Joseph Neubauer reelected chair of UChicago’s Board of Trustees

Ashley D. Joyce, Brien M. O’Brien elected to Board of Trustees as new members

The University of Chicago’s Board of Trustees has reelected Joseph Neubauer, MBA’65, as its chair, and Ashley D. Joyce, AM’01, and Brien M. O’Brien have joined the Board as new members.

O’Brien also has been elected chair of the UChicago Medical Center’s Board of Trustees. He has been a member of the Medical Center Board since 2005 and succeeds Emily Nicklin, who continues to serve on the University’s Board of Trustees and the Medical Center’s Board of Trustees.

Neubauer, who is the retired chairman of ARAMARK Corporation, has served on the University’s Board of Trustees since 1992 and as chair since 2015. He and his wife Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer have a long history of service and generous philanthropic giving to the University.

“The work and commitment of the University’s Board of Trustees are essential to achieving the aspirations of the University in education, research and impact. Joe Neubauer has provided exemplary leadership of the Board, and we are deeply grateful that the University will continue to benefit from his leadership, commitment, hard work and generosity,” President Robert J. Zimmer said. “We greatly look forward to having Ashley Joyce and Brien O’Brien as new trustees, and the knowledge, talent, experience and judgment they will bring to the Board.”

“I continue to be inspired by the faculty and students at the University of Chicago. Their relentless focus on breakthrough original research, transformative approach to education and global reach are most impactful,” Neubauer said. “I look forward to working with President Zimmer and his outstanding team, as well as my distinguished fellow Board members, during this important and ambitious period for our university.”

Vice Chairs and Emeritus Trustees Elected

The Board has elected Mary Louise Gorno, MBA’76, and John W. Rogers Jr., Lab’76, to serve as vice chairs of the Board for one-year terms.

Gorno, managing director of the executive search firm Ingenuity International, has been a member of the Board since 2004. She was recently appointed chair of the Smart Museum of Art’s Board of Governors. She serves as chair of the University of Chicago Phoenix Society, a trustee of Court Theatre and a director at NORC. Gorno also serves as vice chair of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and director of the Chicago Humanities Festival.

Rogers, founding chairman and chief executive officer of Ariel Investments, has been a member of the Board since 2000. He has served as chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. He serves as a board member of the Barack Obama Foundation, a trustee of Rush University Medical Center, and a life trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Rogers is a member of the board of directors of Exelon, McDonald’s and The New York Times Company. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a director of the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights.

The Board has elected E. David Coolidge III, King W. Harris, Robert W. Lane, MBA’74, and Peter W. May, AB’64, MBA’65, emeritus trustees.

Joyce and O’Brien join Board

Joyce is president of The Duchossois Family Foundation and serves as a director for The Duchossois Group, Inc. She is on the executive committee for The Duchossois Family Council and the advisory board for The Duchossois Family Office.

Joyce has been involved with Metropolitan Family Services for more than 20 years, currently serving as vice-chairman of its Board of Directors. She received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado and a master’s degree from UChicago’s School of Social Service Administration, where she later served on the Visiting Committee.

O’Brien, who is chairman and chief executive officer of Port Capital, has spent nearly four decades building and leading investment management firms. Prior to founding Port Capital, O’Brien served as chairman and chief executive officer of Advisory Research, Inc., a leading value investment management firm. Advisory Research, which O’Brien co-founded, was purchased by Piper Jaffray, Inc. Following the acquisition, O’Brien served on the executive management committee of Piper Jaffray, where he was responsible for the firm’s global asset management activities.

O’Brien serves as a trustee associate at Boston College, from which he graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in finance and theology. He is a director of the National Parks Foundation and the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, an accredited land trust in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachussetts.