The Philadelphia Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) has added three new members to its board of directors, the workforce development agency announced earlier today in a press release.

 The new board members include Dr. M. Brian Blake, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Drexel University; Sherman W. Smith III, counsel in the Philadelphia office of Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney; and Sheona Mackenzie, an educational psychologist. 

MacKenzie is also the wife of Temple University’s president Neil D. Theobald.

“The Philadelphia OIC Board of Directors is extremely excited to welcome Dr. Brian Blake, Sherman Smith and Sheona Mackenzie,” Atif Bostic, chairman of the board of directors of Philadelphia OIC, said in the release. “Each of these outstanding individuals brings a new energy and perspective to the board.  They all truly understand the people we serve.”

Mackenzie served as a school psychologist, for many years working in this capacity in Bloomington, Indiana. The last 14 years of that tenure was spent working with adult education students enrolled in GED and community college placement exam programs. Mackenzie currently co-teaches a freshman seminar in organizational change alongside her husband, Dr. Neil Theobald, President of Temple University.

Prior to Drexel, Blake was vice provost for academic affairs and dean of the graduate school at the University of Miami. As dean of the graduate school, he had oversight and advocacy of university-wide graduate programs consisting of over 155 programs housed in 12 schools and colleges comprised of more than 5700 students.

Smith focuses his practice on a variety of finance and equity matters. His transactional activities include commercial lending, corporate finance, recapitalizations, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, real estate acquisition and development.

“Each of these exceptional sector leaders will strengthen our board and enhance our program offerings in the community,” President and Chief Executive Officer Kevin R. Johnson, Ed.D., said.  “Dr. Blake will inform and deepen our transformative digital education offerings, including our coding bootcamp. Mr. Smith will offer keen legal insight as we grow and expand our overall operations. And Mrs. Mackenzie has important ideas and strategies about working with adult learners, which will strengthen our GED program and other adult education services.”