Sylvia "Sibby" Brasler, BS, College of Home Economics, 1960. Former Vice President, Brasler Properties.

Upon graduation from Drexel, Mrs. Brasler was employed in retailing and then joined IBM as an Educational Representative and moved into managing IBM educational services covering seven states. She moved from IBM to Vice President of Brasler Properties. She has demonstrated distinguished service to the University for many years. She served as a Drexel University Trustee from 1982 to 1998 and was named an Emeritus Trustee in 2010. Mrs. Brasler has received several awards for her service to Drexel from the University's Alumni Association. These included the Golden Dragon Award (2010), the Rankin-Epstein Distinguished Award (1998), the Harriet E. Worrell Award (1993), and the Alumni Service Award (1970). In addition, the Sibby Merkel Brasler Design Fund was established in her honor at Westphal College. The fund has supported scholarships, travel stipends for students and faculty, and a speaker series. Mrs. Brasler continues her service to the University by serving as a member of the President's Board of Visitors. She previously served on the Space to Create Campaign Committee, the Reunion Committee of the Alumni Board of Governors, the Alumni Advocates, the Friends of Design Arts, the Sports Fans of the 50's, and the "Ink Not Ink" exhibition reception committee. In addition to her service to her alma mater, Mrs. Brasler has been the Benefit Coordinator of the Legacy Youth Tennis and Education Center for 25 years. She has led numerous committees of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Academy of Music. She has served on the boards of Young Audiences of Eastern Pennsylvania and the Germantown Cricket Club. She is also a past President of the Parents Community of the William Penn Charter School and was Director of the Boys and Girls 12 and under Philadelphia Tennis Championships.
June 2017

Joel Cohen, BS, LeBow College of Business, Business Administration, 1954. President, Allflex Packaging Products, Inc.

Mr. Cohen is a leader in the packaging industry as well as at Drexel. He founded Allflex Packaging Products in 1967 and is the holder of three patents. At Drexel University, Mr. Cohen served as a Trustee from 1998 to 2001 and also served as Chair of Drexel University Alumni Association Board of Governors. Mr. Cohen currently serves on the President's Board of Visitors and the Advisory Boards of both the LeBow College of Business and the College of Engineering and is a member of the Honors and Awards committee of Drexel's Alumni Board of Governors In 2013, he founded the Global Classroom program as an elective for the LeBow College of Business. In 2011, Mr. Cohen received the A.J.Drexel Paul Award, Drexel's highest honor bestowed by the Alumni Association. That same year, he received an alumni association award from the LeBow College of Business. In 2008, Mr. Cohen was inducted into the World Association for Cooperative Education Hall of Fame, and in 2004, he was the recipient of the Golden Dragon Award.
May 2013

Samuel P. De Bow, Jr. RADM, NOAA, BS, LeBow College of Business, Commerce & Engineering, 1976. President and Chief Operating Office, I.M. Systems Group, Inc.

As President and Chief Operating Office, RADM De Bow is in full charge of day-to-day leadership and management of I.M. Systems Group, Inc. (IMSG), a service provider to the U.S. federal sector, primarily with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and international governments by supplying end to end environmental and IT solutions. RADM De Bow retired from active duty on October 1, 2007 after close to 30 years of service and in 2008 became the Director of the Center of Excellence for Research on Offshore Renewable Energy at the University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography. There he was Co-Principal Investigator for a comprehensive state and federal funded $10 M Marine Spatial Planning effort to site offshore renewable energy in Rhode Island waters while also managing a $3 M annual program to operate the oceanographic Research Vessel Endeavor for the National Science Foundation. RADM De Bow was the Director of the NOAA Commissioned Corps and NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations. He was nominated for this position by President George W. Bush, confirmed by the senate, and subsequently promoted from Captain to Rear Admiral. RADM De Bow was nominated and selected to serve a six-year term on the Board of Directors of the Military Officers Association of American (MOAA), the nation's largest and most influential association of military officers and independent, nonprofit, politically nonpartisan organization.
May 2013

Beth Baughman DuPree, MD, HU, 1987, FACS, ABIHM. Vice President of Holy Redeemer Hospital, Surgical Services, Women's Health, Integrative Medicine and Employee Wellness, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Surgery University of Pennsylvania

Dr. DuPree is a Vice President of Holy Redeemer Health System overseeing Surgical Services, Women's Health, Employee Wellness and Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She has an academic appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Surgery at The University of Pennsylvania. She is a breast surgeon who embraces Eastern-healing philosophies as she remains on the cutting edge of Western medical technologies. Dr. DuPree is a graduate of The University of Pittsburgh and a 1987 graduate of Hahnemann University (Drexel) School of Medicine.
She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is board certified in Surgery as well as Integrative and Holistic Medicine. Dr. DuPree is the recipient of numerous awards, achievements and serves on the advisory boards for several breast cancer organizations. She believes that "You must be the change you wish to see in the world" (Gandhi), and inspires her patients, colleagues and acquaintances to be the change.
In 2007 she founded The Healing Consciousness Foundation that provides healing/integrative services free of charge to women and men on their breast cancer journey. She is the author of "The Healing Consciousness: A Doctor's Journey to Healing," a Reiki Master, national and international physician educator, inspirational speaker, pilot, philanthropist, health and wellness enthusiast and a loving wife and mother of two amazing sons.
In the fall of 2017, she will transition her practice to Northern Arizona Health System to establish a fully integrative breast cancer program in Sedona, Arizona.
She has been named to Philadelphia magazine's 2016 and 2017 Top Docs in surgery and Complementary Medicine!
May 2017

Edwin L. Gerber, PhD; BS, Electrical Engineering, 1957; MS, Physics & Atmospheric Sciences, 1961. Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Drexel University

Dr. Gerber has been teaching at Drexel for 55 years. He has been devoted to engineering education, and he is well known in the community of electrical engineering educators in the United States as a pioneer in the introduction and application of new information technology and dissemination techniques in the classroom. After graduating from Drexel, he was offered the position of Instructor and has been associated with the Electrical Engineering Department (now known as the Electrical and Computer Engineering, ECE) at Drexel since 1957. Today he is a Full Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and he also serves as Assistant ECE Department Head and a liaison to the Evening Program. He has received many awards including the Centennial Certificate of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Dr. Gerber served ASEE as Program Chairman, Industry Liaison, and Session Chairman for the instrumentation division. Drexel University has also honored Dr. Gerber on many occasions for his pioneering work in engineering education and for his dedication to Drexel's undergraduate students. He received the Martin Kaplan Distinguished Faculty Award (1993), the Samuel Mercer Award for Distinguished Instruction (1994), and the Thomas W. Moore Teaching Award (1995). Dr. Gerber is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a registered professional engineer in the State of Pennsylvania, and a past Fellow of the National Science Foundation.
April 2015

Herbert Kean, MD, Hahnemann University, 1956. Retired Otolaryngologist and Emeritus Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology, Thomas Jefferson Medical College

Dr. Kean is retired from private practice as an Otolaryngologist. He is also Emeritus Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson Medical College. He was trained in facial plastic surgery with specializations in ear, nose and throat and rhinoplasty. Dr. Kean has over five decades of association with Jefferson; after completing his postgraduate training in 1960, he returned to become a member of the faculty in 1969. He performed the first outpatient procedure at the Jefferson Surgical Center in 1986, as well as the 50,000th outpatient procedure in 1998. Dr. Kean has also served as a Director of Entercom Communications Corp., the Wistar Institute, and the National Liberty Museum. In 2002, at the Wistar Institute, Dr. Kean established the Jeannette P. Kean Memorial Fund benefiting cancer research in memory of his first wife, and he established the Herbert Kean MD Family Professorship. Also in 2002, Dr. Kean founded The Herbert Kean, MD Chair in Otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson Medical College. At Drexel University College of Medicine, Dr. Kean formerly served on the Alumni Association Board. In 2010, Dr. Kean received the Award of Merit from Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals.
May 2013

Richelle Parham, BS, LeBow College of Business, 1991; BS, LeBow College of Business, Marketing, 1991; BS, Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, Design & Merchandising, 1991. Chief Marketing Officer, eBay North America

As Chief Marketing Officer of eBay North America, Ms. Parham leverages her background in consumer and digital marketing to develop strategies and execute all marketing activities to reach 100+ million active eBay users. Ms. Parham is responsible for all areas of eBay North American marketing activities, including consumer product marketing, loyalty and relationship marketing, digital marketing, global citizenship, search optimization and search marketing, seller marketing, market research and eBay's global partner network. She has been with eBay since November of 2010. Prior to eBay, Ms. Parham served as head of Global Marketing Innovation and Initiatives and Global Marketing Services at Visa Inc. Her previous experience also includes 13 years at Digitas, Inc., a world leading marketing agency, where she held a variety of senior leadership roles, including Senior Vice President and General Manager of the agency's Chicago office. Ms. Parham has received many awards and honors, including the 2013 Direct Marketing News Marketing Hall of Femme; 2012 Women of Influence award by the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal; and induction into the World Association for Cooperative Education Co-op Hall of Fame in 2012. She was named a Top 12 Innovator of Marketing and Advertising by Black Enterprise magazine in 2013, and was one of Savoy magazine's Top Women for 2012. She was also honored by the Council of Urban Professionals Women's Leadership Forum. Since 2012, Ms. Parham has served on the board of directors for Scripps Networks Interactive Inc.
May 2013

Albert R. Checcio, BS, College of Arts and Sciences, History & Politics, 1975. Senior Vice President, University Advancement, University of Southern California

Mr. Checcio is a nationally recognized development leader with 35 years of experience in higher education and health care. He has been the Senior Vice President for University Advancement at the University of Southern California since 2010. In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing the University's overall advancement efforts on both the University Park and Health Sciences campuses and for building partnerships with all of USC's philanthropic and volunteer communities, including prominent individual supporters, charitable foundations, corporate donors, alumni and friends. He reports directly to the President and works closely with the Provost and the Deans in developing advancement plans and infrastructure to fulfill the University's potential and support its continued academic ascent. He also staffs the Development Committee and the Alumni Affairs Committee of the USC Board of Trustees. Upon his arrival at USC, Mr. Checcio played an instrumental role in organizing and launching the $6 billion Campaign for the University of Southern California, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the University's history and largest active campaign in American higher education. The Campaign for USC has already raised $2.5 billion in less than three years. Before joining USC, he was Vice President of Development and University Relations at Fordham University. His previous experience encompasses the design and execution of fundraising campaigns at a number of universities, including American University, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Drexel. He also served as Vice President of Development at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
May 2013

Abbie Dean, MS, Westphal College of Media Arts and Design, Interior Architecture, 2007. Civc Leader

After receiving her Master's in Interior Architecture at Drexel, Ms. Dean became a volunteer Curator and Exhibition Designer at Drexel's Leonard Pearlstein Gallery (named in honor of her late father) until 2011. Since 2004, Ms. Dean has been a Drexel Trustee and serves on the Student Life, Institutional Advancement and Buildings and Properties Committees. In 2012, she was named a Trustee at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University. She is also a member of the Friends of the 11th Street Committee. In 2009, Ms. Dean co-directed the INK NOT INK exhibition at Drexel in conjunction with the Shenzhen Art Museum, followed by the exhibition NI UNA MAS which included a 1,000-person performance art/demonstration and an original artwork by Yoko Ono and finally, HALF THE SKY: Women in the New Art of China, an exhibition co-curated with the National Art Museum of China and reviewed by Art in America. Previously, Ms. Dean was a Marketing and Advertising Consultant to Confab, Inc. from 1988 to 1994 and Senior VP, Corporate Communications and Advertising there from 1994 to 1998. Prior to Confab, Ms. Dean spent over a dozen years in New York working for advertising firms including McCann Erickson Worldwide, Dancer Fitzgerald Sample/Saatchi & Saatchi, and Rosenfeld Sirowitz & Humphrey during which time she created and produced commercials featuring Candace Bergen, Bill Cosby, Walter Matthau, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Victoria Principal and Charles Durning. Recognitions for agency work included Clio Awards, One Show Awards, The Art Directors Club Echo, and Best of New York Awards. Civic roles include serving as a Trustee of the National Liberty Museum and The Baldwin School. In addition, she has been a member of the Arts Advisory Board at Tufts University, where she earned her Bachelor's of Arts in Art History and Theater.
May 2013

Francis E. Dunleavy, BS, LeBow College of Business, Retail Management, 1977. Head of Principal Investments for Global Commodities, J.P. Morgan Chase

Mr. Dunleavy is Head of Principal Investments for Global Commodities at J.P. Morgan Chase, the largest bank in the United States by assets and a major provider of financial services, with assets of $2 trillion. J.P. Morgan Commodities has offices in 12 countries. Mr. Dunleavy previously served as a Senior Managing Director in Bear Stearns Companies' commodities business, a top position in a firm of 8,600 people. From 2006 until 2008, he oversaw the development of Bear Stearns profitable subsidiary Bear Energy Inc., a gas and power trading desk in Houston. Prior to joining Bear Stearns, Mr. Dunleavy worked as a commodities trader in Oregon State. Mr. Dunleavy contributes his expertise to the university as a member of Drexel's LeBow Leadership Circle.
May 2013

Sean J. Gallagher, BS, LeBow College of Business, Finance & Marketing, 1993. Co-Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager, U.S. Value Equity Team, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

As one of the youngest partners at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Gallagher was promoted to partner-level managing director after serving only three short years as Managing Director. He currently serves as Co-Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of the U.S. Value Equity team at Goldman Sachs Asset Management in New York City. In this role, he oversees the portfolio management and investment research efforts for the firm's U.S. value equity accounts. Mr. Gallagher has 19 years of industry experience and has been a member of the U.S. Value Equity team since joining Goldman Sachs in 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Gallagher was an Equity Research Analyst with Merrill Lynch Asset Management where he focused on technology, telecommunication, and real estate investment trusts. In the community, Mr. Gallagher serves on the Board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York. In 2011, he joined the Drexel Board of Trustees, and he is also a member of the LeBow College of Business Dean's Advisory Board and the LeBow Finance Advisory Council. In 2012, Mr. Gallagher was inducted into the World Association for Cooperative Education Hall of Fame. In addition, to his Drexel degree, Mr. Gallagher earned an MBA in Finance and Accounting from the NYU Stern School of Business in 2003.
May 2013

Richard C. Ill, MBA, LeBow College of Business, Business Administration, 1973. Retired, President, CEO, and Director, Triumph Group Inc.

Mr. Ill has had a distinguished career as President, CEO, and Director of Triumph Group Inc., a leader in supplying and overhauling aerospace systems and components including mechanical and electromechanical control systems, flight instruments, aircraft and engine accessories, and structural components such as wings. In 1993, Mr. Ill demonstrated his entrepreneurial skill by taking business segments from conglomerate Alco Standard Corp in order to create Triumph Group. He continues to lead Triumph Group as Chairman. He is a Director of P.H. Glatfelter Company, Mohawk Industries, and Baker Industries, and he has served as a Trustee of the Eisenhower Fellowships. He is also Chair of the 2013 US Open at Merion Golf Club. In 2009, Ernst & Young named him one of the Entrepreneurs of the Year in the Manufacturing, Distribution & Construction field. Mr. Ill is a member of the Drexel President's Leadership Council and a former member of the Board of Visitors. He served as a Captain in the US Army from 1965 to 1968.
May 2013

James L. Madara, MD, Hahnemann University, 1975. CEO, American Medical Association

Dr. Madara is CEO of the American Medical Association. Prior to joining the AMA, he served as the Thompson Distinguished Service Professor and Dean of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and as CEO of the University of Chicago Hospitals and Medical Center. Earlier he served as Timmie Professor and Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University, and as Professor of Pathology and Director of the Digestive Diseases Center at Harvard. An academic pathologist and an authority on epithelial cell biology and gastrointestinal disease, he has received several international awards and served in a variety of other capacities including editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Pathology.
May 2013

Michael Williams, BS, LeBow College of Business, Commerce & Engineering, 1980; MBA, 1983, LeBow College of Business, Business Administration. Senior Advisor, Sterling Partners

Mr. Williams serves as a Senior Advisor to the private equity firm Sterling Partners. In November 2012, Mr. Williams was named Chairman of the Board of Prospect Mortgage, LLC, a leading provider of mortgage financing in the country and a Sterling Partners portfolio company. Mr. Williams is a member of the Board of Directors of Realogy Holdings Corporation, a global leader in real estate franchising and service delivery. Previously, Mr. Williams served as Fannie Mae's President & CEO and a member of the company's Board of Directors from April 2009 through June 2012. A seasoned housing industry executive, Mr. Williams focused Fannie Mae on supporting realistic, common-sense lending, building a profitable new book of business, reducing credit losses and helping struggling home-owners, and transforming the company to better serve the housing and mortgage markets. During his tenure as CEO, the company provided over $2.7T in liquidity to the mortgage market, enabling over 8.1M homeowners to refinance their mortgage, 2.2M families to purchase a home, and 1.3M units of affordable rental housing to be constructed. As a result, the company returned to profitability in 2012, generating $7.8B in net income in the first half of the year. During his 21-year career with Fannie Mae, Mr. Williams held a number of senior roles, including EVP & Chief Operating Officer and EVP & President, eBusiness. Mr. Williams is a member of the Board of Directors for the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, where he serves as Treasurer of the Board and Chair of the Finance & Investments Committee. Mr. Williams is a member of the Board of Trustees for Drexel University, where he serves on the Audit Committee and is a member of the Advisory Board for the LeBow School of Business.
May 2013