During PYB’s April 5th Board Meeting, John McDonald was elected to join PYB’s dynamic Board of Directors as its 18th member. Just under 7 
months now, John, the Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel of Toll Brothers, Inc., a publicly traded homebuilding company, quickly emerged as a valuable board leader. A member on both of PYB’s Real Estate and Strategic Planning Committees, John has devoted much of his time and talent to assist in the formative stages of PYB’s development.
John’s deep commitment to PYB is due to his belief in the organization’s mission and his own identification with its values, beginning with his appreciation for Philadelphia.
Born in Queens, New York, John spent his entire youth overseas, and then attended high school in suburban Maryland. He went on to attend Haverford College, where he competed on the men’s basketball team. Although John has moved a bit throughout his life, he has always returned to the City of Brotherly Love and considers this City his home.
John has come to understand his home environment quite well. After law school, John started his career in public service as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
“This was a transformative part of my career because it introduced me to the City of Philadelphia, its court system, and, most importantly to the neglected parts of our City and the victims in these neighborhoods,” John states, “I tried over fifty major criminal jury trials and I learned how to be an effective and credible advocate for our City and its victims. But I was also sensitive to the terribly uneven playing field out there that results in a disproportionate amount of crime coming from certain areas of our City.”
“Philadelphia has certainly “come back” with its wonderful restaurants and its venues for art and culture, but it has strayed from a greater purpose, which is taking care of our children and families in the less-resourced neighborhoods of our City,” John says.
John recognizes PYB’s potential to help decrease the acts of crime and violence in Philadelphia. “I am hooked on the vision for PYB and what we could all accomplish in the area of youth development for kids who need mentors, role models, inspiring teachers and coaches or just a push in the right direction,” John states.
“The PYB center will become an important destination. People will come to visit to see what we are doing, how we are doing it, and the successes that we are having. Our kids will come back to us as college graduates and young professionals and, hopefully, lead the next generation of our PYB kids.”
PYB looks forward to continuing to forge forward to ensure that all aspects of PYB’s important mission become realities. With the assistance of John McDonald and the rest of PYB’s hard working board members and supporters, we are confident that PYB will achieve its ambitious and meaningful goals.
By Diana Venezia, Fund Development Coordinator