University of Delaware Board of Trustees 2009
Current Member Biographies
Tony Allen is the Global Card Services Communications Executive for Bank of America. He is responsible for associate and executive communications across the global card business in the U.S., Europe and Canada as well as integrating communications strategies for related products and services. He also manages the local public relations and media strategy in concert with the national media team and is a member of the Delaware market leadership team.
Before joining Bank of America (formerly MBNA), Dr. Allen was the founding President of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League (MWUL), an affiliate of the National Urban League, designed to advance the interests of people of color in education, economic development and collaborative partnership. Dr. Allen also served as Special Assistant to United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., providing assistance on issues of equality and social justice as well as coordinating statewide efforts in housing and nonprofit organizational development.
Dr. Allen holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware, a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College City University of New York (CUNY), and a UD undergraduate degree in Political Science. Dr. Allen resides with his family in Wilmington. As a member of the Board, he serves on the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs.
James C. Borel is executive vice president and a member of the DuPont Company’s Office of the Chief Executive. He also has responsibilities for DuPont production agriculture businesses – DuPont Crop Protection and Pioneer Hi-Bred. Mr. Borel joined DuPont in 1978 in Findlay, Ohio, as a sales representative. From 1981 to 1987, he held a variety of product and sales management positions in Agricultural Products in Wilmington, Delaware, and the United Kingdom. In 1987, he was appointed manager, Agricultural Products Canada in Toronto, Ontario. In 1989, he became general superintendent, responsible for agricultural products operations at the Belle, West Virginia site. Two years later, he became manager, Human Resources for Agricultural Products.
In 1993, Mr. Borel transferred to Tokyo, Japan, with Agricultural Products as regional manager, North Asia, and the next year he was appointed regional director, Asia Pacific. Mr. Borel returned to Wilmington, Delaware, as business director, North American Crop Protection in January 1997. He was appointed vice president and general manager of DuPont Crop Protection later that year. In January 2004, Mr. Borel was appointed senior vice president – DuPont Human Resources. He was named group vice president, responsible for the agricultural businesses of DuPont on February 27, 2008, and named to his current position in October 1, 2009.
Mr. Borel graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business. He is chair of the National 4-H Council’s Board of Trustees. He also serves on the Board of Crop Life International; Board of the Farm Foundation; and the Board of Delaware Community Foundation. As a member of the University’s Board, Mr. Borel serves on the Executive and Compensation Committees and chairs the Committee on Academic Affairs.
Thomas J. Burns, a 1974 graduate of the University of Delaware and the College of Business and Economics, is the owner of Burns & Ellis Realtors with his wife, Terry Ellis. Mr. Burns was the president of the Kent County Association of Realtors in 2000 and the Delaware Association of Realtors director-at-large for 2001. He was the president of the board of trustees of Kent School in Chestertown, Maryland from 1995 to 1998, and served as a member of its board from 1993 to 1999. Mr. Burns was recently retired after 22 years as a director and as chairman of the board of Bayhealth Medical Center. He was a member of the former Kent General Hospital Board beginning in 1988. He is a member of the Kent County Advisory Board for WSFS Bank. A member of the Greater Dover Committee since 1993 and its president in 1994, Mr. Burns has been a member of the Dover Rotary Club since 1984 and a Dover resident since 1979. He is chairman of the Trustee Committee on Grounds and Buildings and serves on the Finance and Executive Committees and the Architecture Visiting Committee.
Irwin G. (IG) Burton III is a graduate of Milford High School and holds a B.S. from Washington College in Chestertown, MD. Mr. Burton is vice president of I.G. Burton Co., Inc., a business started by his grandfather. The company manages land acquisitions and leases, expansions, dealerships, and new franchises. Appointed by Governor Minner, Mr. Burton serves on the Delaware Judicial Review Committee and also served on the Delaware Department of Transportation Committee. A member of the Chamber of Commerce, he has served as an advisor to the Delaware Community Foundation and the Maradel Geuting Scholarship Fund for St. John’s Church. Mr. Burton serves on the Trustee Committee on Grounds and Buildings and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
R.R.M. Carpenter III was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1990. He is a 1962 graduate of Yale University and is involved in finance and real estate. He is a former Tower Hill School trustee and an advisory board member of the Ronald McDonald House. Mr. Carpenter is honorary chairman of the Delaware Olympic Committee and a former trustee for Ducks Unlimited. Mr. Carpenter is chair of the Trustee Committee on Student Life and Athletics and is a member of the Executive, Grounds and Buildings, and Nominating Committees. He is also chair of the Athletics Visiting Committee. Mr. Carpenter is a recipient of the University of Delaware’s Medal of Distinction.
Allison Burris Castellanos is an educator and a long-time advocate for the Hispanic community in southern Delaware. She presently teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) for both Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown and for the Indian River School District. Her current community involvement includes leadership roles with La Esperanza Community Center, La Red Health Center and El Centro Cultural.
Mrs. Castellanos began her work with the Hispanic community while a student at the University of Richmond. During her college summers, she studied abroad in Spain and worked with Delmarva Rural Ministries to provide support and outreach to the migrant labor force on the Eastern Shore. Following college, she spent two years with AmeriCorps serving the migrant labor force in the U.S., while becoming completely immersed in the Hispanic culture.
Mrs. Castellanos is the recipient of La Esperanza Community Center’s Sister Rosa Alvarez Award in recognition of her vision, leadership, and dedication to the Hispanic community. She is also the recipient of the 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award from Delaware Technical and Community College. A native Delawarean, Mrs. Castellanos resides in Georgetown with her family. She serves on the Trustee Committee on Student Life and Athletics and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
Richard S. Cordrey gained national recognition for the longest tenure as President Pro Tempore in the State of Delaware and in the United States, serving in that position from 1977 to 1996. Other work in government included Millsboro Town Commissioner (1965-1973), State Representative (1970-1972), State Senator (1972-1996), State Majority Leader (1973-1976), and the former Secretary of Finance for the State of Delaware . Senator Cordrey is best known for his leadership in instituting the rainy day fund for Delaware. Educated at Millsboro High School and Goldey-Beacom College, Senator Cordrey is the owner of R.S.C. Farms. He is a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Millsboro, the past District Governor of the Lions Club International and a member of the Millsboro Lions Club, and a trustee of Delaware Valley Eye Bank. He also serves on the Delaware Community Foundation, and the A.A.A. Delaware Region Board. He is a trustee of the Pyle Center, Easter Seals, and the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council. Secretary Cordrey is a member of the Trustee Committee on Grounds and Buildings and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
Howard E. Cosgrove is the retired chairman and chief executive officer of Conectiv, Wilmington, Delaware, where he began his career in 1966 when the company was called Delmarva Power and Light. He served in various positions in the Marketing Department, became vice president and chief financial officer and, in 1985, was elected executive vice president. Mr. Cosgrove became president and chief operating officer in 1991 and was elected chairman and chief executive officer in 1992. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Virginia, a Master of Business Administration 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 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 from 1989-1992, and 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. Mr. Cosgrove stepped down from the position of Chairman of the Board in June 2009, but continues his trustee service as a member of the Executive Committee, Academic Affairs, and Finance Committee, and as chair of the Audit Visiting Committee.
Patricia A. DeLeon is the Trustees Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware. Dr. DeLeon received a Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada in 1972, and joined the UD faculty in 1976 after postdoctoral studies and a year as a Sessional Lecturer at McGill University, Montreal.
While at UD she has been a visiting scientist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, as well as an adjunct professor at Penn State University College of Medicine. A 1996 nominee for the Howard Hughes Medical Investigator Award, her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), and she has received honors and awards including the NSF Career Advancement Award, and the Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship. Dr. DeLeon has lectured and published widely, has three patents issued or pending, and was UD’s 2004 Library Associates Faculty Lecturer. She serves or has served as a member of the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee, a regular member of three NIH Study Sections, a member of NIH Special Emphasis Review Panels, a Site Visit, and NSF ad hoc Review Panels. She is a member of the Executive Council of the American Society of Andrology where she was recognized for her scientific contributions in Andrology in 2006. Additionally, she is a member of the editorial boards of several professional journals.
At UD Dr. DeLeon currently chairs or has chaired the College of Arts and Sciences Diversity and Faculty Recruitment and Retention Committee, the WOMS (Women’s Studies) Faculty Research Awards Committee, and the WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) Subcommittee of the Commission on the Status of Women of which she is a member. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Training grant for graduate students. Nationally known for her efforts in mentoring, she was keynote speaker at the Inaugural Mentoring Symposium of the American Society of Andrology in 2006, and at the Society for the Study of Reproduction Minority Affairs Symposium in 2008. In 2009 she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). A 1992 gubernatorial appointee to the Board of Trustees, Dr. DeLeon was re-appointed in 2005. She is a member of the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs.
Robert A. Fischer, Jr. was first appointed to the Board of Trustees in 1976 by Governor Tribbitt. A 1970 graduate of the University of Delaware, he is president of Fischer Companies, Inc. and general partner in R. A. Fischer Family LP. Mr. Fischer is a member of both the Executive and Public Affairs and Advancement Trustee Committees, as well as the Audit Visiting Committee. He also chairs the Finance Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Investment Visiting Committee. Mr. Fischer has served as secretary-treasurer and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees. He and his wife Linda, a 1970 graduate of the University of Delaware, have three children and live in Lewes, Delaware.
Robert W. Gore is a 1959 chemical engineering graduate of the University of Delaware. In 1963, he received his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota. He then joined W.L. Gore & Associates as a research engineer, where he developed several technologies, the most important of which is “Gore-Tex,” expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, a material that won the 1985 Prince Phillip’s Award for “Plastics in the Service of Mankind.” In 1976, Dr. Gore became chief executive officer of W.L. Gore and Associates, Inc., a responsibility he retained until April 2000. He currently serves as chairman of the board of W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. He has served as a trustee of the University of Delaware Research Foundation, a member of the Advisory Committee of the Department of Chemical Engineering, and as a supporter of the 150th Anniversary Campaign. Three of Dr. Gore’s children have received degrees from the University of Delaware. Professionally, Dr. Gore has received recognition, including the College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award in 1990, election to the National Academy of Engineers in 1995, and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. Dr. Gore is a member of the Executive Committee.
The Honorable T. Henley Graves
The Honorable T. Henley Graves, Resident Judge of Superior Court in and for Sussex County, Delaware, is a lifelong Delawarean and 1970 alumnus of the University of Delaware. He received his Juris Doctorate, with honors, from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1973.
His law career has taken him from service as State’s Attorney in both Maryland and Delaware, to private practice and as partner with the firm of Fuqua and Graves of Georgetown, Delaware, to his appointment as Judge of Superior Court in and for Sussex County, Delaware in June 1989. In January 2000, he was appointed to his current position as Resident Judge of Superior Court in and for Sussex County.
Judge Graves is a member of the State Judicial Division of the American Bar Association, a member of the Delaware Bar Association and a member of the Sussex County Bar Association. He and his wife, Cheryl Riley Graves, with their children, Tyler and Patrick, reside in Rehoboth Beach.
Judge Graves serves on the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs.
Teri Quinn Gray joined the University of Delaware Board of Trustees in June 2009 following her election as president of the State Board of Education. She received her doctor of philosophy degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland and her bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Jackson State University. She is a research manager for DuPont Co., has experience in the Delaware State PTA and local school chapters, including serving as president of the Keene Elementary School PTA in 2005-06. She has served on the state PTA’s Vision 2015 Executive Leadership Academy and participated in the 2008 National PTA Emerging Minority Leaders Conference.
Dr. Gray has worked for DuPont Crop Protection in Newark since 1997. Before coming to DuPont, she held a fellowship with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. She serves on the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs.
Scott A. Green, Esq., is a former executive with MBNA America, where he was a member of the senior operating committee and served as director of national sales. He is a former partner in several law firms, including Saul, Ewing, Remick and Saul; and Green, Ward and Krapf. Mr. Green also served as Counsel to the Delaware House of Representatives from 1989-91, County Attorney for New Castle County, Delaware from 1985-87, and Law Clerk for the Superior Court of Delaware in 1980. Mr. Green is a 1977 graduate of the University of Delaware with a degree in international relations, and he holds a juris doctorate from the Washington College of Law of American University in Washington, D.C. (1980).
Mr. Green is Vice-Chair of the Delaware River and Bay Authority and serves as a member of the Delaware Judicial Nominating Commission and the Delaware Compensation Commission. Mr. Green previously served on the boards of the Jewish Community Center of Delaware; Special Olympics of Delaware; the Delaware Stadium Corporation; the Committee of 100; the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce; and Stormin’s Classic, Inc. Mr. Green serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, and on the Trustee Committees on Grounds and Buildings, Public Affairs and Advancement, the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee, and the Athletics Visiting Committee. Scott is married to Barbara Hitchens Green, also a UD alumnus, and they reside in Rehoboth Beach.
Teagan J. Gregory, of Newark, Delaware, graduated from UD in May 2009 with an International Relations degree and minors in East Asian studies, philosophy and religious studies. A student in the Honors Program, Teagan graduated in the top one percent of his class. As a freshman student in 2005, he was selected as a recipient of the DuPont Memorial Scholarship, which is the most prestigious merit-based scholarship at the University and is only given to twelve students each year. During his years at UD, Teagan excelled in his academic pursuits, as evidenced by his recent induction into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. Throughout his time at UD, Teagan was instrumental as a student leader. In his service as both President and Vice President of the Student Government Association, Teagan spearheaded the successful campaign to extend library hours, a proposal that had been previously rejected several times. With his encouragement to younger students to get involved, Teagan helped breathe new life into student representation on campus. Teagan chaired the student committee that organized the annual DuPont Lecture Series and developed the Public Safety Interest Group. Teagan has aided UD’s newest students as well as potential students through his work with the Office of Admissions. As a Senior DelaWorld Leader and LIFE mentor, Teagan helped freshmen in their transition to UD. As a Blue Hen Ambassador and Student Admissions Officer, Teagan has met and welcomed hundreds of prospective students and families to the UD campus.
Teagan recently completed the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), on which he received a perfect score. He is currently attending law school at the University of Michigan. Teagan serves on the Trustee Committee for Student Life and Athletics.
Dr. Patrick T. Harker is the 26th President of the University of Delaware, a position that he assumed on July 1, 2007. Concurrent with his appointment as President, Dr. Harker was appointed 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.
In announcing his appointment as President, Howard Cosgrove, then Chairman of the University of Delaware's Board of Trustees, said, "Patrick T. Harker has an excellent combination of experience and skills to lead the University of Delaware forward. Dr. Harker has served splendidly as dean of one of the world's most admired business schools, which in turn is a vital part of one of America's premier universities. He has managed with foresight, creativity and innovation, expanding the reach of the Wharton School across the country and around the world, and those traits will serve him well as he leads this University into the future."
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 was appointed Dean on February 8, 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 is a member of the Board of Directors of Pepco Holdings, Inc. He is also a founding member of the Board of Advisors for Decision Lens, Inc. Previously, Dr. Harker served as a member of the Board of Managers of the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Partners Registered Fund LLC and a member of the Advisory Board of Juniper Bank, and chaired the Scientific Advisory Board of Traffic.com, Inc.
In terms of nonprofit leadership, Dr. Harker serves as a member of the Board of Christiana Care Health Systems, a member of the Board of Easter Seals of Delaware, a member of the Regional Leadership Initiative Steering Committee at the Council on Competitiveness, a member of the Board of Directors of First State Innovation, and is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management.
Dr. Harker received his B.S.E. and M.S.E. in Civil Engineering in 1981, and an M.A. in Economics and a Ph.D. in Civil and Urban Engineering (Transportation Planning and Economics) from the University of Pennsylvania in 1983.
Prior to graduation from Penn, Dr. Harker worked as a consulting engineer in Philadelphia and New York. He was a member of the faculty of the University of California-Santa Barbara prior to joining the Wharton School in 1984.
Dr. Harker is the youngest faculty member to be awarded an endowed professorship in the history of the Wharton School when he was named, in 1991, the UPS Transportation Professor of the Private Sector. In January 1994, Dr. Harker was named Chair of the Department of Systems Engineering in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science and held this position until December 1996; he was appointed Chair of the Operations and Information Management Department at Wharton in July 1997.
The naming of Dr. Harker as a Presidential Young Investigator by the National Science Foundation in 1986 affirmed his reputation as a leading scholar in the areas of service and technology management and operations research.
In his 26-year career, he has published or edited nine books and more than 100 professional articles. Most recently, Dr. Harker is engaged in the analysis of the operations and economics of the service sector. Dr. Harker served as Director of the Fishman-Davidson Center for the Study of the Service Sector at Wharton from 1989 to 1994, and as a co-principal investigator on a $6 million project from the Sloan Foundation to study productivity and technological impacts in financial services.
In June 1991, President George H. W. Bush named Dr. Harker a White House Fellow, one of 16 chosen in the country. In this position, he spent 1991-92 as a Special Assistant to the Director of the FBI, and participated in a variety of off-the-record discussions and trips with national leaders. In January 1996, he was named Editor-in-Chief of Operations Research, the premier journal of the field, a position he held until December 1999.
Dr. Harker is married to the former Emily Grace Saaty and is the father of three children: Thomas Patrick, Michael Francis and Meghan Emma.
Terri Kelly is President and CEO of W.L. Gore & Associates, a multi-billion dollar enterprise that employs more than 8,000 associates in 45 plants around the world. Gore specializes in fluoropolymer-based materials that are utilized in a wide array of high-value products, including GORE-TEX® fabric, medical devices, filtration and venting products and many other advanced technology solutions. Gore is as well-known for its unique management philosophy and culture, as for its multitude of unique products.
Ms. Kelly joined Gore as a process engineer in 1983 after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Delaware with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. In her early years with the company, she gained experience as a product specialist with the military fabrics business — a unit she eventually led — helping it grow from a small start-up venture into a leading producer of protective products for the global Armed Forces.
In 1998, Ms. Kelly joined the global Fabrics Division’s leadership team. In this role, she helped establish a Fabrics manufacturing plant in Shenzhen, China — Gore’s first Fabrics plant in Asia. Today, there are more than 500 associates in Asia Pacific, and the region is poised to become a significant source of revenue for the enterprise in the coming years. While in the Fabrics Division, Ms. Kelly also served on the Enterprise Operations Committee working closely with the CEO and other leaders to help guide the strategic direction of the company.
Ms. Kelly’s leadership abilities have driven her success in a company known for its non-hierarchical “lattice” structure. At Gore, associates become leaders based on their ability to gain the respect of their peers and to attract followers. Ms. Kelly earned the title of President and CEO in 2005 — one of the few titles within the enterprise — following a peer-driven selection process.
In addition to her role at Gore, Ms. Kelly is a member of the Management Executives’ Society, the Forum of Executive Women of Delaware and the International Women’s Forum. She also is on the board of directors for the Nemours Foundation — one of the nation’s leading children’s health care systems. She resides in Delaware with her husband and four children. She serves on the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs and Public Affairs and Advancement.
Dennis E. Klima is President of Bayhealth, Inc. In 1980, Mr. Klima joined the Kent General Hospital as Executive Director. He was named President and CEO of Kent General Hospital, Inc. in 1985. In 1990, Mr. Klima became President and Chief Executive Officer of the Central Delaware Health Care Corporation and Chairman of the subsidiary Kent General Hospital Board of Directors. In 1997 he became President of Bayhealth, Inc. and Bayhealth Medical Center, Inc. where he also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He served as Associate Administrator at The Memorial Hospital of Easton, Maryland from 1974 to 1980, and was Assistant Director of Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina from 1971 to 1974. He was assistant to the administrative officer at the National Naval Medical Center from 1968 to 1971, and worked with the Department of Defense as a Naval Department representative on the new generation of military hospitals study. Mr. Klima earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from the University of Illinois and a Master of Hospital Administration Degree from Duke. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, an Advanced Member in the Healthcare Financial Management Association, and a Life Member of the American Hospital Association. In 1996, he was recognized by the American College of Healthcare Executives with the Delaware Regents Award for Excellence. He is a past president of the Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce, served as Co-Chair of the Central Delaware Economic Development Council in 2006 and 2007, and Chairman of the Kent Economic Partnership, Inc. since 2008. He is a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church, the Dover Rotary, and the Delaware Business Roundtable. Mr. Klima is also involved in many health care organizations. He is past Chairman of the Delaware Healthcare Association and Delaware’s representative to the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board, a charter board member of the Central Delaware Community Health Partnership, and is active in an alliance of three hospitals on the Delmarva Peninsula, “The Health Partnership.” Mr. Klima is a member of the Trustee Committees on Student Life and Athletics and Finance.
Jack Markell was born and raised in Newark, Delaware and graduated from Newark High School along with his wife, Carla. He was elected as Governor of the State of Delaware in November 2008. Mr. Markell received an undergraduate degree in economics and development studies from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He is a Henry Crown Fellow and a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. His career began in the private sector helping to lead the wireless technology revolution as the 13th employee at Nextel where he served as Senior Vice President for Corporate Development. Other work experience included a senior management position at Comcast Corporation, consultant with McKinsey and Company, and a banker at First Chicago Corporation. Governor Markell left the private sector to pursue his passion for public service and was elected State Treasurer in 1998, a position he held for three consecutive terms before his election as Governor. Governor Markell lives in Wilmington with his wife and two children, Molly and Michael.
Cynthia Primo Martin has 22 years of fundraising experience and 15 years of corporate human resource and management consulting experience. She had the distinction of being the first woman officer of color at Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company in Hartford, CT. She served as vice president of fund development, marketing and public relations as well as interim president for Ingleside Homes, Inc., a continuing care retirement community in Wilmington, DE. Ms. Martin is a senior associate at Bloom Consulting, Inc., provider of strategic fundraising and management guidance to nonprofit organizations, and has served as a trustee/director of many nonprofits. She chairs the Quintin E. Primo Jr. Lecture Series which has brought international human rights leaders, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Mary Robinson, to Delaware. A trailblazer for women and people of color, Ms. Martin has received numerous awards for her work in human rights. She is founder and CEO of the Trustees of Color (TOC) initiative whose mission is to ensure diversity on Delaware’s nonprofit boards. Ms. Martin holds Bachelor of Arts (English) and Master of Education (Reading) from the University of Delaware. Ms. Martin serves on the Board’s Audit Visiting Committee and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
William H. “Chip” Narvel, Jr. joined the University of Delaware Board of Trustees in December 2004 following his election as Master of the Delaware State Grange. His involvement with the State Grange spans several years and Mr. Narvel has held several positions of leadership, including Master of Harmony Grange #12, Overseer of New Castle County Pomona Grange #1, Co-Youth Director of the Delaware State Grange, and Assistant Stewart and Overseer of the Delaware State Grange. In recognition of his commitment and service to the organization, Mr. Narvel was honored in 2003 as Delaware Granger of the Year. Mr. Narvel has worked with the Dupont Company since 1965 where he is now a Senior Reprographics Specialist. Prior to joining Dupont, Mr. Narvel served in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he was assigned to the 390th Civic Affairs Group and the 360th Psychological Operations Company. He retired from the Army Reserves with 21 years of service. A New Castle County native, Mr. Narvel is a member of the Steering Committee for “Day on the Farm” with the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Service, and a member of the Delaware Scenic and Historical Highways Advisory Board. Mr. Narvel has also been very active as a volunteer and coach with the Midway Girls Softball League for the past 20 years, and has served as the Assistant Director for Delaware Junior Olympic Softball. He and his wife, Barbara Ann, reside in Wilmington.
Christopher H. Schell is President of Schell Brothers, a construction company he founded with his twin brother, Preston, in 2003. As President, Mr. Schell is involved in all aspects of the company and is responsible for guiding the other members of the Schell Brothers team towards achieving the goals and vision that he and Preston have set for the company. The company specializes in custom residential and commercial construction. Mr. Schell is a 1996 graduate of MIT, with a B.A. in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Business Administration. Following graduation from MIT, Mr. Schell worked with commodity trader Marty Schwartz, and developed automated computer trading systems for the commodity markets. Using the knowledge gained and software he developed while working with Mr. Schwartz, Chris became a registered commodity-trading advisor (CTA) and started his own company, Schell Systems LLC.
After completing his MBA at Harvard Business School in 2002, he later sold Schell Systems LLC and subsequently founded Schell Brothers Construction. Mr. Schell serves as a member of the Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He is married to the former Lori Wachter, a 1997 graduate of the University of Delaware and a lifelong Delawarean. They reside in Lewes with their two children. Mr. Schell serves on the Trustee Committee on Grounds & Buildings and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
Everett C. Toomey was appointed to the Board of Trustees by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. He holds an Ed.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, and both a M.Ed. and B.A. from Lynchburg College. He served as a secondary principal and director for the Indian River School District from 1970-1998. He also served on that district’s Board of Education from 1999-2002. He is a member of the Board of Directors, Delmarva Educational Foundation, and president of Heritage Advisors, educational consulting services. Dr. Toomey holds numerous memberships in professional and civic organizations including the Delaware Association of School Administrators, Phi Delta Kappa, the Lions Club, the Reserve Officers Association, and the Greater Millsboro Chamber of Commerce. He was honored with the State Board of Education’s Order of Excellence Award in 1986, included in Who’s Who in American Education, and awarded the Department of the Army’s “Commander’s Award for Public Service.” Dr. Toomey is a member of the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs, the Finance Committee, the Audit Visiting Committee, and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
H. Wesley Towers Jr. is a 1964 graduate of the University of Delaware. He also earned a VMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. He retired as the State Veterinarian for the State of Delaware, after 36 years of service. Dr. Towers is a past president of the University of Delaware Ag Alumni Association and served six years as the Kent County representative to the Ag Alumni Board of Directors. He also served on the University of Delaware Alumni Association Board of Directors. In 1990, Dr. Towers was presented with the George M. Worrilow Award from the then College of Agriculture. In 1993, the University of Delaware Alumni Association presented him with the Outstanding Alumnus Award. In addition, Dr. Towers has been awarded the Delaware Award of Excellence and Commitment in State Service, appointed to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture’s Foreign Animal and Poultry Diseases Advisory Committee, and named to the U.S. Poultry Health Negotiating Team. Dr. Towers is a member of the Farm Bureau, Delaware Institute for Veterinary Medical Education, University of Delaware Animal Care and Use Committee, American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Delmarva Poultry Industry’s Poultry Health Committee and Emergency Disease Task Force. He is also a past president of the United States Animal Health Association and the National Assembly of Chief Livestock Health Officials and is a member of the board of directors for the Delaware State Fair. In addition, the Delaware Veterinary Medical Association has named its veterinarian of the year award in honor of Dr. H. Wesley Towers. Dr. Towers serves on the Trustee Committees on Academic Affairs and Grounds and Buildings.
P. Coleman Townsend Jr. is Chairman of Indian River Trust and Managing Director of Townsends Properties, Inc., headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. He graduated from the University of Delaware and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Science. Mr. Townsend currently sits on the board of directors of Winterthur Museum, Gardens and Library, and the Royal Oak Foundation. Mr. Townsend also serves on the council of advisors for the Delaware Center for Horticulture. Mr. Townsend is Chair of the Trustee/Faculty Committee on Honorary Degrees and Awards, and is a member of the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs and the Executive Committee.
Sherman L. Townsend is first vice president for investments at Merrill Lynch. He is a 1966 graduate of Wake Forest University and a member of the President's Club. From 1967-1970 he served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He is a University representative and chairman of the Delaware Institute of Medical Education and Research Board (DIMER). He is involved in many community activities in the Dover area, and is a member of the Southern Delaware Advisory Board of the Delaware Community Foundation. Elected to the Board of Trustees in 1988, Mr. Townsend is a member of the Trustee Committee on Finance, the Executive Committee, and the Investment Visiting Committee. He also serves as chair of the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
The Honorable John E. Wallace Jr.
The Honorable John E. Wallace Jr., an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, graduated from the University of Delaware in 1964, with a major in Political Science. He earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1967. A former UD letter winner in both baseball and football, Justice Wallace was elected to the Alumni Wall of Fame in 1986 and served as an honorary captain of the UD football team in 1997. The Wallace family continues the University of Delaware tradition with daughter Kim, a 1996 graduate; and son Michael, a 1999 graduate. Justice Wallace joined the Philadelphia law firm, Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, following law school. He then served as a Captain in the U.S. Army in the transportation corps. He next worked as the reorganization attorney for the Council of Trustees of the Penn Center Transportation Company. In 1973, he was appointed a Municipal Court judge for Washington Township, New Jersey. In 1976, Justice Wallace formed the general law practice firm of Atkinson, Meyers, Archie & Wallace, in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 1984, he was appointed to the Superior Court of New Jersey, and in 1992, to the Appellate Division. He was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in June 2003. Justice Wallace coaches teen baseball teams and has led his teams to a number of championships. He is a volunteer coach for the Washington Township High School football team. He served as the vice chairman of the Gloucester County College Board of Trustees, has won numerous state and local awards, and has served on the Supreme Court Task Force on Minority Concerns, the New Jersey Ethics Commission, the Supreme Court Special Committee on Matrimonial Litigation, and chaired the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions. Justice Wallace is a member of the Trustee Committee on Student Life and Athletics, the Executive Committee, and the Athletics Visiting Committee.
Kenneth C. Whitney is a 1980 graduate of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Delaware. While at the University, Ken majored in Accounting. Between his junior and senior years at UD, Ken interned at Coopers and Lybrand. The firm offered him a position after graduation which he held until 1988 when he left to join The Blackstone Group. As one of its initial employees, he has seen the firm grow into one of the leading alternative asset firms in the world. Blackstone now has nearly 1300 employees, with offices in New York, London, Paris, Mumbai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Since its beginning in 1985, the firm has raised almost $38 billion for alternative asset investing across its Private Equity, Real Estate, Corporate Debt, and Marketable Alternative Investments groups. Ken currently serves as a Senior Managing Director for Blackstone’s Private Equity group, and has been intimately involved in establishing and overseeing new businesses at the firm including BlackRock and the firm’s real estate and credit businesses.
Ken has established the Whitney Family Scholarship Endowment in UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. He serves on Finance, Public Affairs and Advancement, and Investment Visiting Committees.
