Meet Drexel’s Interim President Denis O’Brien
Interim President Denis O’Brien leads Drexel during a time of transition, as the institution undergoes a leadership change and academic transformation, while ensuring student, faculty, and professional staff success in an ever-evolving era.
O’Brien, a 1987 MBA graduate of Drexel’s LeBow College of Business, and a member of Drexel’s Board of Trustees for more than two decades, previously served as senior executive vice president of Exelon and CEO of Exelon Utilities, where he led the nation’s largest family of electric and natural gas distribution companies. Prior, he was the president and CEO of PECO Energy, one of the nation’s most profitable and highest-performing utility companies, where he began his career as a field engineer.
O’Brien, a lifelong Philadelphian, has served on numerous boards, including tenures as the chair of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Pennsylvania Business Roundtable. He also served as a director at the Franklin Institute. He currently serves on the board of Independence Health Group.
He has been named Drexel’s 2009 Business Leader of the Year and elected to the Drexel 100, which recognizes the University’s top graduates. In 2019, he was the recipient of the William Penn Award, the highest honor presented to a business or civic leader in Greater Philadelphia.
Read Denis O’Brien's Biography