David Gleason Ph.D., W'90, ASC'95, GR'99 is the Senior Vice President, Strategy Director at Publicis New York, one of the world's largest advertising and media services conglomerates, where he works with industry giants Proctor & Gamble and Nestlé, among others. Prior to Publicis, David spent time at advertising leader Ogilvy and Mather. He spent several years at MTV Networks where, after working with TV Land and Nickelodeon, he became Vice-President of Brand and Consumer Strategy at Spike TV.
As a Penn undergraduate, David majored in Finance at the Wharton School and was active in the Philomathean Society. He went on to earn both a Master's degree and a Doctorate in Communications from the Annenberg School. His master's thesis was entitled, "The development of tolerance toward lesbians and gay men among adolescent males: a qualitative analysis of the socialization process." His doctoral dissertation, "Becoming dominant: shifting control and the creation of culture in Provincetown, MA", was an examination of the shifting culture of Provincetown, MA and how class, sexual orientation and the tourist economy were articulated in media and interpersonal communication.
David grew up in Los Angeles and has lived in the East Village in New York City for ten years. On the weekends you can find him roaming around farmers' markets, at restaurants or checking the snow reports at his favorite ski destinations.
Christopher B. Sample, WEV'03 is the Director of Community and Governmental Relations at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office. He serves as a liaison to community organizations and civic groups addressing crime and safety issues, and as a liaison between the District Attorney's Office and Philadelphia's City Council. In addition, he manages Urban Genesis Incorporated, a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation founded by District Attorney Lynne Abraham to make neighborhoods safer by preventing crime, promoting revitalization projects, enhancing educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth, and providing college scholarships. To date, Urban Genesis Inc. has given over $400,000 in grants, awards and scholarships to local and statewide projects. Mr. Sample is also the Treasurer for the Institute for Leadership Education, Advancement and Development Inc., (I-LEAD), a statewide leadership institute co-founded by District Attorney Lynne Abraham and David Castro, Esquire. He currently serves as Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Black Alumni Society.
Prior to joining the District Attorney's Office, he served as a political consultant to Mayor W. Wilson Goode, Congressman William H. Gray, State Representative Louise Williams Bishop, Councilman Michael Nutter, Mayoral candidate George Burrell and District Attorney candidate Walter Phillips. In 2004, while a member of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists, Sample received a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award in the Public Affairs Program/One-Time Special category as a producer for "Philadelphia Mayoral Debate", which aired on CN8 (Comcast Network).
Mr. Sample graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing. He also received certifications in Lobbying and Campaign Management from the Congressional and Presidential School of Studies at American University, and an advanced certification in Nonprofit Management from LaSalle University's Nonprofit Center. He is a proud alumnus of both Leadership Philadelphia and the FBI Citizens' Academy.
He is a member of Ezekiel Baptist Church in Southwest Philadelphia where Rev. Brian D. King is the Pastor.
In June 2006,
Esperanza C. Altamar, GFA'00 joined the Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) as the Manager of Community Programs. Before joining the PMA, she was the Assistant Curator of Education for Community Programs at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Ms. Altamar also worked as the assistant to Kirk Varnedoe, the Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture, at New York's Museum of Modern Art. She brings to the PMA her experience in museum programs and community involvement.
Ms. Altamar was recently selected to receive a Diversity Fellowship from the American Association of Museums, and spoke as part of a panel discussion entitled "Led by the Needs of the Community: Underserved and Overlooked" in April 2008 at the AAM's annual meeting and MuseumExpo.
As an artist and educator, Ms. Altamar manages the community initiatives of the Division of Education and works closely with community partners to provide artist in residency programs in the community, access to special exhibitions, and workshops both on- and offsite for various audiences from children to adults. She has also facilitated events at Taller Puertorriqueño, Perkins Center for the Arts, Burchfield-Penney Art Center, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo Arts Studio, University of Buffalo, and the Race & Reconciliation Conference of the City of Buffalo, NY. Ms. Altamar earned a Master of Fine Arts from the School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Randolph-Macon Woman's College.
In June 2006,
