COMTO Philadelphia 25th Annual Golf Outing Honorary Co-Chairs
UKEE WASHINGTON
Ukee Washington is co-anchor with Jessica Kartalija of CBS News Philadelphia 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and CBS News Philadelphia Now at 10 p.m. on The CW Philly 57. Ukee also hosts the Brotherly Love segment profiling people who have had a positive impact in their communities.
Ukee (born Ulysses Samuel Washington III) joined CBS News Philadelphia as a sports anchor in July 1986. In1996, he moved over to the news desk as early morning and noon anchor. In July 2015, he was promoted to anchor of the evening editions.
Since that time, Ukee has been front and center anchoring some of the region's most memorable stories including Super Storm Sandy in 2012, the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia and Pope Francis' historic visit to the City in 2015. In addition, the versatile anchor's assignments have run the gamut from hosting the 2015Philadelphia Mayoral Candidates Forum to going behind bars to interview a high school classmate on death row. Ukee has even guest co-hosted on the popular CBS network talk show, THE TALK three times, in 2013, 2014 and 2016.
Ukee was raised in West Philadelphia and attended Dover High School in Delaware where he was a celebrated athlete. As a youngster, his other love was music. As a member of the Philadelphia Boys Choir's "elite," he traveled to Russia, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Denmark, and Mexico to perform. Both experiences proved helpful in his broadcasting career as host of the station's live telecasts of the Philadelphia Orchestra and his live coverage of the 1998 Winter Olympic Games from Nagano, Japan.
Prior to coming home to the Philadelphia area, Ukee was a sports anchor at WBBH-TV in Fort Myers, Florida and at WSB-TV in Atlanta. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond. Today, he makes his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
Among his honors, he was named to both the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2008. In February 2017, Philadelphia's City Council confirmed what most of us have already known - it named Ukee a "Living Legend" during its special Black History Month observance.
KENNETH E. LAWRENCE JR.
Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. is the Chair of SEPTA’s Board. The former Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, joined the SEPTA Board in September 2011, and has served as the SEPTA Board Vice Chair since February 2021. He is also a former member of the SEPTA Citizens Advisory Committee.
A well-known leader in the region, Lawrence is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Southeastern Pennsylvania at Highmark Blue Shield. He has an established track record of serving and improving communities across the Commonwealth through roles at Temple University, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Merck & Co., and the consulting firm he founded, Public Affairs Strategies.
Lawrence has previously served on the boards of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association, and Schuylkill River Development Corporation.
JOSEPH HILL
Bringing experience across public service, public affairs, political campaigns, and education policy, Joe leads the firm’s government relations and public advocacy efforts in Philadelphia and southeastern Pennsylvania. He also plays a key role in the firm’s broader executive and legislative branch advocacy and policy monitoring efforts throughout the Commonwealth.
Joe recently returned to the firm after serving as statewide political director and deputy campaign manager for Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s highly successful reelection bid.
Prior to joining Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, Joe served as deputy political director for the Hillary for America campaign in Pennsylvania, where he managed and leveraged the campaign's relationships with elected officials, business leaders, and labor organizations throughout the state. Before this role, he served as the director of public participation for the 2016 Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), leading the public engagement program with various state and local stakeholders in the Philadelphia area.
Joe previously served in a number of roles in the office of U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr., which included advising the senator on issues before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP). During this time, Joe worked on higher education policy, as well as the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that became law in December 2015.
Prior to serving on Capitol Hill, Joe was a Teach for America corps member in Wilmington, Del., where he taught middle school social studies and science, leading his students to significant growth on statewide assessments. Before becoming an educator, Joe served as chairman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission and testified before the House Budget Committee on higher education policy.
Joe holds a B.A. from Georgetown University where he served as an elected member of student government. He currently lives in Philadelphia where he was born and raised. He is a past recipient of COMTO’s Scholarship Program.