Dartmouth College's Board of Trustees Elects Five Alumni as New Trustees

Dartmouth College Office of Public Affairs • Press Release
Posted 09/05/08 • Media Contact: Roland Adams • (603) 646-3661 

New Members Include Jeffrey R. Immelt '78, Sherri C. Oberg '82, T'86, John A. Rich '80, Steven Roth '62, T'63 and Diana L. Taylor '77

New Trustees Bring Diverse Expertise and Long Records of Service to the College

Five prominent alumni have been elected to the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College, Board Chair Ed Haldeman announced today.

The new members, who will serve four-year renewable terms ending in 2012, are:

• Jeffrey R. Immelt '78, chairman and chief executive officer, GE;
• Sherri C. Oberg '82, Tuck '86, founder, president and chief executive officer, Acusphere, Inc.;
• John A. Rich '80, chair, Department of Health Management and Policy, and director, Center for Academic Public Health Practice, Drexel University;
• Steven Roth '62, Tuck '63, chairman and chief executive officer, Vornado Realty Trust, and,
• Diana L. Taylor '77, managing director, Wolfensohn & Company, L.L.C.

"We are extremely pleased to add to the Board such a distinguished group of alumni who bring to Dartmouth a wealth of diverse experience and capabilities," said Haldeman. "This group of remarkably accomplished individuals will significantly enhance our capacity to provide effective stewardship of this world-class institution.  They not only have strong ties to Dartmouth, but also bring additional expertise and leadership in fields - such as medicine and biotechnology, public service, real estate and international management - important to the governance of the College.  We appreciate the significant commitment that Jeff, Sherri, John, Steve and Diana are making to serve as Trustees and look forward to working closely with them in the years to come."

James Wright, president of Dartmouth and an ex-officio member of the Board, said: "I am thrilled to welcome to the Board such a talented group of alumni.  All of our new Trustees have demonstrated outstanding leadership as professionals and as passionate, devoted supporters of Dartmouth. Jeff, Sherri, John, Steve and Diana share an intense commitment to Dartmouth's mission and will provide valuable guidance to the College as we seek to build on our success."

In 2008, Dartmouth experienced the largest undergraduate applicant pool in the College's history (16,538).  Dartmouth's 4,200 undergraduates are an accomplished and diverse group, representing all 50 states and more than 40 countries.  Students of color and international students comprise 30 percent and 7 percent, respectively, of the student body. Nearly 47 percent of undergraduates receive financial aid from Dartmouth with an average scholarship of $33,315 for members of the Class of 2012.

To support its educational mission, Dartmouth just completed a record fund-raising year.  The Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience, the most ambitious fund-raising initiative in Dartmouth history, reached a milestone in June as it surpassed the $1.1 billion mark. Total giving for fiscal year 2008, which closed June 30, was $168 million, an increase over the $159 million raised last year. The campaign, which began in 2002, is on track to raise the remaining $200 million of the $1.3 billion goal by its scheduled end-date in December 2009.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON NEW TRUSTEES:

Jeffrey R. Immelt '78, chairman and chief executive officer, GE

Immelt was appointed as CEO in 2001 to lead GE, which has long been one of the most admired companies in the world for its leadership development, managerial effectiveness, high governance standards, and innovation in meeting essential world needs.  He has been named three times as one of the "World's Best CEOs" by Barron's.  Immelt is on the board of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. He earned his Dartmouth A.B. degree cum laude in applied mathematics and economics, and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.  At  Dartmouth, he played football and received the Earl Hamilton Varsity Award for friendship and character. He was also a member of Phi Delta Alpha fraternity and the senior society Dragon.  He received the Robert Fletcher Award from Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering in 2002 in recognition of distinguished achievement and service.  He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Dartmouth in 2004 when he served as Commencement speaker.  Among his other commitments to Dartmouth, he is currently serving as one of the vice chairs of the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience.  He also has served on the Alumni Council and as a class officer.

Sherri C. Oberg '82,  Amos Tuck School of Business '86, president, chief executive officer, director, Acusphere, Inc.

Oberg is president, chief executive officer and director of Acusphere, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company. Acusphere's new cardiovascular drug has completed human clinical trials and is now in the FDA approval process.  She began her career in venture capital at Inco Venture Capital Management and later moved to Aegis Venture Funds.  Oberg earned her Dartmouth A.B. degree in history, and her M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business.  She currently serves as a member of Tuck's Board of Overseers and was on the Advisory Board of the Tuck Center for Private Equity and Entrepreneurship.  She has served as president of Dartmouth's Alumni Council, which earlier gave her its Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.  She has served the College as an Alumni Fund leadership agent, class and reunion agent, and fraternity/sorority coordinator (as an undergraduate, Oberg was a member of the KKG sorority).  Oberg has served on the boards of directors of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council as well as the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC).  She is married to another Dartmouth graduate, Curt Oberg '78.

John A. Rich '80, chair, Department of Health Management and Policy, and director, Center for Academic Public Health Practice, Drexel University School of Public Health

Rich has long been an innovative leader in the field of public health, whose work has focused on serving one of the nation's most ignored and underserved populations -- African-American men in urban settings.  His work has shaped policy discussion and health practices throughout the United States.  Among numerous awards for his work in public health, he was granted, in 2006, a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.  Prior to moving to Drexel University, Rich served as the medical director of the Boston Public Health Commission. He earned his Dartmouth A.B. degree in English, his M.D. from Duke University Medical School, and his Master's from the Harvard School of Public Health.  He completed his internship and residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital and was a fellow in general internal medicine at Harvard Medical School.  As a primary care doctor at Boston Medical Center, Rich created the Young Men's Health Clinic and initiated the Boston HealthCREW, a program to train inner city young men to become peer health educators focusing on improving the health of men and boys in their communities.  He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Dartmouth in 2007.  Dartmouth praised Rich for his success "in addressing overall wellness concerns" and effectively calling "attention to the need for a more humane health care system."  He is a member of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA).

Steven Roth '62, Amos Tuck School of Business '63, chairman and chief executive officer, Vornado Realty Trust

Roth is the CEO of one of the largest owners and managers of commercial real estate in the United States and has been named by Barron's as one of the "World's Thirty Most Respected CEOs" for three consecutive years.  He also is co-founder and managing general partner of Interstate Properties and chairman and chief executive officer of Alexander's, Inc.   He is a current or former trustee of the Whitney Museum of American Art and of the Intrepid Museum Foundation and a board member of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and the New York University School of Medicine Foundation.  After his Dartmouth A.B. degree, he earned his M.B.A. from Tuck with high distinction.  Roth recently completed a term as chair of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). Roth has provided years of service to Dartmouth.  He served as a member of the Board of Overseers of Tuck from 1981 through 1987. Roth was a driving force behind the creation of the Roth Center for Jewish Life at Dartmouth, and his daughter, Amanda R. Salzhauer '93, was a leader of Dartmouth Hillel. He has served as a member of the Alumni Council and the President's Leadership Council. He also has served on the Dartmouth College Fund Committee and his class Reunion Giving Committee.

Diana L. Taylor '77, managing director, Wolfensohn & Company, L.L.C.; former New York State superintendent of banks

Taylor joined Wolfensohn & Company, a strategic consulting and investment firm, in 2007, prior to which she served as New York State superintendent of banks and chairwoman of the New York State Banking Board.  As superintendent, a position to which she was appointed by Governor George Pataki, she was regulator for more than 3,500 financial institutions with assets totaling over $1.5 trillion.  Previously, she held a number of other public service positions, including serving in roles as the governor's deputy secretary for finance and housing and before that as chief financial officer of the Long Island Power Authority.  Prior to her government service, she worked in the private sector, as vice president for KeySpan Energy and as an investment banker with Smith Barney, Lehman Brothers and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette.  Taylor was a founding partner of M.R. Beal & Co., a successful investment banking firm concentrating primarily in municipal bonds.  She earned her Dartmouth A.B. degree in economics and an M.B.A. and Master's in public health from Columbia University.  Taylor serves on the boards of Allianz Global Investors, Brookfield Properties and Sotheby's.  She also serves on several charitable boards, including ACCION International, the New York Women's Foundation, the International Women's Health Coalition and amfAR.  Taylor's volunteer work for Dartmouth has included service as a Dartmouth Alumni Fund volunteer, a class officer and a member of her class Reunion Giving Committee.

ABOUT DARTMOUTH: The mission of Dartmouth is "to educate the most promising students and prepare them for a lifetime of learning and of responsible leadership, through a faculty dedicated to teaching and the creation of knowledge." Dartmouth is committed to providing the best undergraduate liberal arts experience and to offering outstanding graduate programs through the Dartmouth Medical School, the Thayer School of Engineering, the Tuck School of Business and the graduate programs in the Arts and Sciences. Visit www.dartmouth.edu for information and events, and to sign up for news updates.