Chris Gheysens, became a director of WSFS Financial Corporation in 2017 and his current term expires at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Mr. Gheysens is President & Chief Executive Officer of Wawa, Inc. Wawa is a chain of more than 750 convenience stores located in six states and known for their fresh food and beverage and legendary customer service. Wawa is a family and associate-owned, privately-held company. Over 30,000 associates serve over 1.6 million customers every day. The company began in the early 1800’s in New Jersey with an iron foundry and a cotton and textile mill, and eventually migrated to Pennsylvania with the opening of a dairy plant in 1902. As supermarkets became more abundant in the early 1960’s, the concept to design and open Wawa retail stores became a reality with the first store opening in Folsom, PA on April 16, 1964. Today, Wawa ranks 36th on Forbes’ annual ranking of Largest Privately Held Companies and also ranks among the top ten Employee Stock Ownership Programs in the country.
Mr. Gheysens has served Wawa associates for more than nineteen years and previously held the position of Chief Financial and Administrative Officer from January 2007 to December 2011, with responsibility for all financial, legal and human resource functions. Prior to joining Wawa, Mr. Gheysens worked in the audit practice at Deloitte and Touché, LLP in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Gheysens graduated from the Villanova University School of Business with a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in 1993. He obtained his Master of Business Administration from Saint Joseph’s University and was a Certified Public Accountant in New Jersey. He graduated from Saint Augustine Preparatory School located in Richland, New Jersey.
Mr. Gheysens was appointed in 2013 to the Board of Directors for the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). He also is the chairperson of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Villanova School of Business and is a member of the Economic and Community Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He joined The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Board of Overseers in 2014 and has led the formation of their first Corporate Council. He has recently been elected to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Board of Trustees.