Tony Allen leads Corporate Communications for Bank of America's Consumer Banking and Business Banking divisions, which serves more than 50 million consumers and small businesses. Tony sets the organization's communications strategy and is senior communications counsel to the company's Chief Operating Officer. He is also a key advisor to the Bank's public policy and Corporate Social Responsibility teams. Formerly, Tony was an executive vice president with MBNA.
Before joining MBNA, Allen was the founding president of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League (MWUL), an affiliate of the National Urban League. In this role, Allen successfully advocated for equity in education, minority business procurement, policing and urban revitalization impacting 30,000 Delawareans, including 11,000 children and 15,000 small business owners. Allen started his career as the co–founder of Public Allies Delaware, a leadership development organization for young people. Since 1995, more than 300 young people have graduated from the program and have contributed 500,000 hours of volunteer service back to Delaware communities. Allen also worked for several years with current Vice President of the United States Joseph R. Biden, serving as speechwriter and special assistant while Vice President Biden was U.S. Senator.
Active in the community, Allen is on the boards of the Laffey–McHugh Foundation, the Delaware Public Policy Institute, the National Urban Fellows and the Vice President's Residence Foundation. He also served as co–chair of the 2008 gubernatorial transition team for Delaware Governor Jack Markell.
He has been honored with many awards and recognitions, including the Delaware State Bar Association's Liberty Bell, the Edelstein Prize for Public Service, Public Allies Lifetime Achievement Award and the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award for Advancing Racial Equality, the National Urban League's highest honor.
The author of over 35 published articles and papers, Allen is a 1997 National Urban Fellow and holds a Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware, a Master of Public Administration degree from Baruch College (CUNY), and a University of Delaware undergraduate degree in Political Science.
Allen lives with his family in Wilmington, Delaware.
Carol A. Ammon is the founder and retired Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman of Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company with market leadership in pain management. Based in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Endo is engaged in the research, development, sale and marketing of branded and generic pharmaceuticals used primarily to treat and manage pain. In May 2005, she retired as CEO after serving in that position since 1997.
In 1997, Ms. Ammon led a management buyout team and purchased 37 pharmaceutical products from The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company to form Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. In July 2000, Endo became a publicly traded company, known as Endo Pharmaceuticals Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: ENDP)
Prior to forming Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ms. Ammon spent 23 years in the pharmaceutical division of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. In 1993, Ms. Ammon was appointed President of the generic pharmaceutical business unit of the DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company, the pharmaceutical joint venture of DuPont and Merck and Company, Inc. In 1996, she was named President of the U.S. Pharmaceuticals Division of DuPont Merck. As president, she was responsible for a significant share of DuPont Merck's corporate revenue and earnings.
Ms. Ammon was named the CEO of the Year in 2004 by the Eastern Technology Council, an organization of 800 technology and life sciences companies in the Philadelphia region. The award recognizes a recipient's leadership qualities, impact in the company's industry and/or market, achievement of financial and other significant milestones, success in executing an operating strategy, and community industry involvement. Under her leadership, Endo also was the Eastern Technology Council's Company of the Year in 2003. Ms. Ammon also received the 2003 Greater Philadelphia Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Health Sciences category. The Entrepreneur of the Year program recognizes "the accomplishments of the world's outstanding entrepreneurs" and raises awareness "about the benefits they provide to our society." Ms. Ammon was chosen as the winner of the 2005 Paradigm Award, the Philadelphia region's most prestigious award for business people and received the Woman of Spirit Award from the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
She is past Chairman of the Board and a Trustee of Christiana Healthcare System serving as Chair from 2006 through 2011. Ms. Ammon is Chairman of the University of Arkansas Multiple Myeloma Advisory Board and serves as a Director of the Hagley Museum, Wilmington, Delaware and is a member of the Harvard Business School Healthcare Advisory Board. She is also a Director with the Delaware Public Policy Institute.
A native of Long Island, New York, Ms. Ammon earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Central Connecticut State University. She also received an M.B.A. from Adelphi University and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from Adelphi University in May of 2010. In addition she received an honorate Doctorate from the University of Delaware in May of 2011.
Ms. Ammon resides in Wilmington, Delaware and Palm Desert, California with her spouse, Marie E. Pinizzotto, M.D., MBA. Dr. Pinizzotto specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology and then transitioned to a very successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. She was the head of Global Safety for Wyeth's Women's Health Care Division and then subsequently started her own consulting firm in drug safety and risk management. Dr. Pinizzotto is currently the CEO of the Carol A. Ammon Foundation which is focused in healthcare and education.
James C. Borel is executive vice president and a member of DuPont's Office of the Chief Executive. He also has responsibilities for DuPont Pioneer, Crop Protection and Nutrition & Health businesses. Mr. Borel joined DuPont in 1978 in Findlay, Ohio, as a sales representative.
From 1978 to 1997, he held a variety of business and operations management positions in agricultural products in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan. In November 1997, he was appointed global vice–president & general manager, DuPont Crop Protection.
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 in February 2008. He was named to his current position in October 2009.
Mr. Borel is chairman of the board of trustees for National 4–H Council. He is also on the board of directors of Crop Life International; board of trustees of Farm Foundation, and board of trustees of the University of Delaware.
Mr. Borel graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in agricultural business.
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. He was the president of the board of trustees of Kent School in Chestertown, Maryland from 1995 to1998, 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 remains on the Bayhealth Planning Committee, the Real Estate Committee and has recently served in an ad hoc capacity on the strategic planning committee to construct the new Milford Memorial Hospital. He is a member of the Kent County Advisory Board for WSFS Bank. A member of the Greater Dover Committee since 1993, Mr. Burns also served as its president in 1994 and 2011. Mr. Burns has served in a long term capacity as a director for the Kent County Association of Realtors. He was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Education Committee for the Delaware Real Estate Commission. He is also an appointed member of the City of Dover Tax Assessment Appeals Board. He has lived in Dover with his family since 1979.
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 President of Burton Investment holdings LLC. Mr. Burton formerly served on the Judicial Review Committee appointed by Governor Minner and is currently serving on the Committee on Transportation for the Department of Transportation. Mr. Burton is a Commissioner on the Sussex County Planning and Zoning board. Mr. Burton serves on the Trustee Committee on Grounds and Buildings and the Southern Delaware Ad Hoc Committee.
Mariah D. Calagione is the Owner and Vice President of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats of Lewes and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Draper Holdings Business Trust of Salisbury, MD and Milton, Delaware. A graduate of Brown University, Ms. Calagione currently serves as a Director for The Greater Lewes Foundation, The Delaware Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and the Lewes Chamber of Commerce.
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 Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown. 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 the recipient of the 2008 Excellence in Teaching Award from Delaware Technical and Community College. She is also the recipient of one of the 2010 HOLA Awards for Extraordinary Community Service Leader in the Hispanic community. A native Delawarean, Mrs. Castellanos resides in Georgetown with her family.
Joan F. Coker is a Board Certified Otolaryngologist. She graduated from the Medical College of Ohio, and completed her residency in Otolaryngology at the King / Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles. Following completion of residency, she attended Stanford University where she completed a fellowship in the surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea under the guidance of Dr. Nelson Powell, Robert Riley and Richard Goode.
Dr. Coker holds membership in the Medical Society of Delaware, The American Academy of Otolaryngology, and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. She enjoys mentoring students, and currently serves as Board President of The Kuumba Academy Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware.
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 in 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, a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and a Hagley trustee. Mr. Cosgrove was elected to the University of Delaware Board of Trustees in 1993, and was first elected chair in 1999. Mr. Cosgrove stepped down from the position of chair of the Board in June 2009, but continues his service as a trustee.
William J. DiMondi is General Manager of The Delaware State Fair, Inc. Before beginning his 20 years of affiliation with the Fair, Mr. DiMondi was an associate attorney with Parkowski, Noble & Guerke, P.A. and Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. He served as Assistant Legal Counsel to former Governor Mike Castle. He was also President of Wyoming Concrete Industries, Inc. a third–generation family–owned manufacturer of ready mix concrete, blocks and precast products in southern Delaware and Maryland's lower eastern shore.
Mr. DiMondi graduated from Boston College in 1977 with a B.A. in communication and received his J.D. from Temple University School of Law in 1980.
He serves on the Greater Kent Committee and is on the Board of Directors of Commonwealth Trust Company, Eastern States Group and The Delaware State Fair, Inc. (President, 1996 – 2008). He previously served on the Delaware Solid Waste Authority, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, Governor's Magistrate Screening Committee, Delaware Board of Medical Practice and Delaware Real Estate Commission.
Mr. DiMondi resides in Rehoboth Beach with his wife Susan L. DiMondi.
Chai Gadde is Chief Executive Officer of Biotek reMEDys, in New Castle, Delaware, which he founded in 2011 to provide specialty pharmacy, home infusion and specialty infusions solutions and services. Mr. Gadde has more than 23 years of management and senior management experience, both in the pharmaceutical industry and in the area of startup ventures, with particular expertise in biotech pharmaceutical supply chain management and contract negotiations with manufacturers and managed care organizations (MCO). In 1998, he started InfuRx, a specialty bio–pharmaceutical/infusions services management company, which he later sold to Priority Healthcare Corporation (NASDAQ: PHCC), a company then acquired by Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX).
Chai has been instrumental in various startup businesses and endeavors, including land development projects, hospitality ventures, and technology–based companies, and uses his business and management experience to advise companies in diverse fields in strategic and operational areas.
Professionally, Mr. Gadde's industry affiliations include American Managed Care Pharmacy, American Pharmaceutical Association, Delaware Pharmacists Society, National Home Infusion Association, a number of cancer care organizations, and the Tennessee Pharmacists Associations. He currently serves as Chairman of the Legislative Committee for the Delaware Pharmacists Society.
Dedicated to civic engagement, Chai has been active with the Delaware Community Foundation, Premier Charities, and Social Venture Partners, and is a former Vice President of the United States of America Cricket Association. Chai proudly serves on the Governor's Magistrate Screening Committee for the State of Delaware.
Originally from Hyderabad, India, Chai earned his undergraduate degree in pharmacy from Bangalore University, did graduate work in pharmaceutics at Long Island University, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Delaware. Chai lives with his wife and two children in Hockessin, Delaware.
Michael S. Geltzeiler is a 1980 graduate of the University of Delaware earning his bachelor of science degree in accounting from the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. He is a recipient of the University of Delaware's Award of Excellence for professional and community achievement and was honored by the University as an Alumni Wall of Fame recipient. He also earned an MBA in Finance from Stern Business School at New York University and holds CPA Certification in the State of New York.
Mr. Geltzeiler is SVP and CFO of ADT Corporation in Boca Raton, Florida.
Mr. Geltzeiler previously had served as Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive Vice President of NYSE Euronext; President, School & Educational Services for the Reader's Digest Association and was the organization's Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President from 2001 to 2007. He also served as Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President and Controller at ACNielsen Corporation and in a variety of senior finance positions both in the US and abroad for Dun & Bradstreet.
Mr. Geltzeiler currently serves on the University of Delaware Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Advisory Board. He also serves on the boards of the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club (where he also serves as President), the Museum of American Finance, the NYSE Foundation and the Euronext (supervisory board), as well as being an officer for the Fallen Heroes Fund.
Mr. Geltzeiler has been particularly helpful to the University of Delaware by speaking at the school's MBA program and by taking students from the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics onto the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, providing internship opportunities, and hosting alumni events in New York City.
Stuart M. Grant is co–founder and managing director of Grant & Eisenhofer P.A., a Wilmington based law firm specializing in the representation of institutional investors. Mr. Grant is internationally recognized for his extensive knowledge in the areas of Delaware corporate law, fiduciary responsibility, securities and investments, private equity and fixed income, appraisal remedies, valuation, proxy contests and other matters related to protecting and promoting the rights of institutional investors. Mr. Grant serves as litigation counsel to many of the largest public and private institutional investors in the world.
Mr. Grant was graduated in 1982 cum laude by Brandeis University with a B.A. in economics and received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1986. Mr. Grant is a frequent speaker on securities and corporate law, and has authored a number of articles which have been cited with approval by the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd and 5th Circuits and numerous U.S. District Courts.
Mr. Grant serves as Vice–Chairperson of the Delaware Judicial Nominating Commission, is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Delaware Art Museum and is on the Advisory Board for the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. Mr. Grant was an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Widener University School of Law from 1994 – 2009, where he taught securities litigation. He gave up teaching to take classes at the University of Delaware in the School of Agriculture, focusing on Animal Sciences.
Mr. Grant resides in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife and three children.
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 doctorate 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 worked as a National Research Council Post–doctoral Fellow at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Michael Lynch was elected Master of the State Grange in December 2012 and as such, serves on the Board of Trustees in an ex officio capacity.
Jack Markell was elected Governor of the State of Delaware in 2009. He was born and raised in Newark, Delaware and graduated from Newark High School along with his wife, Carla. He went on to receive an undergraduate degree in economics and development studies from Brown University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Governor Markell is a Henry Crown Fellow and a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He resides in Wilmington, Delaware with his wife and their two children, Molly and Michael.
Governor Markell brings innovative public and private sector experience to the Office of Governor. He began his career in the private sector helping lead the wireless technology revolution as the 13th employee at Nextel (a name he coined), where he served as Senior Vice President for Corporate Development. His other business experience includes a senior management position at Comcast Corporation, work as a consultant with McKinsey and Company and as a banker at First Chicago Corporation.
He was elected State Treasurer in 1998, winning three consecutive terms, including his last re–election in November of 2006 with an overwhelming 70 percent of the vote. As State Treasurer, Governor Markell worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Delawareans through innovative programs aimed at cutting spending and improving fiscal responsibility. He has been recognized in Delaware and across the country as a leader in promoting policies to help all people achieve their economic potential.
Terence M. Murphy serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Bayhealth, Inc., and President and Chief Executive Officer of Bayhealth Medical Center, Inc. He was appointed to these positions in October 2009. In February 2002, he was named Bayhealth's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, after having served previously as Vice President, Southern Region of Bayhealth Medical Center. Mr. Murphy is responsible for the day–to–day oversight of all operations of both Kent General and Milford Memorial Hospitals. Mr. Murphy currently serves as Chairman of the Bayhealth Medical Center Board and is a member of other affiliated boards including Bayhealth, Inc. and Bayhealth Cancer Institute.
Mr. Murphy received a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from Belmont Abbey College in 1982 and a Master's degree in Health Services Administration from The George Washington University in 1985. Prior to joining the staff at Bayhealth, Mr. Murphy served as Vice President of Clinical and Professional Services at Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton, Maryland.
Mr. Murphy is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Delaware Healthcare Association. In addition, Mr. Murphy received the 2008 Regent's Award for Senior–Level Healthcare Executives from the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Mr. Murphy is currently a member of the Greater Kent Committee and serves as a Vice Chair on the Executive Committee of the Delaware Business Roundtable. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Trustees for Delaware Hospice and the Board of Directors of Easter Seals Delaware and Maryland's Eastern Shore. Mr. Murphy and his wife, Julie, live in Camden, Delaware, and have three daughters.
Claudia Peña Porretti has been a strong social justice advocate for more than 20 years. Claudia has worked diligently to promote issues such as education reform, youth development, immigration reform and immigrants' rights, domestic violence awareness, substance abuse prevention, homelessness, civil liberties and human rights.
Claudia received her law degree from Indiana University McKinney School of Law and her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Indiana Institute of Technology. Because of her dedication to the nonprofit sector, she also studied at The Fund Raising School at Indiana University's The Center on Philanthropy and attained the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).
Currently, Claudia is Vice President of Development for the Latin American Community Center (LACC) in Wilmington, and she was the Executive Director of La Esperanza Community Center in Georgetown.
Prior to La Esperanza, she was the Director of Development for People's Place in Milford. A former small business owner (restaurant) while living in the state of Indiana, Claudia also served as the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana and in a variety of senior development positions.
One of Delaware Today's 2013 Women in Business and a 2015 recipient of Girls Inc.'s Strong, Smart and Bold Award, Claudia serves as a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals–Brandywine Chapter, a Governor–appointed member of the Delaware Hispanic Commission, and a Delaware Access for Justice Commission member. She also sits on the board of directors of Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA), Primeros Pasos (First Steps) Early Education Center, and Generations Home Care, Inc.
Originally from Connecticut, she lives with her husband in Smyrna. They have one son and four grandchildren.
Don Puglisi is the MBNA America Professor of Business Emeritus at the University of Delaware and Managing Director of Puglisi & Associates. He received a B.A. with high honors, majoring in accounting, and an M.B.A. with a concentration in finance from Michigan State University and holds a D.B.A., with a major in finance and minors in accounting and quantitative business analysis, from Indiana University. His primary teaching responsibilities at the University of Delaware, where he served on the faculty for thirty years starting in 1971, were corporate finance, securities analysis and portfolio management, the pricing and uses of derivative instruments, and the management of financial institutions. He has published extensively in those areas. Don was the recipient of Excellence in Teaching Awards on six separate occasions while at the University of Delaware. He has also been awarded the University of Delaware's Medal of Distinction and an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the University of Delaware.
Don has served as a University of Delaware Public Service Fellow with the Office of the Treasurer for the State of Delaware and as a Visiting Research Scholar with the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, where he was the recipient of two Outstanding Service Awards.
Don founded Puglisi & Associates in 1973. His company provides financial and administrative services to a variety of Delaware–based holding companies, many of which are subsidiaries of major U.S. and foreign based corporations. Don has over 25 years experience with a variety of forms of structured financings and serves as a director or trustee of a large number of special purpose finance vehicles, some of whose securities have been or are traded on major securities markets in the United States.
In July 1997, Don was nominated by Delaware's Governor and confirmed by the Delaware Senate to be a Commissioner on the State's Public Service Commission, the five–member group that is authorized by the Delaware General Assembly to regulate investor–owned utilities providing services for public use within the State of Delaware. He stepped down from the Public Service Commission in December 2004. In March 2000, then–Governor Thomas R. Carper presented Don the State of Delaware Order of the First State Award.
Don has been an expert witness in a number of cases involving valuation and other financial matters that have been adjudicated before a variety of state and federal courts, including Delaware's Chancery Court, the U.S. Tax Court, federal District Courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court by original jurisdiction. His clients have included the United States Department of Justice Tax Division and Internal Revenue Service as well as individuals and corporations in the private sector.
Nathaniel "Niño" Rufino Rosal is a 2015 graduate of the University of Delaware, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Biological Sciences. While at UD, he was a member of the University of Delaware varsity Men's Golf team, and served two years as a captain of the team. He is a three–time letter winner and three–time CAA conference Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. For the 2013–2014 season, he received CAA All–Academic Team Honors. While a UD student, Nathaniel was a representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).
Nathaniel's parents are both practicing physicians. His mother is a pediatrician and father is an Internist. They currently share a practice with three other physicians in Smyrna. Nathaniel has one younger brother, Matthew, who will be attending George Washington University this coming fall.
Nathaniel is currently studying at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine with degree conferral expected in 2019.
A. Gilchrist Sparks III is of counsel in the Wilmington law firm of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell. He graduated from Yale University in 1966 and then served on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, including a tour in Vietnam. He earned his law degree from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1973. Mr. Sparks is Chairman of the Corporate Laws Committee of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Bar Foundation, and is a member of both the American Law Institute and the Board of Advisors of the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law and Economics. Mr. Sparks is also a former chairman of the Delaware State Board of Bar Examiners. Co–author of Delaware Corporation Law and Practice and The Delaware Corporation: Legal Aspects of Organization and Operation, Mr. Sparks serves on the executive and planning committees of various national corporate and securities law institutes, and is a former member of the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Mr. Sparks was elected to the University of Delaware Board of Trustees in 2003 and was elected chair in 2009. Previously he served as Chair of the Trustee Committee on Academic Affairs and the Audit Visiting Committee, and also served on the Trustee Committee on Finance, the Nominating Committee, the Executive Committee and the Athletics Visiting Committee. As chair, Mr. Sparks appoints all Board committees, and he chairs the Executive and Compensation Committees and serves as ex officio on all Board committees.
Sherman L. Townsend is First Vice President – Investments at Merrill Lynch. He is a 1966 graduate of Wake Forest University and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1967–1970. 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 throughout Delaware, and a founder and former Chair of the Delaware Community Foundation. He is a member of the Southern Delaware Advisory Board of the Delaware Community Foundation. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine for his contribution to medical education since 1988.
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 1,700 employees, with offices in New York, London, Paris, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Sao Paolo and Tokyo. Since its beginning in 1985, through its different investment businesses (private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge fund solutions, and credit), Blackstone has total assets under management of approximately $190 billion as of June 30, 2012.
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, credit and placement businesses.
Ken has established the Whitney Family Scholarship Endowment and the Whitney Family Endowed Chair in UD's Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.
