Joe Torsella

Joseph M. Torsella (born October 8, 1963) is an American politician and former diplomat, who served as the Pennsylvania Treasurer from 2017 to 2021.

After graduating from Wyoming Seminary, Torsella earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and history from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1986.

As a Rhodes Scholar (1986–1990), he did graduate work in American history at New College, Oxford.

In 1988, the United States Congress passed and President Ronald Reagan signed the Constitution Heritage Act calling for the creation of a National Constitution Center to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people".

The non-profit museum and education center was to be located in Philadelphia.

But for almost a decade the project languished, financially troubled and inadequately focused.

Torsella served as Philadelphia's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning for Mayor Ed Rendell (later Governor of Pennsylvania) from January 1992 to September 1993.

He was not yet 30.

Under Rendell, Torsella developed and implemented financial and labor reforms that led the city toward a fiscal rebound that the New York Times called "one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent urban history".

The municipal renaissance was chronicled in journalist Buzz Bissinger's book A Prayer for the City, in which Torsella describes the Rendell administration's philosophy as "taking control of the government and restructuring it for effectiveness".

He previously served as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia from 1997 though 2003 and again from 2006 through 2008 and as the Chairman of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education from 2008 through 2011.

By 1997, the Constitution Center was still not built and already had an operating deficit of $200,000 (Philadelphia Business Journal, January 3, 2003).

That year, Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell asked Torsella to become President and CEO.

Torsella raised $185 million in private and public funds, formed a board of trustees led by Vanguard Group founder John C. Bogle and got the project back on track.

The National Constitution Center opened on July 4, 2003, in a modern glass-fronted 160000 sqft structure (designed by Henry H. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners) located on the north end of Independence Mall.

In 2004, Torsella ran for a seat in the U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district.

Torsella received endorsements from the region's major newspapers, including the Philadelphia Inquirer, but was outspent by close to $1 million, and lost in a close Democratic Party primary to Allyson Schwartz.

In 2005, Torsella co-chaired the city of Philadelphia's bid for the 2016 Olympic Games, along with David L. Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast Corp, and Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley.

Torsella returned as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center in 2006, after his successor, Richard Stengel, left to become managing editor of Time magazine.

Under Torsella's leadership, the Center became the permanent home of the annual Liberty Medal ceremony.

The medal was presented in 2006 to former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton for their humanitarian work following Hurricane Katrina and the tsunami in Southeast Asia.

In 2007, it went to Bono and DATA, the advocacy organization Bono co-founded for raising awareness about AIDS and extreme poverty in Africa.

In 2007, Torsella personally persuaded former President George H. W. Bush to serve as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the only active board position President Bush then held.

In 2008, the medal was presented to Mikhail Gorbachev to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Constitution Center also hosted key events during the 2008 presidential race.

On March 18, 2008, then-Senator Barack Obama delivered his much-heralded speech on race relations in America at the Constitution Center, one that historians Garry Wills and Harold Holzer have compared to Abraham Lincoln's famous Cooper Union address.

On April 16, 2008, the National Constitution Center hosted a Democratic presidential primary debate between Senators Obama and Hillary Clinton, the last and highest rated debate of the primary season.

That evening, Torsella's appearance on The Colbert Report aired on Comedy Central, in a segment awarded "Best TV Performance" in Philadelphia Magazine's 2008 Best of Philly issue.

In 2008, on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Constitution Center launched an International Engagement Program to promote constitutional principles in emerging democracies by using the civic learning and educational initiatives it developed at the Constitution Center.

The Program sought to bolster civil society in Afghanistan through partnerships with the Ministry of Education, the Marefet School and non-governmental organizations.

The Constitution Center supported Nasim Fekrat, Afghanistan's leading blogger, to strengthen citizen journalism in the country.

On December 11, 2008, Torsella announced that he would be stepping down as President and CEO of the Constitution Center at the end of January 2009.

The Philadelphia Inquirer described his tenure as a "resounding success" and called him a "modern-day founding father".

In 2008, Torsella announced that former President Bill Clinton would replace Bush as chairman as of January 1, 2009.

In addition, the Constitution Center provided Afghan students with digital cameras and camcorders to capture the sights and sounds of freedom, religious expression and other civic themes as part of its Being "We the People" exhibit project, which opened at the Constitution Center on August 24, 2009.

In 2009, Torsella announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2010 U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania.

Torsella withdrew from the race after incumbent Senator Arlen Specter switched party affiliations from Republican to Democrat, citing a desire to avoid a potentially negative primary fight that would weaken Democratic chances in the November 2010 general election.

He served as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform (with the rank of ambassador) from 2011 to 2014.

Chicago was ultimately selected as the U.S. Olympic bid city, but Torsella continued to serve as co-chairman of the Philadelphia Olympic and International Sports Project the successor organization to Philadelphia 2016 that attracted two Olympic team trial events, table tennis and gymnastics.

In 2016, Torsella was elected as Pennsylvania State Treasurer, beating Republican Otto Voit of Berks County.