The Board of Directors for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/SEP) has elected Stephen Spinelli, Jr., Ph.D., and Anthony E. Wagner to serve on the board. Spinelli is currently the president of Philadelphia University. Wagner is senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of Temple University.

"These two new board members deepen Ben Franklin's relationships with the region's universities. Universities are a key generator of the people, concepts and technologies that increasingly are the foundation of new growth companies," says RoseAnn B. Rosenthal, President & CEO.

Biography of Stephen Spinelli, Jr., Ph.D.
In 2007, Stephen Spinelli, Jr., Ph.D. became the president of Philadelphia University, bringing his entrepreneurial background to lead an institution that is a recognized leader in the architecture, design, engineering, business, textiles and health and sciences fields.

Dr. Spinelli began his prolific career by co-founding Jiffy Lube International in 1979. Three years later, Jiffy Lube became a franchise, and Spinelli remained a director of the company. As co-founder of Jiffy Lube International and chairman and CEO of the American Oil Change Corporation, Dr. Spinelli helped to pioneer the quick-lube industry nationwide. Jiffy Lube became the nation's dominant competitor with more than 1,000 service centers.

Thirteen years after founding Jiffy Lube, Dr. Spinelli sold his founding shares to pursue a career in academia. He and his family moved to London, where he received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of London's Imperial College. Dr. Spinelli then became a Professor at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. He held a variety of leadership positions during his 14-year tenure at Babson. As vice provost, Dr. Spinelli was instrumental in strengthening and growing important Babson initiatives, including the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM), the world's largest collaborative research project studying entrepreneurship.

Biography of Anthony E. Wagner
Anthony E. Wagner joined Temple University in May 2007 and is the senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. His areas of responsibility include Budget, the Controller functions, Treasury, Endowment Management, Risk Management and Insurance, Procurement, Human Resources and Business Services. He is also member of the Temple University Health System Board of Directors. Before joining the university, he was Deputy State Treasurer for Investments at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Treasury Department, where he also served as acting State Treasurer immediately prior to joining Temple.

Mr. Wagner's career has been focused on responsibilities in both state government and higher education in Pennsylvania. He served in the governor's budget office in both the Casey and Rendell administrations and was deputy secretary of the budget for Governor Rendell. He also spent nine years at Penn State University and served in the following positions: director of governmental affairs, assistant to the senior vice president for finance and business and assistant corporate controller. Mr. Wagner earned his bachelor's degree at Penn State after serving four years as a deep-sea diver in the U.S. Navy and is an ordained permanent deacon of the Roman Catholic Church.