Joseph M. Torsella

Joseph M. "Joe" Torsella (born October 8, 1963 in Berwick, PA) is President and CEO of the National Constitution Center located on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. Currently serving his second term as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center, Torsella led the Center from 1997-2003, and returned in 2006.

Torsella was an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Phi Beta Kappa, 1986, with a degree in economics and history. As a Rhodes Scholar (1986-1990), he did graduate work in American History at New College, Oxford. His wife, Carolyn Short Torsella, is a trial lawyer and partner at Reed Smith LLP . They live with their four children in Flourtown, PA.

Early career

Torsella served as Philadelphia's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning for Mayor Edward G. Rendell (now Governor of Pennsylvania) from January 1992 to September 1993. He was not yet 30. Under Rendell, Torsella developed and implemented financial and labor reforms that led the city toward a fiscal rebound that the "New York Times" called "one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent urban history" [Hinds, Michael deCourcy, "Philadelphia Climbs Out of Fiscal Depths and Builds by Sharing Sacrifices," "New York Times", April 6, 1993, pg. A-19] . The municipal renaissance was chronicled in journalist Buzz Bissinger's book "A Prayer for the City" [Bissinger, H.G., "A Prayer for the City", Random House 1997] , in which Torsella describes the Rendell administration's philosophy as "taking control of the government and restructuring it for effectiveness" [Bissinger, 1997: 123] .

National Constitution Center 1997-2003

In 1988, the United States Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed the Constitution Heritage Act calling for the creation of a National Constitution Center to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people" [ [http://www.theconstitutional.com/about/abou-enable.html The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia ] ] . The non-profit museum and education center was to be located in Philadelphia. But for almost a decade the project languished, financially troubled and inadequately focused [Van Allen, Peter, "Hospitality review preview: Under Pressure, Joseph M. Torsella" "Philadelphia Business Journal", January 3, 2003, pg. 8] .

By 1997, the Constitution Center was still not built and already had an operating deficit of $200,000 ("Philadelphia Business Journal", January 3, 2003). That year, Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell asked Torsella to become President and CEO. Torsella raised $185 million in private and public funds, formed a board of trustees led by Vanguard Group founder John C. Bogle and got the project back on track [Nussbaum, Debra, "A Renaissance Go-to guy," "Philadelphia Inquirer", November 11, 2001, Sunday Magazine] . The National Constitution Center opened on July 4, 2003 in a modern glass-fronted 160,000 square foot structure (designed by Henry H. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners) located on the north end of Independence Mall [Rybczynski, Witold, "More Perfect Union of Function and Form," "New York Times", July 8, 2003] .

Political aspirations

In 2004, Torsella ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District. Despite receiving endorsements from the region's major newspapers, including the "Philadelphia Inquirer" ["Pa. Primary Elections A Summary of Endorsements," "Philadelphia Inquirer", April 25, 2004] , Torsella lost in a close Democratic Party primary to Allyson Schwartz [Prichard, Oliver "Schwartz, Brown will vie for Hoeffel seat; Schwartz's Democratic win was narrow. Melissa Brown coasted in GOP." "Philadelphia Inquirer", April 28, 2004] .

Olympic Bid 2005

In 2005, Torsella co-chaired the city of Philadelphia's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, along with David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast Corp [http://www.comcast.com] , and Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley. Chicago was ultimately selected, but Torsella continues to serve as co-chairman of the Philadelphia Olympic and International Sports Project [http://www.philadelphiasportscongress.com] , an organization that has attracted two Olympic team trial events - table tennis and gymnastics - to Philadelphia.

Return to National Constitution Center 2006

Torsella returned as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in 2006, after his successor, Richard Stengel, left to become managing editor of "Time" magazine. Under Torsella's leadership, the Center has become the permanent home of the annual Liberty Medal ceremony. The medal was presented in 2006 to former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton for their humanitarian work following Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Southeast Asia. In 2007, it went to Bono and DATA [http://www.data.org] , the advocacy organization he co-founded for raising awareness about AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.

In 2007, Torsella personally persuaded former President George H. W. Bush to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees [Eichel, Larry, "Bush 41 Will Chair Constitution Center" "Philadelphia Inquirer", January 12, 2007 pg. A-1] . It is the only active board position President Bush holds [Eichel, "Philadelphia Inquirer", 2007] .

On April 16, 2008, the National Constitution Center hosted a Democratic presidential primary debate between Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. The nationally televised event was the last debate of the primary season.

That evening, Torsella's appearance on The Colbert Report aired on Comedy Central to great acclaim. [http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?episodeId=165830] The hilarious segment was awarded "Best TV Performance" in "Philadelphia Magazine's" 2008 Best of Philly issue.

Other endeavors

In 1994, Torsella developed the Spaghetti Smock, a linen bib for adults [Klein, Michael, "Messy at Mealtime? Now, A Neat Idea Is Offered For Adults" "Philadelphia Inquirer", August 1, 1994 Pg. D-8] .

In 2004, he founded a business consulting firm called 743 Ventures [Panepento, Peter, "A Civic Leader's Works to Protect the Nation's Constitution" "The Chronicle of Philanthropy", August 3, 2006] .

ee also

* National Constitution Center

External links

* National Constitution Center [http://www.constitutioncenter.org]
* Torsella Biography from Constitution Center Website [http://www.constitutioncenter.org/about_us/PresidentandCEO/index.shtml]
* Philadelphia Sports Congress [http://www.philadelphiasportscongress.org]
* City of Philadelphia [http://www.phila.gov]

References