Ken Lawrence, Senior Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs, oversees Government Relations directing all of Temple’s lobbying activities at the state, local and federal levels of government as well as overseeing the offices of Community Relations and University Communications. Prior to joining Temple, Ken was a successful entrepreneur as Founder and President of Public Affairs Strategies where he represented corporate and non-profit organizations, worked for five years at Merck & Company, Inc. handling public, community, and media relations, and served as Public Policy Representative for the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Ken is a graduate of Temple University with a degree in Political Science and has a Master’s degree of Governmental Administration from the Fels Center of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. He is involved with a wide variety of civic organizations, including the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Avenue of the Arts, the Committee of Seventy, Easter Seals of Southeastern PA and Operation Understanding.