About Us
Founded by a student at the University of Pennsylvania, CCD has assembled an experienced group of advisors and board members to guide its efforts. CCD's senior staff and board of directors include:
President Naomi R. Dank, Ph.D.: Dr. Dank has over 35 years of experience managing non-profit organizations. She was the director of Montgomery County Emergency Services from 1974 until 1994. In 1994, she left MCES to serve as a founder of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research, where she currently serves as Associate Director.
Contact Naomi Dank: ndank@civicdocumentaries.org
Executive Director Jacob Finkel: Mr. Finkel, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, founded CCD to increase interest in civic affairs amongst his peers. He supervises CCD's production efforts and is directing Portrait of a Citizen. He has created dozens of short films on a variety of topics, including gun control, global poverty, and community activism. He has worked with several leading video production firms in Philadelphia.
Contact Jacob Finkel: jfinkel@civicdocumentaries.org
Hon. Phyllis W. Beck, Board Member: Judge Beck became Vice Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1976 and held that position until 1981, when she was appointed to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. The first woman to serve on the Superior Court, Judge Beck became Senior Judge at the end of 1997, and stepped down from the bench in 2005. Judge Beck currently serves as Legal Counsel to the Barnes Foundation.
Irene Menell, Board Member: Ms. Menell is a trustee of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. She chairs the University of Cape Town Foundation and is a Trustee of the READ Organization of South Africa. Ms. Menell is a prominent advocate for democracy in South Africa and around the world.
Beth Rosner, Board Member: Ms. Rosner is the publisher of Science Magazine and the director of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Office of Publishing and Member Services. Ms. Rosner holds a B.A. and an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University. She serves on numerous committees and boards, including the National Academy of Sciences and the American Institute of Physics.
Dr. Michael Greenberg, M.D., Board Member: Dr. Greenberg is Chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Fio Corporation, a start-up that is developing a hand-held, point-of-care diagnostic device for infectious disease. Prior to 2003, Dr. Greenberg was Chairman and CEO of Cedara Software Corp., which he grew from a 10-person, contract-engineering computer hardware company into a global imaging software company with annual revenues of $50 million.