For immediate release
Contact: Daneil Mazone, Media Relations
Philadelphia, PA — The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia announces the appointment of Bret Perkins, senior vice president of external and government affairs at Comcast Corporation, as a Class B director. His term was effective on January 1, 2022.
Madeline Bell, president and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, was reappointed to a one-year term as chair. Anthony Ibargüen, CEO of Quench USA, Inc., was reappointed to a one-year term as deputy chair. In addition, Sharmain Matlock-Turner, president and CEO of the Urban Affairs Coalition, was reappointed to serve a three-year term as a Class C director.
As senior vice president of external and government affairs, Perkins is responsible for implementing Comcast’s local regulatory and legislative initiatives, managing relationships with local intergovernmental associations, and developing political strategy and grassroots communications. Since joining Comcast in 2001, Perkins has managed local government affairs while the company grew from operating in 2,500 to approximately 6,400 communities nationwide. He has also played an integral role in the development and launch of Internet Essentials, the company’s Internet adoption program for low-income Americans. Before joining Comcast, he was vice president of System Services and assistant to the president at Mercy Health System in Pennsylvania. He also worked at Keystone Mercy/AmeriHealth Mercy Health Plan and with the North Philadelphia Health System.
In addition to serving as a Temple University trustee, Perkins is on the boards of Temple University Health System, Spring Garden Lending, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the American Council of Young Political Leaders, and the Philadelphia Citizen. In 2008, Perkins received the National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s Vanguard Award for Young Leadership. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Temple University.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s nine-member board of directors oversees Bank operations, offers observations on economic conditions, establishes the Bank’s discount rate, and is a link between the Federal Reserve and the communities in the Third District, which includes eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware. In keeping with the Federal Reserve Act, District member banks elect three Class A directors to represent banking and three Class B directors to represent the public, while the Board of Governors appoints three Class C directors, including the chair and deputy chair of the board, to represent the public. Neither Class B nor Class C directors may be directors or officers of a bank or bank holding company, and Class C directors may not have any financial interests in such organizations.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia helps formulate and implement monetary policy; supervises state member banks, bank holding companies, and savings and loan holding companies; and provides financial services to depository institutions and the federal government. It is one of the 12 regional Reserve Banks that, together with the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., make up the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia serves eastern and central Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware.