Commencement 2025

Former Assistant Vice President, Thomas Jefferson University Athletics Department

Tom Shirley is a legendary collegiate athletics leader whose career spans more than four decades—as a coach, administrator, mentor and advocate for student success.

Shirley served as Assistant Vice President for Athletics at Thomas Jefferson University from 1992 until his retirement in 2023, overseeing significant growth and transformation within the university’s athletic programs. Under his leadership, Jefferson added 10 varsity sports, constructed the state-of-the-art Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center, and partnered with major athletic brands to raise the profile of Rams athletics.

As head coach of Jefferson’s women’s basketball team since 1989, Shirley has built one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II history. He recently celebrated his 900th career win in his 43rd season as a head coach, placing him among the all-time winningest coaches across all divisions. His tenure includes 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, nine conference titles, and the development of dozens of all-conference and All-American student-athletes—boasting a 98.6% graduation rate among recruits, with more than two-thirds earning a master’s degree or higher.

Shirley enters the 2025-26 campaign with 905 victories, tops (#1) among active Division II coaches. Across all NCAA divisions, he ranked third among active coaches and 9th all-time through 2024-25. In his 35 seasons at the university, the Rams have a record of 756-313 and have won at least 20 games 27 times, including their first 30+ wins in a season.

Beyond athletics, Shirley has left an indelible mark through philanthropy and service. He established the Kathleen and Thomas R. Shirley Sr. Scholarship in honor of his parents to support students from Roxborough, Manayunk and East Falls. He has served on numerous NCAA committees and selection boards, including as Chair of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Championship Committee and a member of the NCAA Division II Championships Committee. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Board of Trustees for New Foundations Charter School in Philadelphia.

A proud alumnus of DeSales University, Shirley earned his master’s degree from Temple University and is a member of multiple athletic halls of fame. He resides in Harleysville, Pennsylvania with his wife, Monica. They are the proud parents of two daughters, Kristen and Caitlin, and grandparents to Ava, Addie, Nathan and Lennon.

Bryant M. Greene is a distinguished entrepreneur, advocate, and philanthropist whose work has significantly advanced access to compassionate senior care and community-based services across the region.

He is the founder, owner, and administrator of Always Best Care Senior Services of Philadelphia, Bucks and Delaware Counties and the Main Line, as well as Always Best Care Delaware. Under his leadership, the multi-franchise organization has become a regional leader in home care and assisted living placement, earning Greene multiple Franchisee of the Year honors from the company’s national headquarters.

Greene also serves as president of the BMG Circle of Life, LLC, and is active on numerous professional and nonprofit boards. He is the host of the public affairs program Did You Know, broadcast on WURD Radio and regional cable television, where he highlights civic, cultural and public health topics.

A Central High School graduate, Greene earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Virginia State University and his MBA in international and global business from the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Sciences—now Thomas Jefferson University.

His philanthropic commitments include endowing scholarships for business students at both of his alma maters and leading the top corporate fundraising team for the Walk to End Alzheimer’s for nearly a decade. He resides in southern New Jersey, where he also operates an animal rescue farm.

Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel is a distinguished law enforcement professional with an impressive 38-year career, most of which was spent serving the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD). Born and raised in Southwest Philadelphia, Commissioner Bethel joined the PPD in 1986 and quickly emerged as a respected leader.

Throughout his career, he excelled in key roles across several divisions, including Special Investigations, the Narcotics Strike Force, the Field Unit, Intelligence and Internal Affairs. In 2009, he was appointed Deputy Commissioner of Patrol Operations by former PPD Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey. In that role, he advanced a data-driven model of policing and championed inclusive leadership—developing department policy for interactions with the LGBTQIA+ community. He also helped implement strategies that significantly reduced violent crime and contributed to record-low homicide rates prior to his retirement in 2016.

After retiring, Commissioner Bethel continued his service as a Stoneleigh Fellow, expanding his nationally recognized School Diversion Program to create meaningful alternatives for at-risk youth.

From 2019 to 2023, he served as Chief of School Safety for the School District of Philadelphia, leading a team of 300 safety officers committed to mentorship and student-focused interventions. His work prioritized community engagement and proactive safety strategies, leaving a lasting impact on the district.

In January 2024, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker appointed Commissioner Bethel to lead the Philadelphia Police Department, recognizing his experience, leadership, and commitment to strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the communities it serves.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Chestnut Hill College and a Master of Science in Public Safety Management from St. Joseph’s University. A graduate of the FBI National Academy, he remains committed to lifelong learning and professional development.

Commissioner Bethel is married, a proud father of three adult children, and a lifelong Philadelphian.

Robert H. Rosenwasser, MD, MBA, FACS, FAHA, is an internationally recognized neurosurgeon, educator and health system leader. He serves as the Jewell L. Osterholm Professor and Chair of Neurological Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University and as President and CEO of the Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience in both Philadelphia and Rome.

A pioneer in neurovascular surgery, Dr. Rosenwasser joined Jefferson in 1994 as Director of Interventional Neuroradiology and became Chair of Neurological Surgery in 2004. He has advanced Jefferson’s reputation in cerebrovascular care while contributing nearly 500 peer-reviewed publications and co-editing four major textbooks.

Board-certified and fellowship-trained in both open and endovascular techniques, he is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Heart Association. His current research explores stem cell therapies and brain-computer interface technologies for stroke and spinal cord injury recovery.

Dr. Rosenwasser earned his MD from LSU and his MBA in Finance and Data Analytics from Villanova University. He is a member of numerous national and international neurosurgical societies and a past president of the Society of University Neurosurgeons.

Thomas J. Nasca, MD, MACP, is a renowned physician leader, medical educator and advocate for physician well-being whose career has shaped the future of graduate medical education in the U.S. and around the world.

Dr. Nasca currently serves as Senior Fellow and Administrative Director of the Center for Professionalism and the Future of Medicine. He is President Emeritus of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Founding President Emeritus of ACGME International. Dr. Nasca is also a Professor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and a senior scholar in the Department of Medical Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

An Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Dr. Nasca previously served as Dean of the medical college and as Jefferson’s Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs before assuming leadership of the ACGME in 2007. In his tenure, he led sweeping reforms in residency training and accreditation and was a founding co-chair of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-Being and Resilience.

Board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology, Dr. Nasca has served in leadership roles across numerous medical education organizations and federal advisory committees, including the Council on Graduate Medical Education and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 500 invited lectures.

His numerous honors include election as a Master of the American College of Physicians and multiple lifetime achievement awards in internal medicine and medical education. He holds honorary degrees from the University of Toledo, Commonwealth Medical College, Wake Forest University and Georgetown University.

Sandra Sheller is a visionary philanthropist, civic leader, author and board-certified art and family therapist whose five-decade career has been defined by a deep commitment to improving the lives of underserved individuals and families.

After earning a BFA in graphic design from Moore College of Art, she became one of the first female art directors in the advertising industry, winning an American Advertising Award (ADDY) for billboard design. She later earned a master’s in Creative Arts in Therapy and a post-master’s certification in family therapy from Drexel University, where she taught and supervised graduate students as an assistant clinical professor.

Sandy co-developed a nationally recognized parenting model for families experiencing homelessness, which reached over 27 agencies across Philadelphia. Her trauma-informed initiatives transformed care delivery at organizations like The Salvation Army, and she continues to be a thought leader on family homelessness through published scholarship and national speaking engagements.

Today, Sandy serves as president of The Sheller Family Foundation, where she advances equity in health care, education, housing, and addiction services. At Jefferson, she helped establish the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Consult and Bridge Program and the Distinguished Professorship in Supportive Healthcare. She also helped create the JoAnne A. Epps Fellowship in Drug Policy and Substance Use Treatment at Temple University.

She and her husband, Stephen, have been honored with numerous awards, including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Secretary’s Award for Public-Philanthropic Partnerships and the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Outstanding Individual Philanthropist Award.

Stephen A. Sheller is a nationally renowned trial attorney, advocate for civil rights and transformative philanthropist whose six-decade legal career has advanced justice, accountability and social equity.

Founder and managing partner of Sheller, P.C., a leading plaintiffs’ law firm, Sheller has litigated landmark cases involving civil rights, medical malpractice, toxic torts and pharmaceutical fraud. Early in his career, he defended members of the Black Panther Party and helped secure one of the nation’s first successful equal pay rulings. He went on to play a pivotal role in the Bush v. Gore legal battle and helped secure multibillion-dollar settlements against the tobacco industry and pharmaceutical giants using the False Claims Act. In 2019, he and co-counsel won an $8 billion verdict against Janssen Pharmaceuticals—one of the largest known verdicts for a single plaintiff.

Sheller holds both his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of three books. His many honors include the Legal Intelligencer’s Lifetime Achievement Award and the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Citizens Commission for Human Rights. He holds honorary doctorates from Drexel University and Temple University Beasley School of Law.

A longtime civic leader, he has served on advisory boards for the Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia and Drexel University’s Kline School of Law, and is an Emeritus Trustee of Drexel University.

Together with his wife, Sandy, he co-founded The Sheller Family Foundation, which supports health equity, social justice, and substance use treatment. At Jefferson, their impact includes the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Consult and Bridge Program and the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Distinguished Professorship in Supportive Healthcare. They also established the JoAnne A. Epps Fellowship in Drug Policy and Substance Use Treatment at Temple University.

Robert M. Stein, MD, FACC, FAHA is a board-certified cardiologist and Jefferson alumnus whose career has spanned more than four decades of service to patients, medical education and the arts.

After earning his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1968, Dr. Stein completed his residency at Boston City Hospital and New York Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia Division, followed by a cardiology fellowship at Columbia. He served with distinction as a Major in the U.S. Army, leading the cardiology department at the 5th General Hospital in Germany.

In 1976, he joined Palomar Medical Center in San Diego, where he held leadership roles including Chair of the Department of Medicine, Chief of Staff and Director of Cardiac Services. He currently serves as Director of Cardiac Rehab at Palomar Health. A Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, Dr. Stein is a former president of the San Diego AHA affiliate and a lifelong advocate for cardiovascular health.

Beyond medicine, Dr. Stein has contributed to the arts and humanities as a docent and lecturer with the San Diego Museum of Art and the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum. He moderates the monthly lecture series The Chinese American Experience and Beyond, in collaboration with San Diego State University.

Dr. Stein’s philanthropy has had a lasting impact at Jefferson. He has established the Robert M. Stein, MD ’68, FACC, FAHA Archivist position, the Professorship in Cardiovascular Quality and Safety and a named scholarship fund at Sidney Kimmel Medical College. He also sponsors a family scholarship at Central High School in Philadelphia for students pursuing medicine. In 2025, he was honored with the Thomas Jefferson University President’s Award for Excellence.