Nicholas DeBenedictis to Speak at 125th Convocation

Nicholas DeBenedictis, the Chairman of the Board of the Bryn Mawr-based water and sewer utility, Aqua America, Inc., will help bring in Williamson College of the Trade’s new school year as the keynote speaker at the 125th Convocation on Tuesday, September 15.

Convocation begins at 8:45 with line-up and the raising of the flag in front of the Main Building, and, at 9 a.m., the Convocation Service in the Clara Schrenk Memorial Chapel.

Student-led campus tours will be available for guests following the Convocation Service beginning on the line-up pad in front of the Main Building.

Please R.S.V.P. by September 9, by contacting Michelle Martella at 610-565-1095 or advancement@williamson.edu.

DeBenedictis was Chairman and CEO of Aqua America (formerly known as Philadelphia Suburban Corp.) from 1993 to 2015 and assumed his current role July 1.

Under DeBenedictis’ leadership, the company grew from a market capitalization of $100 million in 1992 to $4.5 billion today and has experienced 15 years of record earnings.

Prior to joining Aqua American, DeBenedictis was Senior Vice President of Corporate and Public Affairs for PECO Energy from 1989-92 and currently serves on the Board of Exelon, of which PECO is a subsidiary.

While president of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce from 1986-89, the chamber grew in membership into one of the five largest in the nation.

He served in two cabinet positions in Pennsylvania government: Secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources, from 1983-86, and Director of the Office of Economic Development, from 1981-83. Earlier, he spent eight years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

DeBenedictis earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering and Science at Drexel University. He served in the Army Corps of Engineers, reaching the rank of Captain.

He was elected Chairman of the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Board of Directors in 2004 and is the current president of the Pennsylvania Society.

He serves on the Policy Committee of the Pennsylvania Council, is a member of the Executive Committee of the greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and also serves on the Board of Directors of many regional businesses and economic and environmental organizations, including Drexel University, Exelon Corp., PNC Bank, P.H. Glatfelter Co., and Independence Blue Cross.

He is a past president of the National Association of Water Companies and has received numerous awards for public service and civic leadership.