Wharton alumna and former University Vice President Kathryn J. Engebretson succumbed to breast cancer Thursday in her Bryn Mawr home after a long battle with the disease.
A woman known for her down-to-earth nature and energetic personality, Engebretson was able to bring many improvements to the city in her 48 years.
"In a way-too-short life, she touched so many lives," Vice President of Government, Community and Public Relations Carol Scheman said. Scheman worked with Engebretson from 1997 to 1999, when Engebretson served as the University's vice president for finance.
As the city treasurer, and later Penn's Vice President for Finance, Engebretson will be best remembered for her role in Philadelphia's financial resuscitation from the cusp of bankruptcy in the early 1990s.
She "gave her life to create a city that was on a solid financial footing -- [one] that could be a world-class city and also take care of the most vulnerable of its citizens," Scheman said.
Engebretson became president of the William Penn Foundation -- an organization that works to increase citizens' quality of life through community advancement -- in October of 2001.
Under her leadership, colleagues say that the foundation contributed greatly to the betterment of the West Philadelphia community by supporting the University City District, the Penn Alexander School and West Philadelphia Initiatives.
"She helped galvanize institutions and helped encourage institutions to become deeply involved in their community and their neighborhoods," said Director of the Center for Community Partnerships Ira Harkavy, who worked closely with Engebretson.
Despite her prominence as a city official, Engebretson's accomplishments were not accompanied by pretense.
She was the head of a major foundation in Philadelphia, but she took the train to work, Scheman recalls.
She "had a sense of importance of the work, rather than herself, at the center of the issue," Harkavy said.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Engebretson was also a devoted mother. Her 8-year old daughter, Emma, spoke at her funeral service, which was held yesterday at the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church.
"She really has made her mark in contribution across the area ... by the quality of her work and the quality of her personhood," said Harkavy.
Her strong opinions during meetings were complemented by her inclination to be an active listener.
Engebretson worked through her illness, ensuring that her death was as easy as possible for others. She aided in the selection process of her replacement as president of the William Penn Foundation to ensure the organization's smooth transition and successful continuation.
