John Francescone

John has decades of executive and leadership experience with major universities in Philadelphia. He understands the role of downtown institutions and the benefits they provide to their community. Combined with his experiences in municipal government, John brings insights and skills to downtowns that want to recruit or retain anchor institutions in urban settings.

Bio:  John works with the JGSC Group on revitalization projects involving anchor institutions, such as universities and healthcare. He has more than 35-years of experience in higher education in university administration, municipal governance, strategic planning, and community engagement.

A Certified Public Accountant, John served as Chief of Staff at Villanova University, where he worked closely with senior leadership on institutional operations, governance, strategic initiatives, and stakeholder relations. He later spent nearly 20-years in leadership roles within Temple University including serving as Director of Administrative Services, Director of Facilities, and Director of Finance and Administration.

Earlier in his career, he worked with Arthur Andersen and KPMG, developing expertise in financial management, organizational analysis, and operational effectiveness.In addition to his professional career, John has served for approximately thirty years on the Mount Laurel Township Zoning Board and currently serves on the Mount Laurel Municipal Utilities Authority Board. Through these roles, he has developed extensive experience in municipal governance, land-use matters, public engagement, and collaboration among public, private, and nonprofit stakeholders.