Interim appointments
Interim directors named for human resources, budget positions
5:45 p.m., Jan. 29, 2013--Tom LaPenta, assistant vice president for labor and employee relations, will serve as interim director of Human Resources, and Drew Knab, senior financial administrator in Facilities and Auxiliary Services, will become interim budget director, Executive Vice President Scott R. Douglass announced today.
"I'm grateful to both Tom and Drew for taking on these assignments during this period of transition," Douglass said.
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Effective Feb. 4, LaPenta will replace Jerry Cutler, who has accepted a position with the Office of the Attorney General in Maryland where he will serve as counsel to the State Higher Education Labor Relations Board, Public School Labor Relations Board and State Labor Relations Board.
Knab replaces Michael Jackson, who is leaving Feb. 8 to become deputy controller general for the state of Delaware.
Tom LaPenta
LaPenta, who joined UD in 1981, currently is involved in the negotiation and administration of union contracts, and he advises academic and non-academic managers on a variety of labor and employee relations issues. In addition, the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program reports to him.
A University of Delaware graduate, LaPenta earned his law degree from the Dickinson School of Law and is a member of the Delaware Bar Association. He began his career as a deputy attorney general in the state Department of Justice.
He has served on the boards of People's Settlement, Ingleside Nursing Home and the Latin American Community Center, and he is a former chair of the board of Goodwill Industries. Currently, he serves as president of the Clayton Street Athletic Club and the Tae Kwon Do Club at UD.
Drew Knab
Knab has managed the financial and management services group in Facilities and Auxiliary Services since June 2011. As senior financial administrator, he oversees all financial processing, reporting and analysis for the unit’s operating and capital budgets. In this role, he works with individuals and units across the campus, as well as with public and private partners in the community.
Previously, he served as an analyst in the Office of the Vice President for Facilities and Auxiliary Services and in the Office of the Executive Vice President and University Treasurer. He has worked on a diverse range of financial reporting and budgetary issues, as well as contract negotiations, process improvement and energy-related projects at the University.
Earlier Knab held positions with the Institute of Public Administration at UD and as a mayoral fellow in the city of Chicago’s mayor’s office. He earned his master of public administration degree at UD in 2008.