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Honoring Philadelphia Bar Association Executive Director Harvey Hurdle for his Years of Service with and Retirement from the Philadelphia Bar Association.
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WHEREAS, Harvey L. Hurdle, Jr. has spent decades in service within nonprofit, leadership, and other advocacy-focused organizations across the greater Philadelphia region; and
WHEREAS, Harvey joined the Philadelphia Bar Association, the nation’s oldest professional association for lawyers, as its Executive Director in 2019; and
WHEREAS, Under Harvey’s leadership, the Philadelphia Bar Association has experienced growth and prosperity in many significant areas, thereby supporting the mission of the Bar Association, which serves both the legal profession and the public by promoting justice, professional excellence, and respect for the rule of law in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Harvey has worked beside legal leaders throughout the City, has promoted institutional memberships of the Bar Association, including partnerships with the City Law Department, the District Attorney’s Office, the Defender Association, and law schools in the area, including Temple University Beasley School of Law and Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law, thereby engaging a diverse cross section of the legal community in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, He has promoted the significance of the Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, which engages volunteer lawyers to investigate judicial candidates for Philadelphia’s courts, and then makes recommendations to Philadelphia’s electorate on qualified candidates for the judiciary; and
WHEREAS, An impactful connector in the Philadelphia community, Harvey has recognized the Bar Association’s stature within the greater community by building strong relationships with the City government, such that the Bar Association’s position is often sought by City leaders on issues affecting the community at large; and
WHEREAS, Harvey has been the backbone behind the Bar Association achieving financial well-being while not sacrificing member services, which helps support the thriving legal community in the City; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Bar Association recognized Hurdle in 2025 with the Arthur J. Birdsall Award, acknowledging bar executives who have enhanced significantly the stature of their bar association; and
WHEREAS, As Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Harvey has served on boards of affiliated organizations within the Philadelphia legal profession, including the Board of Trustees of the Philadelphia Bar Foundation and the Board of Trustees of Philadelphia VIP, which serves low-income Philadelphians in need of legal services; and
WHEREAS, Harvey has been actively involved in the LGBTQ+ community since the late 1980s through continuous board service at the local, statewide, and national level including terms at the AIDS Information Network, Equality PA, and the Victory Fund, and as Chief Operating Officer of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC); and
WHEREAS, Harvey Hurdle will retire from his service as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association on June 30, 2025; and
WHEREAS, The City of Philadelphia has been well served by Mr. Hurdle’s inclusive leadership, collaborative spirit, and unwavering dedication, and Mr. Hurdle’s service has strengthened the Philadelphia legal profession, the courts, and the public; now, therefore, be it,
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, hereby recognizes and honors Philadelphia Bar Association Executive Director Harvey L. Hurdle, Jr. on his retirement and his years of service to the City of Philadelphia, the legal profession, and the Philadelphia Bar Association.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Executive Director Harvey L. Hurdle, Jr. as evidence of the true and sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body.
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