Vince Stango ’99 is leading Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center into America's semiquincentennial. Photo by Nick Chismar ’20
Alum and history major Vince Stango ’99 was named interim president and CEO of the National Constitution Center (NCC) in Philadelphia earlier this year, assuming the role just months before America’s semiquincentennial.
Home to landmarks including the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, Philadelphia has been central to the nation’s 250th-anniversary celebration. The NCC, at 525 Arch Street, is one of the main venues for Pennsylvania’s commemoration.
This week, known as Independence Week, the NCC is hosting multiple events to commemorate the semiquincentennial, including a virtual address to the American people delivered live from the Vatican by Pope Leo XIV on the eve of the semiquincentennial.
One of the highlights of Stango’s career came in April when he traveled to the Vatican to present Pope Leo with the NCC’s 38th annual Liberty Medal, given to men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure liberty for people around the globe. During their April 30th meeting, Stango presented the medal to the Pope in honor of his life-long commitment to religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
Upon receiving the medal, the pope recalled the Declaration of Independence, signed 250 years ago in Philadelphia. America’s Founding Fathers pledged that all men have fundamental rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. “May those values continue to inspire us in the United States and throughout the world, and together hopefully we can all work that those freedoms will indeed be part of the lives of all people everywhere,” Pope Leo said during that meeting.
At 11 a.m. this Friday the pope will deliver remarks during a livestreamed public ceremony at the National Constitution Center. The event will also be streamed to audiences gathered on Independence Mall. It will feature civic, interfaith, and community leaders reflecting on the enduring importance of religious liberty and freedom of conscience—the right to develop and change one’s own personal beliefs and moral convictions without government interference.
The address will also be available to watch on the NCC’s YouTube page.
“It is a tremendous honor to have Pope Leo XIV address the people of America on the eve of our nation’s 250th anniversary,” Stango says. “His participation is a powerful reminder that religious liberty and freedom of conscience remain among our nation’s defining constitutional principles. The National Constitution Center is proud to bring people together to celebrate the ideals that have shaped our past and continue to guide our future.”
Stango says it is “the honor of a lifetime” to lead the NCC during America’s 250th anniversary. His love of American history started as a student at Moravian University, and he says that passion ultimately led him to the NCC where he spent nearly 30 years steadily climbing the ranks from human resources to senior management roles.
“To help lead America’s constitutional home during this extraordinary moment is both deeply humbling and profoundly inspiring,” Stango says. “As we celebrate 250 years of our nation’s history, we have an extraordinary opportunity not only to reflect on the ideals that launched the American experiment, but also to inspire the next generation to carry those ideals forward. Our story did not end in 1776, and it is not finished today. Each of us has a role to play in writing its next chapter.”
More about Stango and his career will be featured in the fall 2026 edition of Moravian University Magazine. For more information about Independence Week events in Philadelphia, visit the NCC website. —Christina Tatu