Presidential Search
Announcing Antonio Merlo as Drexel’s 16th President
Drexel University’s Board of Trustees has confirmed by a unanimous vote political economist and academic Dr. Antonio Merlo as the 16th president in the University’s 133-year history. Merlo, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of New York University’s Faculty of Arts & Science, will succeed Interim President Denis P. O’Brien and begin his tenure at Drexel on July 1, 2025.
Read More about Drexel's New President
Drexel Trustee and LeBow College of Business alumnus J. Michael Lawrie, a globally recognized business and technology leader, and founder and CEO of The Lawrie Group, chaired the presidential search committee, which was charged with recruiting Drexel’s next president.
Members of the committee included:
Domenic M. DiPiero III
Trustee
Nicholas DeBenedictis, ’68, ’69, HD ’87
Trustee
Angela Dowd-Burton, ’74, ’79
Trustee
Richard A. Greenawalt, ’66
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Bernard F. Greene, ’99, ’14,
Trustee, Chair of the Alumni Board of Governors
Dave Griffith
Trustee, Chair of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Nina Henderson
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee
Joelyne Jacob
USGA Student Body President
Michele Kutzler, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Faculty, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology
J. Michael Lawrie, ’77
Trustee, Search Committee Chair
Vibhas Madan, Ph.D.
Dean of LeBow College of Business, R. John Chapel Jr. Dean’s Chair, Professor of Economics
Denis P. O’Brien, ’87
Drexel’s Interim President
Kevin Owens, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chemistry, Chair of the Faculty Senate
Richelle Parham, ’91
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Enrollment Management and Student Success Committee
Virginia S. Rose
Trustee
Subir Sahu, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President for Student Success
Stan Silverman, ’69, ’74
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
University Messages and Updates
A Message From President-Elect Antonio Merlo
January 31, 2025
A Message from the Chair of Drexel's Board of Trustees
January 31, 2025
Drexel University’s Board of Trustees has confirmed by a unanimous vote political economist and academic, Antonio Merlo, PhD as the 16th president in the University’s 133-year history.
Launching the search for Drexel’s Next President
July 31, 2024
The members of the Presidential Search Committee are announced, and a survey link is shared with members of the Drexel community to provide input.
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