About the Search
UD’s Board of Trustees has named a search committee to identify the institution’s next president and has selected Nancy Targett, dean of the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, to serve as Acting President, effective July 1, Board Chairman Gil Sparks has announced.
Nominations
You are invited to nominate an individual to be the next University of Delaware president by writing to UD.President@russellreynolds.com.
2015 Presidential Search Committee
Members of the Presidential Search Committee are:
- Terri Kelly, Co-chair, Trustee
- Don Puglisi, Co-chair, Trustee
- Tony Allen, Trustee
- Mariah Calagione, Trustee
- Joan Coker, Trustee
- Stuart Grant, Trustee
- Mike Geltzeiler, Trustee
- Mary Jane Willis, Trustee
- Georgina Class-Peters, Student
- Fred Cottrell, Alumnus/Parent
- Mary Dozier, Faculty
- Debra Hess Norris, Faculty
- Babatunde Ogunnaike, Faculty
- Robert Opila, Faculty
- José-Luis Riera, Staff
Committee support is provided by Jeff Garland, Vice President and University Secretary; Deb McCredie, Assistant University Secretary; and Kim DeShields, Assistant to the Vice President and University Secretary.
Terri Kelly, Committee Co-chair
President and CEO, W. L. Gore & Associates Inc.
Trustee and Alumna
Terri Kelly is President and CEO of W.L. Gore & Associates, a multibillion dollar enterprise that employs more than 10,000 associates in 45 plants around the world. Gore is well known for its unique management philosophy and culture, as well as its multitude of unique products. She joined Gore as an engineer in 1983 after earning her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering summa cum laude from the University of Delaware.
Donald J. Puglisi, Committee Co-chair
Managing Director, Puglisi & Associates
Trustee and Professor Emeritus
Don Puglisi is the MBNA America Professor of Business Emeritus at the University of Delaware and Managing Director of Puglisi & Associates. He served on the UD faculty for 30 years starting in 1971, receiving UD’s Excellence in Teaching awards on six separate occasions. He has also been awarded the University’s Medal of Distinction and an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from UD.
Tony Allen
Corporate Communications Lead, Bank of America
Trustee and Alumnus
Tony Allen leads Corporate Communications for Bank of America’s Consumer Banking and Business Banking divisions. Previously, he spent many years in the not-for-profit and public service sectors and was founding president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware, as well as a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch College (City University of New York).
Mariah Calagione
Vice President, Dogfish Head Companies
Trustee
Mariah Calagione is vice president of the Dogfish Head companies, including a brewery, brewpub and hotel in Milton, Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. She started her career in broadcast journalism and joined Dogfish full time in 1997, where she oversees the marketing team, participates in strategic planning and is active in the company’s social media activity.
Joan Coker
Otolaryngologist, ENT of Delaware
Trustee
Joan F. Coker is a Board Certified Otolaryngologist. A graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, she completed her residency in otolaryngology at the King/Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles. At Stanford University, she completed a fellowship in the surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Coker holds membership in the Medical Society of Delaware and the American Academy of Otolaryngology and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Frederick L. Cottrell III
Director, Richards Layton & Finger
Parent and Alumnus
Frederick L. Cottrell III focuses his practice on various areas of litigation, with an emphasis on intellectual property, antitrust, products liability and commercial law. Currently, he is national co-chair of the University of Delaware’s Parents Fund Council and a member of UD’s Center for Political Communication Advisory Committee. He earned his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in biological sciences from the University of Delaware and his law degree cum laude from the Dickinson School of Law. Two children are currently enrolled at UD.
Mary Dozier
Unidel Amy E. du Pont Chair of Child Development
Faculty
Mary Dozier is the Unidel Amy E. du Pont Chair of Child Development at the University of Delaware, where she is principal investigator of the Infant Caregiver Project. Since coming to UD in 1994, she has studied the development of young children who are neglected and young foster children. Her work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health continuously since 1989 through career development awards and large research grants.
Michael S. Geltzeiler
Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, ADT Corporation
Trustee and Alumnus
Michael S. Geltzeiler currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President at The ADT Corporation. He has been the Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive Vice President of NYSE Euronext. He earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and serves on the college’s Advisory Board. He has received UD’s Award of Excellence and is a member of its Alumni Wall of Fame.
Stuart M. Grant
Co-founder/Manager Director, Grant & Eisenhofer P.A.
Trustee
Stuart M. Grant, co-founder and managing director of Grant & Eisenhofer, P.A., is internationally recognized for his extensive knowledge in the area of Delaware corporate law, fiduciary responsibility, securities and investments, appraisal remedies and other matters related to the rights of institutional investors. He serves as Vice Chairperson of the Delaware Judicial Nominating Commission and is a member of the Advisory Board for the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at UD.
Debra Hess Norris
Unidel Henry Francis DuPont Chair of Fine Arts
Faculty and Alumna
Debra Hess Norris is a globally recognized authority on the care and treatment of photographic materials, emergency response, ethics and conservation education. She graduated magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in chemistry, art history and studio art and a master’s degree in conservation from the University of Delaware. She has served in many senior administrative roles in the College of Arts and Sciences and served as vice provost for graduate and professional education. In 2002, she was inducted into the University’s Alumni Wall of Fame.
Babatunde A. Ogunnaike
Dean, College of Engineering
Faculty
Babatunde A. Ogunnaike is the William L. Friend Chaired Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Delaware. A graduate of the University of Lagos, Nigeria, he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author or co-author of four books including a widely used textbook; is a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering; and was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Robert L. Opila
Professor of Materials Science, Chemistry and Biohemistry and Electrical and Computer Engineering
Faculty
Robert Opila received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Chicago and joined Bell Laboratories, where he studied the role of surfaces and interfaces in electronic materials and devices. Since 2002, he has been a member of the University of Delaware faculty and his research interests have grown to include photovoltaics and thermoelectrics. He is a fellow of the American Vacuum Society. In 2015-16, he will serve as President of the University’s Faculty Senate.
Georgina Class-Peters
Undergraduate Student
Georgina Class-Peters is currently a junior at the University of Delaware, with a double major in criminal justice and political science. She holds various leadership positions on campus, including President of the Cultural Programming Advisory Board, member of the Student Executive Board through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Engagement Ambassador, among others. Selected as a 2015 Woman of Promise at UD, she is a native of Smyrna, Delaware.
José-Luis Riera
Dean of Students, University of Delaware
Staff
José-Luis Riera serves as the Dean of Students at the University of Delaware, where he seeks to promote student success and wellbeing, inside and outside the classroom. Before joining the staff at the University of Delaware, he served as Director of Residential Living at Drexel University. His scholarly interests include student leadership development, higher education administrative leadership and spirituality within higher education.
Mary Jane Willis
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, University of Delaware
Trustee
Mary Jane Willis is an educator with experience as a guidance counselor, a diversified cooperative training coordinator and a teacher of the gifted and talented. She holds a number of public service positions, including Chairman of KidsPeace National Board; and Chairman of Bayhealth Hospital Board of Advisors, and her numerous community and public service activities have included Delaware State Chairman of the United States Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Delaware State Public Integrity Commission.
