Friends Association/MLK Day

Sixty volunteers from Vanguard and Villanova, as well as local residents, are stepping up to serve on Jan. 16, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Volunteers will give the Friends Association Emergency Family Shelter a deep clean and a fresh coat of paint, joining hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country in volunteer service.

The Friends Association for Care and Protection of Children, based in West Chester, hosts a day of service that leverages the strength of local citizens to help tackle local problems and advance King’s dream of opportunity for all.

“MLK Day is the perfect opportunity to kick off a new service year by joining your community to offer your time, talent, voice, and resources to community service,” said Catherine Friedman, Executive Director of the Friends Association. “By spending time volunteering, we are bringing to life Dr. King’s dream for a better America.”

For information on how you can serve, contact Amy Descovich at 610-431-3598 ext. 205.

Barbara Clarke

Barbara Clarke has been appointed to a two-year term on the Sustainability Advisory Committee for the borough of West Chester. Clarke, the Director of Sustainability with J.L. Architects in West Chester, has successfully completed LEED and Green Globes certification for construction projects that include the areas of higher education, healthcare and wellness, K-12 education, hospitality, retail bulk, and office interiors.

Both LEED and Green Globes are nationally recognized green-rating assessments and certification programs. Both programs work toward the goal of improving building operations, occupant comfort, and the climate. Property owners of an LEED-certified or a Green Globes-certified building are finding the increased marketability, the reduced operating costs, the possible tax benefits, and possible loan reduction to be not only a positive choice for investment, but also one for the environment.

Chester County Commissioners

Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichline was recently elected Chair of the Commissioners during an organizational meeting of the Board of Commissioners. It is her first time to serve as Chair.

Commissioner Kathi Cozzone was re-elected Vice Chair. This election marks the first all-female County Commissioners leadership in Chester County history.

“It is a great honor to serve as Chair, and I thank Kathi and (outgoing Chair) Terence (Farrell) for their confidence in my leadership,” said Kichline. “Together, we will continue the collaborative work that allows us to govern effectively and that sets the high standard of services and programs for the taxpayers and families of Chester County.”

Siemens Healthineers

Anthony Medigo has been named the Vice President of Cardiovascular Solutions at Siemens Healthineers, the Malvern company formerly known as Siemens Healthcare.

Medigo will be responsible for driving go-to-market strategies for cardiovascular solutions; increasing market share for the company’s Advanced Therapies portfolio; developing key opinion leader strategies; and driving cross-modality partnerships with the Ultrasound and Diagnostic Imaging businesses of Siemens Healthineers.

Medigo boasts more than 17 years of experience in cardiology, most significantly in the cardiac and vascular device markets.

Immaculata University/Church Farm School

Immaculata University and the Church Farm School in Exton have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that provides two annual renewable scholarships worth $5,000 per student, per academic year, for a total of $20,000 for each student. The scholarships are available to the first two Church Farm School students who apply, qualify, and are accepted into an Immaculata undergraduate degree program.

“We at Immaculata University are very excited about entering into this Memorandum of Understanding with the Church Farm School,” said Gerald J. Wargo Jr., Vice President for Enrollment Management at Immaculata. “The young men from the Church Farm School are a perfect match for Immaculata, and we are happy to assist these students through our new Immaculata/Church Farm Grant.”

Vanguard

Vanguard, the world’s largest mutual fund manager, said it attracted a record $305 billion last year – an annual total that some firms need decades to reach. Vanguard’s take, which tops the Malvern-based firm’s previous record of $276.4 billion in 2015, includes $93 billion that went into exchange-traded funds, up from $76 billion the year before, spokesman John Woerth indicated. While the bulk of the money flowed into products that track indexes, more than $50 billion was absorbed by active funds that buy bonds or a mix of stocks and bonds.

Vanguard is prospering at a time when other money managers are struggling to hold on to investor cash. Thirty of the 50 largest mutual fund firms suffered net redemptions in the first 11 months of the year.