With Thanks to the Search Committee

During the special and historic Board of Trustees meeting that elected Patrick D. Gallagher as Pitt’s 18th chancellor, Board Chair Stephen Tritch said, “I can tell you that today’s meeting is to me a joyful meeting and the culmination of a tremendous amount of very hard work by a lot of people.”

Noting that, ultimately, it is the trustees’ responsibility to identify and hire the University’s chancellor, Tritch took time during the Feb. 8 meeting to praise the work of the University search committee that identified and recommended top candidates. “We chose to—rightfully so—follow the academic custom of having a search committee that was large and diverse and included key constituency groups,” said Tritch. Among those who served on the committee were students, faculty, staff, alumni representatives, and trustees. Tritch also noted that one of the leading search firms in higher education, Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, was useful in the process of “helping universities like ours find the best candidates.” 

In June, when Mark A. Nordenberg announced his intention to step down from the chancellor’s role, effective Aug. 1, 2014, the board acted quickly to appoint the committee, which began its comprehensive search process last summer.

“It was an honor to chair this committee,” said Eva Tansky Blum (A&S ’70, LAW ’73), vice chair of the Board of Trustees and executive vice president and director of community affairs for PNC Bank. “The search committee was wonderful. They worked diligently, and they were totally devoted to one mission, that was finding the next great leader for Pitt.”

Noting that the committee made its recommendations ahead of schedule, Tritch addressed those who served, “On behalf of the board, the University, and the community, we really thank you for your hard work and a great job.”

Search Committee Chair

Eva Tansky Blum (A&S ’70, LAW ’73), vice chair of Pitt Board of Trustees; executive vice president and director, community affairs, PNC Bank; chair and president, PNC Foundation

Search Committee Vice Chair

James V. Maher, provost emeritus, Distinguished Service Professor of Physics, and senior science advisor

Search Committee Members

Livingston Alexander, president of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and University of Pittsburgh at Titusville

David Bartholomae, Professor and Charles Crow Chair, Department of English

Amelia R. Brause, Student Government Board member and Pitt senior neuroscience major

Suzanne W. Broadhurst, Pitt trustee and retired director of corporate giving for Eat ’n Park Hospitality Group

Donald S. Burke, dean of the Graduate School of Public Health, UPMC-Jonas Salk Chair in Global Health, associate vice chancellor for global health, director of the Center for Vaccine Research, and Distinguished University Professor of Health Science and Policy

Mary Ellen Callahan (A&S, Honors College ’90), Pitt trustee, partner with the law firm Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C.

Robert J. Cindrich (LAW ’68), former judge for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, counsel in the business services and litigation departments of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP, and president of Cindrich Consulting LLC

Richard R. Colwell, senior client services technical lead in the Swanson School of Engineering IT group for the school’s freshman engineering program, president of Pitt’s Staff Association Council

Anthony Delitto, professor and chair in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Department of Physical Therapy; associate dean for research; and vice president for education and research, UPMC Centers for Rehab Services

David M. Gau (ENGR ’11), second-year PhD candidate in bioengineering at Pitt, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Government, and 2011 Omicron Delta Kappa Senior of the Year

Dawne Hickton (LAW ’83), Pitt trustee; and vice chair, president, and CEO of RTI International Metals, Inc.

Gerald D. Holder, U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering in the University’s Swanson School of Engineering and a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering

Kathy W. Humphrey, vice provost and dean of students

Randy P. Juhl, vice chancellor for research conduct and compliance, Distinguished Service Professor of Pharmacy 

Maria Kovacs, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine

Carrie R. Leana, the George H. Love Professor of Organizations and Management with appointments in the Katz Graduate School of Business, the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and the Learning Research and Development Center

Alfred Moyé (A&S ’68), Pitt trustee, retired director of university affairs, Hewlett-Packard Company

Marlee Myers (A&S ’74, LAW ’77), Pitt trustee, managing partner for the Pittsburgh office of the law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, and a partner in the firm’s business and finance practice

John H. Pelusi Jr. (A&S ’77, GSPIA ’79), Pitt trustee, CEO and vice chair of HFF, Inc., and the executive managing director and managing member of HFF, LP and HFF Securities, LP

Arthur G. Ramicone, Pitt’s chief financial officer

Robert P. Randall (A&S ’65), Pitt trustee, president of Rand Group, Inc., and retired CEO of TRACO

Jerry Samples, professor of mechanical engineering technology and director of engineering technology at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown

Jack D. Smith (A&S ’69, MED ’73), Pitt trustee, chair of Department of Orthopedics, Excela Health System

Secretary to the Committee

B. Jean Ferketish (BUS ’81G, EDUC ’92G), secretary of the Board of Trustees and Pitt assistant chancellor