Joan Markman, City’s Philadelphia’s 1st Integrity Officer, Dies at 57

Friends and family are mourning Philadelphia’s first Chief Integrity Officer.

Joan Markman passed away on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. She was 57 years old.

"We're devastated and deeply saddened at the news of the passing of our friend Joan Markman," Mayor Michael Nutter said in a statement. "While we knew that Joan has been very ill, she's also maintained an incredible level of activity and focus in a huge battle against the disease that has challenged her for the last few years. Joan was tough, a fighter, and an exemplary public servant who believed in integrity, who believed in the goodness of people, and she loved her work. We will all miss her. Philadelphia is a better city because of her."

Markman joined the Nutter administration in 2008 and served as the city’s first Chief Integrity Officer. She left in Jan. 31, 2014 while dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy for a recurrent cancer.

As the city's first Chief Integrity Officer, Markman as well as her colleague Inspector General Amy Kurland, trained city employees in ethics rules, launched the website IntegrityWorks and discovered an overcharge related to a proposed long-term contract to build and operate a solid waste treatment facility which ultimately saved Philadelphia more than $9 million.

“As the City’s first ever Chief Integrity Officer, Joan Markman infused everything she did with the highest professional and ethical standards,” Mayor Nutter said. “She promoted the concepts of honesty, integrity and transparency in government service.”

Before joining the Nutter Administration, Markman served as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia for more than 20 years. She also worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Philadelphia.