Excelsior University Board of Trustees

The Excelsior University Board of Trustees is the governing body for Excelsior. The board comprises individuals from across the United States who are prominent in the fields of business, education, government, and the professions.

Matt Loeb

Matt Loeb

Chair, Board of Trustees

Matt Loeb is a purpose-driven, strategic and digitally savvy executive and board director with more than 30 years of global leadership experience. He is CEO and principal of Optimal Performance Seekers LLC.

Charlene Dukes

Charlene Dukes

Vice Chair, Board of Trustees

Charlene Dukes is the president emerita at Prince George’s Community College. Dukes was previously the first female president of the community college which is the home of the National Cyberwatch Center, an advanced technology education site funded by the National Science Foundation and designated a 2010–2015 and 2015–2020 Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance at the two-year level.

Kent Clark

Kent A. D. Clark

Treasurer, Board of Trustees

Kent A. D. Clark is an experienced chief executive officer and military veteran certified in board and advisory work across the spectrums of cybersecurity, governance, finance, audit, strategic planning, and development for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

Jeanne Meister

Jeanne Meister

Secretary, Board of Trustees

Jeanne Meister executive vice president, Executive Networks, and was a founding partner of Future Workplace, an HR advisory and research firm. She is the best-selling author of four books—two on the launch and expansion of corporate universities and two on the future of work.

David Baime

David Baime

David Baime is the senior vice president for government relations and policy analysis for the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). He previously served as director of education funding for the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and as assistant director of government relations for the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Jennifer Gentry

Jennifer Gentry

Jennifer Gentry serves as Central Division Chief Nursing Officer for Providence St. Joseph Health-Oregon.

Daniel Greenstein

Daniel Greenstein

Daniel Greenstein is the CEO of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, the state’s public university system serving around 90,000 students.

Karen Kocher

Karen Kocher

Karen Kocher is Microsoft’s global general manager of 21st Century Jobs, emphasizing powering the planet through sustainable individual employability and organizational strategic talent pipelines.

KH Maman

KH Maman

KH Maman has more than 25 years of experience in the field of information systems security, telecommunications, systems design and integration, network consulting, PCI credit card security, breach investigation, business continuity planning and disaster recovery, and more.

Karim Merchant

Karim Merchant

Karim Merchant is the Senior Executive Officer of Development, Arc of the United States, Washington, DC.

Rose Wang

Rose Wang

Rose Wang is a serial entrepreneur and is the founder of Binary Group, an IT consulting firm providing enterprise solutions.

Alec Whitters

David Kwabena Wilson

David Wilson is the 10th inaugurated president of Morgan State University—Maryland’s preeminent public urban research university.

Ex-Officio Trustees

Mark Bowman

Mark Bowman

Mark Bowman works for NASA as the Soyuz spacecraft systems and crew operations lead, responsible for maintaining engineering knowledge of Russian spacecraft and launch vehicles to ensure the safety of U.S. astronauts during Soyuz flight operations.

Gretchen Schmidt

Gretchen Schmidt

Gretchen Schmidt is the faculty program director overseeing the criminal justice and cannabis control programs at Excelsior University. As a para-academic, she combines criminal justice and legal experience with her passion for learning to create engaging and rigorous courses and programs.

Chair Emeriti

Helen Benjamin

Helen Benjamin

Helen Benjamin was chancellor of the Contra Costa Community College District from 2005 until her retirement in December 2016. Her District career began in 1990 when she joined Los Medanos College as dean of language arts and humanistic studies and related occupations.

Don Dea

Don Dea

Don Dea is a recognized authority on the internet, association and nonprofit organizations, online education, mobile, and technology deployment, Dea is the cofounder of Fusion Productions.

Arthur Gregg

Arthur Gregg

Arthur Gregg has more than 44 years of professional experience, having held senior-level management and command positions in the military and industry.

Jerry

Jerry Neff

Jerry Neff (ARNGUS, Ret.) enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in May 1960, at the age of 18, and soon after also set off on a banking career.

Joshua L. Smith

Joshua L. Smith

Joshua L. Smith is a prominent leader in higher education, was a professor and director of the Program in Higher Education and Center for Urban Community College Leadership, School of Education, New York University until 2000.

Richard Yep

Richard Yep

Richard Yep is CEO of Ocean Vista Advisors in Alexandria, Virginia.

Trustee Emeriti

William G. Harris

William G. Harris

William G. Harris serves as the CEO of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), the leading international organization for publishers of assessment programs.

Mary O'Connor

Mary O’Connor

Mary O’Connor is a professor of nursing at Notre Dame of Maryland University where she teaches RN to BSN and MSN courses. She also works per diem in nursing administration as a nursing supervisor at Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland.

Jean Smith

Jean Smith

Jean Smith is a former vice president of Chase Community Development Corporation and has worked in the banking and financial industry since 1978.

Pamela Tate

Pamela Tate

Pamela Tate is Past President & CEO, The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL).

Lawrence Vertucci

Lawrence Vertucci

Lawrence E. Vertucci previously held the position of executive vice president and regional president of the Capital Region for HSBC Bank.

John R. Wesch

John R. Wetsch

John R. Wetsch is the program director for cloud computing at Wake Technical Community College.