Board of Trustees

Ellie Bewley graduated from Earlham in 1969 and went on to attend the University of Southern California, receiving a master’s in physical education. She taught high school physical education and U.S. government for five years, and then was employed by Rio Hondo Community College in Whittier, California, for 35 years. She taught physical education courses in health and fitness and coached the women’s tennis team. For the last twenty years at Rio Hondo, she served as the dean of the Physical Education and Health Science Department and athletic director. Ellie served on the California State Athletic Governing Board’s Commission on Athletics for 20 years, serving as chair for three years. She also chaired the Gender Equity Committee, and the Constitution Committee, and represented the sports of women’s basketball and volleyball. She served on the executive committee of the State Athletic Director’s Association and as its president. In addition, she served twice as president of the Foothill Athletic Conference, was a member of the Whittier YMCA Board of Directors and the Rio Hondo College Foundation Board, and served as president of the Delta Sigma chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma. Ellie has been a member of First Friends, Whittier, for 71 years, has served as clerk of the meeting, and currently serves as assistant clerk of the meeting. While serving on the Earlham Board of Trustees, Ellie chaired the Education, Nominating, and Earlham School of Religion committees. Currently, she serves as a committee member of the College Community Life Committee and is the committee chair of the ESR Academic Affairs & Community Life Committee. She also serves on the Nominating and Governance Committee, and the Executive Committee. In addition, Ellie is serving on the ESR Board of Advisers and is currently the chair of that group.

Sara Edgerton began her term representing Western Yearly Meeting in October 2020. Currently, Sara is enjoying retirement after serving for 35 years as the CEO of Community Cancer Care, an organization that works with rural and underserved hospitals in Indiana providing cancer services. Sara earned a bachelor’s in history from Manchester College and a master’s from Indiana University in adult education. She has professional affiliations with Indiana Historic Landmarks, serving as its chair; as a board member for Manchester University; and as a member of the Indiana Barn Foundation. Sara is a birthright Quaker from Marion, Indiana, and resides in Indianapolis.

Peggy Ann Hollingsworth earned the B.S. in Education with High Distinction and the Master of Library Science degrees from Indiana University at Bloomington. In 2004, she retired after 36 years as a high school librarian, with 34 of those being in the Whitewater Valley at nearby Connersville H.S. There, Earlham related programs often benefitted staff and students. From 2007-2018 Peggy served on the Earlham College Board of Trustees, representing Western Yearly Meeting.  Her travels among Friends have included Ramallah Friends Schools and the 1652 country in England as well as many yearly meetings in the U.S. Peggy has been a lifelong member of Russiaville (Indiana) Friends Meeting, along with her parents, Helen (1921-2019) and Isaac (1914-2004). She is active in Western YM and the Midwest Region of USFW (United Society of Friends Women). Peggy worked for several years on the small committee which published the history book commemorating WYM”s 150^TH anniversary (1858-2008).  She continues to write occasionally for Quaker publications. From 1974-2010 Peggy was the Historian of USFW International.  Peggy has been a part of the Friends Association for Higher Education (FAHE) since its founding in 1980. She has audited classes at ESR and enjoys attending events both there and at the College.  Peggy rejoined the Board as an appointee of Western Yearly Meeting in 2022.

Paul Sniegowski became the 21^st president of Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion on August 5, 2024.  Prior to Earlham, Sniegowski served as the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and a professor of biology at the University of Pennsylvania.

As dean of the College since 2017, Sniegowski was responsible for the direction of Penn’s liberal arts undergraduate curricula, programs and students in academic departments and interdisciplinary programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Sniegowski worked closely with faculty and students in the College and across the University in adapting the College’s teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing consultative faculty committees to plan for online teaching and steering the College’s return to in-person instruction after the pandemic. Under his leadership, the College launched new minors in Environmental Humanities and Data Science and has initiated a review of its longstanding General Education requirement.

Rhonda Impink began her service as a Western Yearly Meeting appointment in fall 2020. She is a graduate of Kutztown University (PA) with a BA in Social Welfare, her MSW is from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Social Work Administration and she earned her PhD in Administration from the University of Texas-Arlington. As Professor Emerita, Indiana State University, Social Work Department and Gender Studies Affiliate Faculty member, she brings 24 years of higher education work experience to our Board and 15 years of governmental experience at the federal, state and local levels including nonprofits. In teaching, research and community service she has focused on violence in the family and the community, diversity issues, servant leadership, the need for collaboration, service integration, and creating accountable systems. She is active with Fairfield Friends Meeting, Western Yearly Meeting, and the American Friends Service Committee. She lives in Plainfield with her husband Hugh Hanlin, is a proud mother of two, a stepmother to three and grandmother of eight.

Dr. Chad Jackson is a science and technology expert with a relentless commitment to driving biological research and development for the benefit of human health, national security, and global challenges. Dr. Jackson has leveraged his expertise in neuroscience-related research to make a significant impact on vision and mental health, emerging technology, and science policy. Chad is a proud Earlham alum. He majored in Biochemistry and graduated in 2002.

Currently serving as the Senior Director of the Preclinical Translational Research Program at the Foundation Fighting Blindness, located in Columbia, Maryland, Dr. Jackson advances research and development efforts for the low-vision community with a focus on treating and curing blindness.
Dr. Jackson also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at Seeding Labs, a global organization that empowers scientists worldwide to fight diseases, feed the growing population, and protect the planet. Through fundraising efforts, Seeding Labs equips scientists with the necessary tools, training, and connections to drive innovative discoveries. Chad also sits on the Board of Directors at the McPherson Eye Research Institute. This organization is a multidisciplinary community of scholars working to gain critical knowledge about the science and art of vision and apply it to the prevention of blindness.

Prior to his current roles, Dr. Jackson served as a Senior Science & Technology Advisor providing science, technology, and communications support to the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Biological Technologies Office. Dr. Jackson played a pivotal role in advising the Director and Deputy Director on the development of emerging biotechnologies with a focus on national security interests.

Dr. Chad Jackson is a respected figure in the fields of science, technology, and innovation, with a wide range of expertise spanning biological sciences, innovation and entrepreneurship, defense program management, emerging technologies, and international affairs. Through his multifaceted work, he continues to drive transformative change and contribute to the betterment of society.

Janica Kyriacopoulos ’81 is the founder and co-owner of Political Compliance Management Services in downtown Washington, DC, a federal campaign financial compliance firm that works with Democratic candidates for federal office. Janica worked as CFO for the presidential campaigns of candidates Gephardt, Kerry, and Obama. She was the CFO for the Obama-Biden 2009 Inaugural Committee, managing a multi-million dollar budget and coordinating the federal roles of the Department of Defense and the National Park Service. She also served as interim CFO for the national offices of Planned Parenthood Federation of America in New York City. She brings experience in supporting and interacting with boards, principals and senior staff of many different organizations as well as preparing financial statements and working with auditors and bank and legal staff to ensure compliance with various bond requirements. Janica earned her degree with an economics major at Earlham, and her husband Peter graduated from Earlham in ’80 with a political science major. They are parents to son Dylan ’13 and daughter Ilyah, who attended in 2011-12. Janica is a lifelong Quaker and grew up as a member of Western Yearly Meeting. Janica and Peter have been very involved alumni over the years, having served on their classes’ reunion committees, participating in Earlham Day related events, and working as admissions volunteers.  She begins her service to the Earlham Board in fall 2020.

Catherine Lemann earned her bachelor’s degree from Carleton College and continued her education at Tulane University School of Law, earning her J.D., and at Louisiana State University, where she earned an M.L.I.S.  She practiced law for 10 years and has been a law librarian for almost 30 years. Cathy held various positions at the Law Library of Louisiana at the Louisiana Supreme Court. After Hurricane Katrina, she decided to leave New Orleans and moved to Anchorage to work for the Alaska Court System as the State Law Librarian. She was later the Circuit Librarian for the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, before returning to New Orleans. She has served as secretary and president of the American Association of Law Libraries. She has held numerous leadership positions within AALL and continues to be active in its committees, chapters and special interest sections. Catherine now resides in Durham, NC and has three children (all Earlham graduates): Eleanor ’97, Marc ’04 (ESR ’07) and Alex ’06.

Luvisia “Lu” Molenje ’95 earned his B.A. from Earlham in economics, and a B.S. in computer science from University of Maryland. Lu has over 15 years of experience in the information technology field. He presently serves as the president of Mastermind Media and works extensively with the Department of Homeland Security as a subject matter expert in Washington, D.C. Lu has expertise in areas that include enterprise system design, service-oriented architecture, business process engineering, systems integration, IT security, cloud native design and statistical data analysis. His strength is his ability to reengineer business processes by analyzing and translating user requirements and into working systems that bring business value. Lu makes his home in Washington, D.C. He began his trustee service in October 2017.

Alan Scantland ’74 earned a B.A. in biology from Earlham College and an M.S. in agricultural economics from The Ohio State University. Alan helped launch CoverMyMeds in late 2008 with his son Matt. CoverMyMeds grew quickly and was named to the Inc 500 in three consecutive years. The company repeatedly earned the Best Place to Work and Grow (Columbus, Ohio) award. Following McKesson’s purchase of CoverMyMeds in 2014, Alan advises the company’s executive team and coaches leadership development. Alan helped take other firms to the Inc 500, including the Inc. 500’s No. 1 slot with MemberHealth in 2007, having increased annual revenues from $55M to $1.3B between 2007 and 2011. Earlier in his career, Alan held leadership positions with IntoGreat (venture capital), Express-Med (medical supplies distribution), and Battelle (technology management consulting). Alan volunteers as an adviser to social investing organizations, and as a coach to start-up companies and their founders, focusing especially on strategy, growth and communications. Alan and his wife Peggy ’74 live in Hilliard, Ohio. They have three children and six grandchildren. Alan joined the Board of Trustees in 2015 and presently is chair of the Property & Finance Committee.

Stephen D. Schutt earned a bachelor’s degree from Earlham in 1976.  Stephen served as president of Lake Forest College from 2001 to 2022, and as Vice President & Chief of Staff at the University of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2001. Before Penn, Steve served as Chief of Staff to United States Senator Harris Wofford (PA), as Deputy Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, and as a litigation attorney in a national law firm based in Philadelphia. A graduate of Earlham College (BA), University of London (MA), and University of Pennsylvania (JD), he resides in Highland Park, Illinois with his wife and daughter.

Under Steve’s leadership, Lake Forest grew enrollment by 41% to 1700 students, 40% of whom
are now students of color. Lake Forest also raised more than $300 million in three capital
campaigns, invested $200 million in key campus improvements, formed a strategic partnership
with Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, developed a nationally recognized student career center, and launched popular new academic programs in health professions, data science, neuroscience, finance, entrepreneurship, African American and LatinX Studies.

At the University of Pennsylvania, Steve wrote and coordinated the strategic plan Agenda for Excellence, co-directed a comprehensive West Philadelphia revitalization initiative that featured a university-assisted K-8 neighborhood public school, and supervised planning, budget, communications, and other central operations.

In recent years, Steve has served as Chair of the Annapolis Group, Chair of the Associated
Colleges of the Midwest, and on the boards of Earlham College, Northwestern University’s
Medill School Justice Project, Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, and the Mellon
Foundation National Institute of Technology & Liberal Education.

James T. Sherer, P.E., earned his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University. Jim was born in Richmond, Indiana and grew up a Quaker having attended as a youth and then becoming a member of First Friends Meeting. Jim’s wife, Lynda (Wisehart) Sherer is also a Richmond native who grew up on the west side of town and attended West Richmond Friends Meeting. Both Jim and Lynda have deep roots in Earlham as Jim’s father (Kenneth) and sister (Ann) are Earlham graduates while Lynda’s brother (Randy) is also an Earlham graduate and recent director of the MAT program. Further, Lynda’s sister (Teresa) worked in the science department and her mother (Bernice Wisehart) was a long-time employee in the Alumni office.

Jim and Lynda are current members of First Friends Meeting in Indianapolis. Both have served on numerous committees and other leadership roles of the Meeting. Jim is still very active in the Prison Ministry program at First Friends. Jim has been working in the Indianapolis area for over 40 years as a registered professional engineer with a focus on construction quality control. He is a past owner and past president of Patriot Engineering and Environmental and now serves the Company as a senior project engineer.

Jim is an avid cyclist and enjoys playing golf and tennis along with taking care of an abandoned family cemetery in Preble County, Ohio. Jim and Lynda have three grown children and four grandchildren who they love spending time with.

Drew Smith ’86 earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Earlham. He went on to complete graduate work in educational leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. Drew’s professional experience in Quaker education spanned almost 25 years at Friends School Mullica Hill, where he served as a middle school teacher, director of admissions, middle school principal, associate head of school, and, for nine years, head of school.  Prior to joining Friends Council on Education as its executive director, Drew served as the CEO and principal of the Russell Byers Charter School in Philadelphia from 2010 through June 2014. He is a former trustee at both Westtown School and Moorestown Friends School. In addition, he was a founding board member of Friends Mutual Health Group, has served as the clerk of the Cadbury Foundation, and has been a member of the Committee on Friends Education and a board member of the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools.  Drew is a member of the Haverford College Corporation and a member of Haddonfield Monthly Meeting. Currently, he serves as the executive director of the Friends Council of Education, the member organization of the 78 Quaker elementary and secondary schools in the United States.

Anne Kroll Stassen ’86 earned her bachelor’s degree from Earlham in Psychology and went on for a master’s degree and further doctoral work in Higher Education – Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University. Anne has dedicated her career to supporting college students, increasing access to the academic opportunities, and strategic visioning in higher education. From early work in student life at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, and academic advising with the Freshman Dean’s Office at Harvard College, to Dean of Admissions at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, and Dean of Students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Anne’s focus has always centered on the student experience. Leading college enrollment and retention efforts, developing programs, policies, and services to meet students’ needs, and road-mapping unique academic journeys. Anne and her husband Bill ’87 live in Philadelphia, where she also serves on the Board of Trustees of Germantown Friends School.

Gerry Cooper ’66 joined Stanley Tools after college graduation, working in the U.S. in various management positions from 1966 to 1986 and still found time to earn an MBA in Finance from the University of Hartford in 1971. In 1986 he moved, with Gloria EC’62 and son Dan, to Taipei, Taiwan, to open Stanley’s tool businesses in the Far East. In 2001, Gerry retired from Stanley and started Asia Tech Source Company to provide sourcing and product development services for small to mid-sized manufacturing companies in North America. In 2005 the Coopers relocated back to the U.S. and in 2007, set up a molding, assembly and packaging factory outside Shanghai, China. Gerry lost Gloria after an 18-month battle with cancer in 2010. Gerry and son, Dan, continue to expand China hand tool manufacturing and marketing operations. He often speaks to colleges, universities and executive groups on doing business in China and practices his conversational Mandarin whenever possible. He bikes annually with friends from Taipei International Church, participates in bi-annual dental mission trips to a church-sponsored orphanage in India and spends summers with his wife, Nancy on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. Gerry has two sons, Steve and Dan, and five grandchildren. Gerry joined the Board in 2011.

Robert (Bob) Graham graduated from Earlham as a member of its Class of 1965. Bob ran cross country at the College while majoring in psychology and taking a minor in English. After graduating with an M.D. from the University of Kansas in 1970, he became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service, serving a total of 18 years during three tours of duty over the next 30 years. During this time he was deputy director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research and the first administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, during which time he held the ranks of rear admiral and assistant surgeon general. He has long been associated with the medical specialty of family medicine, serving as the CEO of the American Academy of Family Physicians from 1985-2000, and as an endowed professor of family medicine at the University of Cincinnati from 2005-2013. Throughout his career, Bob has written and spoken extensively about a number of critical topics in health policy, such as health care reform and the need for universal coverage, health workforce policy, and the organizational characteristics of effective health care systems. His contributions and expertise were recognized in 1990 with his election to the National Academy of Medicine (a section of the National Academy of Sciences). His current work focuses on elements of effective leadership, the development of high-performance organizations, and practice transformation in primary care. In addition to his membership on Earlham’s Board of Trustees in 2016, he also serves as a faculty member to the fellowship programs of the American Council of Education and the National Academy of Medicine. Bob’s Earlham ties include being a member of the EC Athletic Hall of Fame (as a member of the 1963 cross country team), and a recipient of the 2003 Outstanding Alumni Award. Bob was married to Jane Henney (Manchester ’69) in June of 1975, under the tree outside of the Meeting House. They currently reside in Kansas City, Missouri.

Deborah Hull ’67 retired in 2004 as president and CEO of MedCases, a medical education company headquartered in Philadelphia. She is a nationally recognized executive with more than 20 years of experience in the online information industry. Prior to joining MedCases, she was President and CEO of Ovid Technologies. She received her M.Ed. from West Chester University and a bachelor’s from Earlham. She and her late husband, Thomas Reagan Hull ’66, are the parents of Sandra Hull Laber. Debbie began serving on the Board in 2007 and is currently serving as an honorary trustee.

David Stump, M.D., ’72 served as executive vice president for research and development at Human Genome Sciences from 1999 until 2012. From 1995 to 1999, he served as vice president of clinical research and Genentech Fellow at Genentech. He first joined Genentech in 1989 as director of clinical research and leader of its thrombolytic therapy drug development program. Prior to joining Genentech, he was an associate professor of medicine and biochemistry at the University of Vermont. He received his medical degree at Indiana University and his postgraduate training at the University of Iowa and University of Leuven, Belgium. He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology of the American Heart Association. He is the author of approximately 60 scientific publications and is a member of the board of directors of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, MacroGenics, Portola Pharmaceuticals, and Regenxbio. His late wife Carolyn Sorrows Stump ’71 served on the Alumni Council for nine years. David has served the Board for 12 years, 9 years as chair of its Academic Affairs Committee and most recently 2 years as board chair.

Gwen Weaver ’71 retired from DePaul University in Chicago in 2019, where she served as assistant director of Academic Advising Services at the School for New Learning. A member of Lake Forest Friends Meeting, she graduated from Earlham as a religion major. Gwen completed master’s degrees in philosophy and in counseling at Michigan State University. She previously held posts at Roosevelt University and Northwestern University. As Alumni Council President, Gwen joined the Earlham Board as an alumni trustee in 1981, and became an at-large trustee and served as board chair from 1991 to 1999. Since 2001, she has served as an honorary lifetime trustee.

Mary “Shorty” Friedman Birenbaum ’61 earned her master’s degree from Columbia University. She has served the bulk of her adult life as a social service volunteer on local, state and national levels. During her residence in Kentucky she served on the Commission on Race Relations, as president of Girl Scouts-Wilderness Road Council, as a prison chaplain for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, and as president of the Fayette County Council of PTAs. Other activities include local and state positions in the court-appointed Special Advocate Program and board member of the Midwest Council of the Union of Hebrew Congregations. She also has served a six-year term on the National Nominating Committee for Girl Scouts of the USA, and is a member of the international Girl Scout Friends of Our Cabana Committee. Recognitions include the Girl Scout Thanks Badge, National Conference of Christians and Jews’ Brotherhood Award, YWCA Woman of Achievement, and Earlham’s Pete Leland Award, which she shares with her husband, Georges ’63.  She and Georges currently live in Portland, Oregon, where she is volunteering at a residential treatment center for female drug users and their newborns, and occasionally assists Georges in the operating room in developing countries and enjoys her grandchildren. They are the parents of David ’88, Rebecca ’92 and Michael.

Thomas A. Gottschalk ’64 practices law as “of counsel” with the Kirkland and Ellis law firm in its Washington, D.C., office. Until his retirement in March 2007, he was Executive Vice President Law and Public Policy of General Motors Corporation, which he joined in August 1994 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Before then he was a partner in Kirkland & Ellis, where he began practicing law after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 1967. He is former Chair of the Board of Earlham Trustees (1985-1991) and currently is also a trustee of American University in Washington, DC. He and his wife, Barbara Jean Risen Gottschalk ’64, live in Washington and are the parents of two daughters.

John W. Loose ’64 is retired President and CEO of Corning Incorporated. After graduating from Earlham he joined Corning in 1964, and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School in 1979. During his career, he held a number of leadership positions in Corning Consumer Products, Corning International, Corning Asahi Video Products Company, the Information Display Group and Corning Telecommunications. John was named President and COO in December 1999, and became CEO of the company in January 2001. He retired in 2002. He has served on the Board of Directors for Corning, Dow Corning, Polaroid, and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Foundation. He is chairman emeritus of the Nantucket Atheneum and is also a director of the Nantucket Boys & Girls Club. He is married to Jane Souder Loose ’64, and they are parents of Thomas and Steven.

Howard S. Mills Jr. ’51 graduated from Earlham and went on to earn an MBA from Indiana University. He and his wife, Alice Ann Wolfe Mills (Gussie) ’52, volunteered for work with International Voluntary Services in Iraq and subsequently for the Friends Neighborhood Guild in Philadelphia. He joined Maplehurst Farms Dairy in 1956. He was a co-founder of Maplehurst Bakeries in Indiana, and eventually served as chairman of both companies. Other business ventures included music publishing, convenience stores and media production. He has been active with Friends World Committee, American Friends Service Committee, Friends Extension Corporation and the Partnership for Productivity. Gussie and Howard are parents of two daughters, both graduates of Earlham.

Mark Myers ’60 retired from the Xerox Corporation in 2001 after a 37-year career in its research and development organizations. He was the senior vice president in charge of corporate research, advanced development, systems architecture and corporate engineering. He was a member of the senior executive committee in charge of strategic direction setting of the company.  Myers served as a visiting executive professor of management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania from 2002-2005, and as a visiting professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University from 1989-1990. He served on the National Academies Science, Technology and Economic Policy Board from 1995 to 2005. He holds a doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University.