Harwood honored for his Health commitment.

Brett Harwood, a distinguished businessman, philanthropist and community leader, was honored for his service and commitment to LibertyHealth, a health network based in Hudson County, N.J., during the organization's Spring Celebration on May 5. Harwood is principal of the recently-formed Brett Harwood Parking Strategies, LLC, which provides special advisory services to operators of parking facilities nationwide.

Harwood is a leader in the parking services industry. He currently serves as a director and formerly served as president and chairman of the National Parking Association in Washington, DC, an industry organization that represents parking operators from the United States and around the world. Harwood joined the board of LibertyHealth in 1992 and was later elected vice chairman. He has served on the finance, planning, new hospital, and construction oversight committees.

He was instrumental in making the dream of the new Jersey City Medical Center a reality, and generously gave one day each week of his time to the Medical Center as the non-monetary part of his gift to fund the new hospital. He served as founding chairman of "Reshaping History," the capital campaign for the new Medical Center, and went on to co-chair the campaign with Alan Wilzig. Harwood made the first monetary pledge to the campaign, which has successfully raised approximately $16 million to date. He continues to raise funds through the LibertyHealth Foundation.

Harwood's family company, Harwood Properties, LLC, is co-developing the first new residential building in a generation to be built in Journal Square, Jersey City. Harwood Properties also has a proposed development project in Times Square.

Harwood himself has long been a staunch supporter of many charitable and humanitarian causes in the community and has frequently been called on to serve in leadership capacities. In the mid-1980s, Harwood joined the board of the Jewish Home and Rehabilitation Center in Jersey City, which provided nursing and rehabilitative services. He became a vice president and chairman of the Senior Housing Project, which converted a wing of the home into a subsidized senior living complex in an effort to expand the services offered to the senior population of Jersey City. In recognition of a gift from Harwood, the wing was named the Harwood Pavilion.

As a lifetime donor to Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Penn., Harwood is a member of its Ben Franklin Society. He endowed the first gift for the college's new Roschel Arts Center. The building's terrace is named in his honor. Since October of 2003, Harwood has served on the Franklin and Marshall leadership council to assist the administration in creating the finest small liberal arts institution in U.S.n