Bernard Smalley, first African-American President of Board of Directors of City Trusts

Philadelphia Board of Directors of City Trusts elected city attorney Bernard W. Smalley as its President. The agency responsible for overseeing Philadelphia’s charitable trusts elected unanimously Smalley who becomes the first African-American ever to lead the Board in its 151-year history.

As stated in a report by KYW Newsradio, Smalley sits also on the boards of the Urban Affairs Coalition, the Widener University Delaware Law School, the Ellis Trust for Girls, The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, and The Philadelphia Tribune. Now, he will lead City Trusts at a critical time.

“I am up for the challenge,” he said. “I know there’s so much we can do. “We’re impacting lives beyond us, at some point, I’m not going to be here, but because of what happened with the board’s approval and its push, lives are created and positively impacted going forward, and that’s a big deal.”

You can read: Gun sales in Pennsylvania break previous 2020 record

The Board of Directors of City Trusts administers 119 public charitable trusts, including Girard College, the historic boarding school in North Philadelphia; Wills Eye Hospital, consistently ranked as one of the top eye hospitals in the nation; the John Scott Award, which is bestowed annually in honor of Benjamin Franklin to honor singular achievements in science and medicine; and a series of other trusts dedicated to improving support thousands of Philadelphians in need.

Smalley’s predecessor, Ron Donatucci, the city’s former longtime register of wills, died on Nov. 3.

Honored to serve

“I am honored to serve as President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts,” said Smalley, who has served on the Board since 2001. “Ron Donatucci was a tremendous leader who will be long remembered for his many achievements, particularly on behalf of Wills Eye Hospital and Girard College.

“The Board is uniquely positioned to change lives for the better, and I look forward to working in partnership with my fellow Board members to expand our ability to serve people from all walks of life in Philadelphia.”