Meet our Executive Director
Rev. Jonathan E. Ford
Rev.
Jonathan Ford is a true Philadelphia son. Born
and raised in the Germantown and Mt. Airy sections of
Philadelphia, he attended Central High School.
While matriculating at Central he was president of the
246th class for two consecutive years and
was an all-star football athlete. After
graduation from Central, he was accepted to the Wharton
School at the University of Pennsylvania. While
there, he participated in the varsity football program
and helped the Penn Quakers win an Ivy League
Championship. After graduation, he began his
professional career in New York City at Price
Waterhouse Coopers, specializing in information
technology for financial services companies.
Entrepreneurial pursuits led Jonathan to establish RMD
Concessions with other business partners. RMD focused
on food and retail concessions in airports and sport
facilities. After a successful three-year stint,
Jonathan returned to management consulting and the
Philadelphia area by taking a senior position with KPMG
Peat Marwick in their electronic commerce
practice. He was recruited from there to join
Automated Financial Systems, the leading commercial
lending solution provider in the United States, with
over 90 of the top 100 banks in America utilize their
products and services. Jonathan Ford joined as
the director of consulting services to lead the
company’s business re-engineering and change
management practices. After a number of
successful years in corporate America, Rev. Ford left
to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities again. He
is currently the managing partner for Urban Harvest
Partnership, LLC, a US Small Business Administration
8(a) certified minority firm specializing in wireless
technology for businesses and municipalities. UHP is
currently sub-contracted by EarthLink and Motorola to
provided field deployment services for the citywide
wireless network for the city of Philadelphia.
This is the largest municipal wireless deployment in
the country to date.
Rev. Ford has always remained closely tied to his church, Taylor Tabernacle. In 1996, he was ordained as a deacon and in 1999 as a minister. He currently serves as the assistant pastor and overseas the offices of administration and Christian education and youth programs for one of the fastest growing churches in Philadelphia. Rev. Ford is an often sought after speaker for churches, businesses, men’s and youth groups across the country.
Rev. Ford also the executive director of Turning the TIDE, a technology training center operated as a separate non-profit subsidiary of the church. Turning the Tide has received a number of federal grants to support its renowned program, Project ECHO, which focuses on providing job training and job placement services, along with entrepreneurial training for ex-offenders. Turning the Tide was recognized in March 2007 by the U. S. Department of Labor with it “Compassion Award” for its exemplary services and long-term success. Rev. Ford has been invited to the White House to consult with other thought leaders from around the country on issues of incarceration and recidivism in America. Under Rev. Ford leadership, Turning the Tide has become one of the first and leading faith-based organizations to provide HIV/AIDS education, counseling and rapid-testing in the city of Philadelphia.
In addition, Rev. Ford is Chairman of the board of directors for The Partnership CDC, an organization dedicated to proving affordable housing and employment opportunities to low income individuals and families. He also serves on the advisory board for the Center for Urban and Theological Studies (CUTS). CUTS is one of the oldest theological seminaries in Philadelphia.
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