Author Gladwell Marks Nonprofit's Anniversary

"We can remove constraints if we care enough about whatever it is that's important to us," she said.

Leadership Philadelphia was founded in 1959 by members of the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania. The organization separated from Fels in 1978.

Since 1959, Dow said, about 3,000 local business and community leaders have passed through the nonprofit's programs. In addition to Nutter, prominent alumni over the years include Constantine Papadakis (1996), president of Drexel University; Don Smolenski (2005), Philadelphia Eagles chief financial officer; and Dennis O'Brien (2002), president of Peco Energy Co.