The One Hundred Fifty Most Influential People in Philadelphia

Philadelphia Magazine 2025

There's a lot of change afoot in Philly these days. Some of it — prepping for America’s 250th birthday and the 2026 World Cup, planning for a revitalized Parkway and reimagined (arena-free) Market East — is exciting. Some of it — averting dire straits for SEPTA, navigating the Trump 2.0 policy shifts that strip funding and destabilize a city — is decidedly less so. But all of it has created new and interesting opportunities for leaders, visionaries, and doers to emerge. ¶ Many of the most influential people in our city are the exact folks you would imagine: the officeholders who drive policy, the C-suite execs who run the economy, the civic and community actors who are the glue of our nonprofits and neighborhoods. But even these bold names can impact us in ways that are unexpected and surprising — and there are plenty of lesser-known dreamers, thinkers, players, and regular folks who are making Philadelphia what it is, and what it will be.

51. GREG REAVES AND LESLIE SMALLWOOD-LEWIS

Community Builders

JUST DESERTS: The Mosaic Development Partners’ track record and commitment to equitable development led the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation to choose the firm as co-master developer of the Navy Yard, where they’re working on its first residential phase. (614 apartments coming soon!) “Mosaic has taken on challenging sites and delivered community-focused projects that shape neighborhoods,” says PIDC president Jodie Harris (#127). HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE: Beyond the Navy Yard, Mosaic is working with Cheyney University, the oldest historically Black college, to help develop the campus and surroundings, and is restoring North Philly’s unused Zion Baptist Church annex, a project that honors the life and legacy of civil rights leader Reverend Leon Sullivan.

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