Thomas Apple

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Delaware

Tom Apple became Dean of UD's College of Arts and Sciences in 2005, after serving as Vice Provost for Administration, Dean of Graduate Education and Professor of Chemistry at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His research in zeolite materials and polymeric materials has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is active in the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences.

Robert Barchi

President, Thomas Jefferson University

Robert L. Barchi, M.D., President of Thomas Jefferson University, previously served as Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, with oversight of Penn’s 12 schools, as well as the institution’s research enterprise, academic policies and student activities. He has also been at the forefront of the design and implementation of important multidisciplinary advances in neuroscience research, medical education, and in the clinical practice of neurology. Dr. Barchi is the author of more than 150 articles and three books in the field of neurology. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.

Robert J. Laskowski

President and Chief Executive Officer, Christiana Care Health System

Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of Christiana Care Health System in 2003. He oversees administration and operation of Delaware’s third largest private employer, which includes two hospitals, a preventive medicine institute, a transitional care facility, a home health care organization, a community-based outpatient cancer center, a nationally recognized Center for Heart and Vascular Health and a full host of hospital and community-based health-related services. Previously, Dr. Laskowski was Chief Medical Officer for Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, Pa. A board-certified internist specializing in geriatric medicine, he is a Professor of Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University/Jefferson Medical College and was an Associate Professor of Medicine, an Associate Professor of Health Evaluation Sciences and an Associate Dean for Medical Education at Penn State University College of Medicine.

Thomas M. Connelly Jr.

Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer, Office of the Chief Executive, E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Co.

Thomas M. Connelly Jr. is Executive Vice President, Chief Innovation Officer and a member of DuPont's Office of the Chief Executive. He also has responsibility for the DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies platform and DuPont Bio-Based Materials. He joined DuPont in 1977, as Research Engineer at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Del. Dr. Connelly held a number of technical leadership roles, including Laboratory Director in the United Kingdom and Switzerland, and led a number of major DuPont businesses, including Delrin® and Kevlar®. In January 1999 he was named Vice President and General Manager - DuPont Fluoroproducts. He was named Senior Vice President and Chief Science & Technology Officer in September 2001. He was appointed to his current position in June 2006, and added responsibility for DuPont Electronic & Communication Technologies in October 2006. He serves in advisory roles to the U.S. Government and the Republic of Singapore.

Thomas Ferry

Senior Vice-President and CEO, A. I. DuPont Hospital for Children

Thomas P. Ferry is Chief Executive Officer of the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, an operating entity of The Nemours Foundation where he is also Senior Vice President. Nemours is one of the largest pediatric health care organizations in the nation. A.I. duPont Hospital for Children is a full service, acute care and critical care children's hospitals with major national programs in Orthopedics, Cardiac Care, Oncology, Neonatology, and Solid Organ Transplantation. In addition, Nemours Biomedical Research has a long-standing commitment to scholarly and scientific endeavors including research programs dedicated to improving the health of children. He received his bachelors degree from the University of Maryland and masters and doctoral degrees from George Washington University. Before coming to Delaware, he held administrative positions in two Maryland hospitals, performed research with George Washington University, Boston University, and the federal government, and taught in the graduate program in Health and Medical Services Administration at Widener University.

Mary C. Farach-Carson

Director of the Center for Translational Cancer Research and Professor of Biological Science, with secondary appointment as Professor of Materials Science, University of Delaware

Mary Farach-Carson serves as a professor of biological sciences at the University of Delaware. Her research at the University specializes in cancer growth. Before coming to the University of Delaware, Dr. Farach-Carson completed post-doctoral work at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. She currently manages a research group of 10 graduate students and teaches upper level classes in translational biology, cell biology, and genetics.