Howard Cosgrove

Chairman, University of Delaware Board of Trustees

Howard E. Cosgrove is the retired chairman and CEO of Conectiv, Wilmington, Delaware, where he began his career in 1966 when the company was Delmarva Power and Light. He served in various positions in the Marketing Department, became Vice-President and CFO, and, in 1985, was elected Executive Vice-President. Mr. Cosgrove became President and CEO in 1992. He received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, an MBA from the University of Delaware, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University. Currently, Mr. Cosgrove serves as chairman of NRG Energy, Inc. He previously served as the chairman of the United Negro College Fund Annual Campaign of Delaware, chairman of the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Committee, a member of the Delaware State School Board, and as a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Mr. Cosgrove was elected to the University Of Delaware Board Of Trustees in 1993, and was first elected chairman in 1999.

The Honorable Ruth Ann Minner

Governor, State of Delaware

A native Delawarean, Ruth Ann Minner left school at age 16 to help her family work their farm. She later married Frank Ingram, who died suddenly when she was 32 years old. As head of the household with three sons to raise, she returned to school to earn her General Educational Development (GED) diploma, while working two jobs and providing for her family. She later married Roger Minner, who died of lung cancer in 1991. Beginning her political career in 1974, Gov. Minner served four terms in the state House of Representatives (1974-1982), and served three terms in the state Senate (1982-1993). She served as Delaware's Lieutenant Governor from 1993 until 2001. Gov. Minner became the 72nd governor and the first female governor of the state of Delaware on January 3, 2001. During her tenure, Governor Minner has successfully worked to improve schools, energize the Delaware business environment, keep industry and the National Guard in Delaware, and to steer the state through turbulent economic times without cutting services or raising taxes. She also serves on a permanent seat on the Board Of Trustees of the University of Delaware. Gov. Minner lives on a farm near Milford and enjoys spending time with her three sons and their wives, her seven grandchildren, and her great-granddaughter, great-grandson, and two step-great-grandsons

Patrick T. Harker

President, University of Delaware

Dr. Patrick T. Harker took office as the 26th President of the University of Delaware on July 1, 2007. Concurrent with his posting as President, Dr. Harker was appointed a Professor of Business Administration in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in UD's College of Engineering. Prior to his appointment at UD, Dr. Harker was the Dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise. Dr. Harker became Dean in February 2000, after serving as both the Interim Dean and Deputy Dean of the school. Dr. Harker was also a Senior Fellow at the Wharton Financial Institutions Center and held a secondary appointment as a Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at Penn. Prior to his appointment as Interim and Deputy Dean in July 1999, Dr. Harker served as Chairman and Professor of Operations and Information Management at the Wharton School. He currently serves as a Trustee of the Goldman Sachs Trust and the Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, and as a member of the Board of Managers of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Partners Registered Fund LLC. He is also a founding member of the Board of Advisors for Decision Lens, Inc. Previously, Dr. Harker served as a member of the Advisory Board of Juniper Bank and chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of Traffic.com, Inc. In the non-profit world, Dr. Harker served as a Member of the Diocesan Finance Council for the Diocese of Camden, N.J., and is also a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management.