Turning Point” at the Atlanta History Center is based on this collection. He is a graduate of Washington & Lee University, and served three years in the US Navy after graduation from Naval Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. He served on the Board of Trustees of Washington & Lee University and is currently serving on the Boards of the Atlanta Historical Society, The Civil War Trust, The Gettysburg Foundation, and The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar. He is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati and The Company of Military Historians.

Mr. Buchholz is partner at Blank Rome, one of the nation’s fastest growing law firms. Mr. Buchholz concentrates his practice in government relations and complex commercial litigation. He was special assistant for Homeland Security to George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002. During that time, he also served as transition team chairman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Buchholz has been listed in Who’s Who in American Law and Who’s Who in the East. He was co-chair of the Transition Team for Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett and served as Pennsylvania general counsel for the Bush-Cheney 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. Mr. Buchholz served as chairman of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania from 2007-2010, and serves as a member of many other boards, including the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, Philadelphia Academies, Inc., the Committee of Seventy, and the Pennsylvania Business Council.

Mr. King is partner in the law firm Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. His practice is concentrated in the areas of general business and corporate law and government relations and regulatory affairs, public-private partnerships, and gaming. In 2003, he left the firm to become deputy chief of staff to Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, overseeing public safety and homeland security functions. He was also the Governor’s liaison to the Departments of Banking and State, and to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. In February 2005, Mr. King was appointed to the Governor’s Cabinet, serving as director of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Mr. King is the recipient of the Pennsylvania Meritorious Service Medal, and the National Guard Association of the United States’ Patrick Henry Award. Mr. King is a graduate of Columbia University and the Temple University School of Law (cum laude).

Mrs. Duckett has worked in education, history and museums for 30 years. She served in the TX and MA Departments of Education, produced materials, curriculum guides, and teacher training programs nationwide, and received the Bicentennial Service Award from the State of Pennsylvania. She worked on Boards such as the Society for the Preservation of Landmarks, Guides of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Abraham Lincoln Foundation, James Madison Book Award, and the American Foundation for Urologic Disease. At Independence National Historical Park, she planned, chaired, and directed the Miracle at Philadelphia exhibition, the U.S. Constitutional Convention Bicentennial exhibition, in collaboration with the APS, HSP, and LCP. During the preparation for a permanent National Constitution Center on Independence Mall, she served on its board for many of the formative years as it planned its new building and exhibits. She served as the chair for the launch of Liberty! The American Revolution, a PBS television series. Currently, she is on the Board for the College of Physicians Mutter Museum, ConSource and on the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts. Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, Mrs. Duckett served for 13 years with the National Council on the Humanities. Chairing each of the divisions of Public Programs, Education, and Preservation and Access, she holds the record for the longest serving member of the National Council. A Texas native, she lives in Center City Philadelphia. She attended Smith College, the University of Texas (B.A. cum laude), and Tufts University (M.A.).

Dr. Mitnick is an independent art historian, museum curator, writer, and lecturer. Until her recent move to Philadelphia from Morristown, New Jersey, she served as an adjunct professor of American history painting at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in American painting, sculpture, and architectural history from Rutgers University. She has focused several of her exhibitions and publications on American history painting, including Picturing History; American Painting 1770-1930 and George Washington: American Symbol. In 1995, she was appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman to chair the Task Force on New Jersey History, a 27 member committee charged with evaluating and making recommendations concerning heritage tourism, scholarly research and publications on New Jersey history, historic sites, history education, and government structure for the dissemination of history services in New Jer­sey. She has served as the chairman of the board of the New Jersey Historic Trust, as a member of the 225th Anniversary of the Revolution Celebration Commission, and as president of the Washington Association of New Jersey, the congressionally legislated partner of Morristown National Historical Park. In 2007, Dr. Mitnick was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a member of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, which was established by Executive Order in 1982 to foster the civic, social, educational, and historical value of the arts and humanities in the United States.

Mr. Powell is president of Kravco, Inc, and chairman of Kravco Simon Company, which manages and leases regional enclosed shopping centers and manages community, lifestyle, and office centers. Kravco Simon's largest mall, the Court and the King of Prussia, has eight department stores and is not only the second largest but also one of the most successful malls in the United States. His association with the industry and the Philadelphia area began in 1956. He served as chairman of the board at Alfred University and vice chairman of Montgomery Hospital. He was named a Paul Harris Fellow of the King of Prussia Rotary Club and was also named a Distinguished Citizen by the Boy Scouts of America's Colonial District of the Valley Forge Council. Mr. Powell served in the U.S. Air Force and retired with the rank of captain. He received a B.S. from Alfred University, a Masters from NYU, and an honorary Ph.D. in Humane Letters from Alfred University.

Ambassador Louise V. Oliver served as the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 2004 to 2009. As the first U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO in twenty years, Ambassador Oliver was responsible for the entire U.S. re-engagement with the organization and its 193 member states. Prior to her appointment at UNESCO, Ambassador Oliver worked in the public and private sectors, both as a professional and as a volunteer. She is an expert in the fields of education, philanthropy, public policy, and organization management, and has led national organizations in these and related fields. Because of her belief that education is the key to economic development and civic engagement, she assumed leadership roles in institutions working in the field of education. She also worked with the U.S. Department of Education to foster innovative approaches for achieving greater rigor in education programs. In 1989 former President George H.W. Bush appointed Ambassador Oliver as Commissioner on the National Commission on Children. The Commission’s report advocated major reforms in education, health, and welfare policies and programs at both the state and federal levels. As Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Philanthropy Roundtable, Ambassador Oliver worked closely with the donor community to identify and support effective ways to promote positive change throughout society. She has also worked on women’s issues, and served as the Vice-Chairman of the Independent Women’s Forum. In addition, as a member of the Board of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University, she helped to oversee one of the world’s premiere collections of maps, manuscripts, books, and other materials which document the history of the Americas from the 1400s to the 1820s. Ambassador Oliver graduated with distinction from Smith College, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She is married and has five children.

Ms. Snider was appointed policy advisor on arts and culture for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2003, working directly with Governor Edward G. Rendell to promote cultural incentives throughout the Commonwealth.  She is chair of the board of The Medici Archive Project and was the catalyst for the collaboration between The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and The Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence, Italy, that produced an historic exhibition showcasing Galileo’s Astronomical and Scientific Instruments. Ms. Snider serves on several other boards including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Susquehanna Art Museum, Gettysburg Festival, International Visitors Council, Globalislocal Foundation, Mural Arts Program, Philadelphia Children First, Temple University, Tyler School of Arts Board of Visitors, and was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Culinary Society. She serves as an emeritus board member of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  President George W. Bush recognized Martha’s commitment to philanthropy in June 2008 by presenting her with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.  Ms. Snider holds a fine arts degree and a teaching certification from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art.  She is an artist, flutist, avid art collector, and educator.

Born in Capri, Italy, Templeton attended Fordham University and the University of Rome Medical School. She completed an internship and a residency in pediatrics at the Medical College of Virginia and a residency in general anesthesia at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1977, Templeton began a private practice in pediatric anesthesia at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and was appointed to the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania. Templeton’s tenure as a Senior Clinical Anesthesiologist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ended in 1999 when she retired from the active practice of medicine. Templeton has served on the boards of Opportunity International and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. She presently serves as a trustee of the Scholarship Committee of the Union League of Philadelphia. She also serves on the Ladies’ Committee of the Union League and of The Salvation Army, and is active in her church, Proclamation Presbyterian Church. Templeton was honored by The Salvation Army in 2005, and was awarded, together with her husband John M. Templeton, Jr., the 2006 Heroes of Liberty Award by the National Liberty Museum.