Jodie Milkman, executive vice president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp., has died at 55
“She was the heart and soul of the Delaware River waterfront for over 30 years,” a colleague said in a tribute. She had a “heart for service.”
Jodie Milkman, 55, of Lafayette Hill, executive vice president of the Delaware River Waterfront Corp., mentor, role model, and volunteer, died Friday, Nov. 1, of ovarian cancer at her home.
Admired by colleagues and friends around Philadelphia for her “vision and resilience” and “creativity and passion,” Mrs. Milkman spent 32 years at the DRWC, the last seven as executive vice president. She was an expert in strategic collaboration and community relations, and she partnered with mayors and governors, businesses, foundations, schools, charities, and other nonprofits to lure visitors and spur private development on Philadelphia’s waterfront along the Delaware River.
She was the face of DRWC projects for years and appeared often in The Inquirer and Daily News, on TV and radio, and at special events as a spokesperson. She focused on connecting the public waterfront to city residents and visitors, and lobbied artfully for public and private grants and funding.
Her signature projects include the annual New Year’s Eve fireworks, Spruce Street Harbor Park, Independence Blue Cross RiverRink, Delaware River Trail, and multiuse piers at Cherry and Race Streets. She organized pop-up parks with giant hammocks and free music, food, and art festivals. She promoted free ice-skating lessons for Philadelphia students and ethnic celebrations at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing.
She told the Daily News in 2014 that she envisioned a “new sense of community on the waterfront.” The Spruce Street Harbor Park opened in 2014, and she told The Inquirer: “If we can start to position this park as a real asset, then we can spark development interest in this area.”
Mrs. Milkman started at the DRWC, then called the Penn’s Landing Corp., as a public relations coordinator in 1992 and rose to director of marketing and programing, and vice president before executive vice president in 2017.
“She was the heart and soul of the Delaware River waterfront for over 30 years,” Joe Forkin, DRWC president, said in a tribute. ”Her dedication to enhancing the lives of millions of residents and visitors in Greater Philadelphia was nothing short of extraordinary.”
Mrs. Milkman also addressed crime and safety issues at waterfront venues, and dealt with the collapse of Pier 34 in 2000. She mentored other business leaders, was a role model for women of all ages, and volunteered at schools.
A colleague said in a tribute that it was an “honor, pleasure, and privilege” to work with her. A friend said: “She was so warm and kind to everyone who was lucky enough to get to know her.”
She wrote a letter to the editor of the Daily News in 2000 to promote the waterfront and concluded with: “We are as much a part of Philadelphia as scrapple is to the breakfast table.” Her husband, Sam, said: “She poured her heart and passion into everything. She was a doer and always said, ‘How do I get this done?’”
Jodie Helene Stein was born April 4, 1969, in Abington. She grew up in Dresher with her parents, Howard and Lea, and a sister, Margie.
She graduated from Upper Dublin High School in 1987 and was editor of the school’s newspaper. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations at Boston University in 1991, and worked at several radio stations before landing at what is now the DRWC.
She met Sam Milkman in 1991, and they married in 1994, and had sons Max and Ryan, and a daughter, Sydney. They lived in Princeton, Princeton Junction, and then Lafayette Hill since 1999.
“I probably would not have married had I not met Jodie,” her husband said. “They don’t make them like her anymore.”
Mrs. Milkman liked to hike the trails at Wissahickon Valley Park, and her chicken soup was in constant demand by family and friends. “My family loves soup,” she said in a profile for the DRWC, “and I love to make a pot.”
She learned the value of public service from her family, her husband said. She was always planning, always on the lookout for the next big thing.
“She brought people together and brought out something special,” her husband said. “She was always positive. She looked for the good in things.”
In addition to her husband, children, parents, and sister, Mrs. Milkman is survived by other relatives.
Services were held on Nov. 3.
Donations in her name may be made to the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, 308 E. Lancaster Ave., Suite 225, Wynnewood, Pa. 19096.