Dateline:
VILLANOVA, Pa

Villanova University announced that its Board of Trustees has elected Paul A. Tufano, Esq., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, as its chairperson. Tufano succeeds Catherine M. Keating, who served as chair of the Board of Trustees since 2013.

“Paul brings to his new role as Chair of Villanova’s Board of Trustees a great amount of experience and knowledge, as well as an unwavering commitment to the University,” said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. “His knowledge of the University and the key issues facing both the institution and the larger education landscape will be valuable assets as he guides the Board and its efforts to strengthen the University. I look forward to working closely with Paul to continue realizing the goals of Villanova’s ambitious strategic plan.”

The University also announced the election of Joseph V. Topper, Jr. (CEO and President, CrossAmerica Partners LLP) as Vice chair of the Board of Trustees, and the Rev. Joseph L. Narog, OSA (Pastor, St. Thomas of Villanova Parish), as Secretary of the Board of Trustees. Five new members were elected to Villanova’s Board of Trustees and joined the 34-member Board, effective Jan. 1. These members include theRev. Francis J. Doyle, OSA (Prior, Bellesini Friary); Tom Klein(President and CEO, Sabre Corporation); Nnenna J. Lynch(Director of Development, The Georgetown Company); Thomas M. Quindlen (Executive Vice President and CEO Retail Card, Synchrony Financial); and, the Rev. James Halstead, OSA(Professor of Religious Studies, DePaul University). Additionally, the Rev. Francis J. Horn, OSA, JCD, joined the University’s Board in October, replacing the Rev. Shawn Tracy, OSA, who passed away in July 2014.

“These new members complement what is an already impressive and accomplished group on our Board of Trustees,” added Fr. Donohue. “Their diverse skills and experiences will be valuable additions to the Board and will contribute positively to its efforts to provide critical oversight and guidance for the University.”

CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

Paul A. Tufano, Esq., is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies, one of the nation’s leading Medicaid Managed Care organizations, headquartered in Philadelphia. He is also Executive Vice President of Independence Blue Cross, a full-service health insurance corporation headquartered in Philadelphia, where he previously served as General Counsel. Prior to joining Independence Blue Cross in 1999 as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Tufano served as General Counsel of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 1995-99, where he was a member of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge’s Cabinet and Senior Staff. He also served as a member of the seven-person transition team following Governor Ridge’s election in 1993. In 2002, he was appointed co-chair of the transition team for then-Governor-elect Edward Rendell.

Tufano has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, and is active in the Philadelphia community through his support of legal services for the poor, education and the arts. He was the Founding Chairman of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Government Lawyers Committee and is currently a member of the boards of the Greater Philadelphia Area Chamber of Commerce and the Committee of Seventy.  He is also the immediate past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and was a former member of the Board of Directors of Avenue of the Arts, Inc., and WHYY. Tufano earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from the Villanova School of Business in 1983 and his JD degree from the Villanova University School of Law (VLS) in 1986. He is currently a member of Villanova’s Campaign Executive Committee and the VLS Board of Consultors, and was a past president of the University’s Alumni Association. Tufano received the St. Thomas of Villanova Medal in 2001, which is the highest honor bestowed by the Villanova Alumni Association. He resides in Devon, Pa.

VICE CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

Joseph V. Topper, Jr., is President and Chief Executive Officer of CrossAmerica, the general partner of CrossAmerica Partners LP, formerly Lehigh Gas Partners LP.  Previously, Topper was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lehigh Gas GP, the general partner of Lehigh Gas Partners LP, since December 2011. He has 25 years of management experience in the wholesale and retail fuel distribution business. In 1987, Topper purchased his family's retail fuel business and five years later founded Lehigh Gas, where he has been the Chief Executive Officer since 1992.

Topper is a Trustee for The Topper Foundation, and serves on the Board of Directors for CST Brands, Inc., and Lehigh Valley PBS. He has been a member of Villanova’s Board of Trustees since 2010. Topper earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from the Villanova University School of Business in 1977, along with his MBA in Finance from Lehigh University. He resides in Bethlehem, Pa.

SECRETARY, BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

The Rev. Joseph L. Narog, OSA, is Pastor of St. Thomas of Villanova Parish. Prior to that, he was School Minister at Monsignor Bonner High School in Drexel Hill, Pa., followed by Parochial Vicar/Associate Pastor at St. Augustine Parish in Andover, Mass. Before becoming an ordained Augustinian priest in 2005, Fr. Narog had a 15-year career with the federal government, working first as an Intelligence Analyst, then as an Instructor, and ultimately as the Manager of the U.S. Government’s Counterterrorism Training Program, based out of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. Fr. Narog earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from St. Joseph’s University, his Master of Arts degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia (where he was a Thomas Jefferson fellow), and his Master of Divinity degree from Washington Theological Union. He lives in Rosemont, Pa.

NEW MEMBERS, BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

The Reverend Francis J. Doyle, OSA, is the Prior of Bellesini Friary in Ardmore, Pa., where he is a member of the Provincial Council. Following his ordination as an Augustinian priest in 1970, Fr. Doyle became the Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Good Council Parish, Staten Island, N.Y. He subsequently served as Master of Novices, Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, Good Council Novitiate, Villanova, Pa.; Associate Pastor, Our Mother of Good Council, Bryn Mawr, Pa.; Pastor, St. Denis Parish, Havertown, Pa.; Director of Formation, Augustinian College; Pastor, St. Margaret Parish, Maggie Valley, N.C.; and Pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Kloof, KZN, South Africa, including the Zulu Missions of St. Leo, St. Helen and St. Aloysius. Fr. Doyle received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1967. He went on to earn his Master of Arts degree from Augustinian College.

The Rev. James Halstead, OSA, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at DePaul University in Chicago. Both a teacher and administrator, Fr. Halstead has won numerous awards including DePaul’s “Excellence in Teaching” and“Spirit of DePaul” awards. In 2010, he was named Distinguished Honors Professor. Founding director of DePaul’s Program in Catholic Studies, Fr. Halstead was chair of the Department of Religious Studies for 12 years, stepping down in June, 2014. In addition to his work at DePaul, Fr. Halstead has taught at Loyola University in Chicago and in several ministry training programs of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Fr. Halstead entered the Augustinian novitiate in 1967, professing simple vows in 1968. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Tolentine College in Olympia Fields, Ill., and later received his Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1976. After doing parish work for four years in Chicago and Detroit, Fr. Halstead was awarded an STL and PhD/STD degrees from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Louvain), Belgium in 1986. He joined the DePaul faculty in 1987. On research leave from DePaul until April, 2015, Fr. Halstead currently serves as a member of the formation team for North American Augustinians and is Regent of Studies for the Augustinian Midwest Province. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Theological Union at Chicago.     

The Reverend Francis J. Horn, OSA, JCD, is Treasurer of the Augustinian Province of St. Thomas of Villanova. He is a Trustee of the Support Fund Trust of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova and a Founding Member of the Augustinian Secondary Education Association. Fr. Horn has served as a Judge on the Tribunals of the Archdioceses of Washington, D.C. and Camden, N.J. He is a former Headmaster and Assistant to the President of St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, N.J., and served as a member of Malvern Preparatory School’s President’s Council. Fr. Horn also sat on the Boards of Merrimack College and the Augustinian College Corporation. Following his ordination as an Augustinian priest in 1975, he taught at Msgr. Bonner High School, Drexel Hill, Pa., where he rose to the position of Principal. Fr. Horn subsequently served in several capacities at the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova before becoming a member of the formation team at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. He also taught Pastoral Studies and Church Law at Washington Theological Union. Fr. Horn received his Bachelor in Science degree from Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1972. He went on to earn his Master of Arts degree from the Washington Theological Union, and JCL and JCD degrees from The Catholic University of America. Fr. Horn is a Weekend Assistant at St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Glen Mills, Pa., and acts as a Canonical Consultant to clients around the country. He lives in Villanova, Pa.

Tom Klein is President, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors of Sabre Corporation (Nasdaq: SABR), a technology solutions provider to the global travel and tourism industry headquartered in Southlake, Texas. Its subsidiaries include Travelocity, Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Airline and Hospitality Solutions. Prior to becoming CEO, Klein served in a number of leadership roles at Sabre, including company president and group president of Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Airline Solutions. His first role with Sabre was leading a Sabre joint venture in Mexico. Before joining Sabre, he held a variety of sales, marketing and operations roles at American Airlines and Consolidated Freightways, Inc.  Klein serves on the Board of Directors of Cedar Fair LP (NYSE: FUN) as well as the executive committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council.  In 2010, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Brand USA by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and currently serves as Vice Chairman. Klein earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the Villanova School of Business in 1984. He resides in Dallas, Texas, with his wife Diana and their two teenage daughters.

Nnenna J. Lynch is Director of Development at The Georgetown Company, LLC, a privately held real estate investment and development firm in New York City, N.Y. Prior to joining The Georgetown Company, Lynch served as Senior Policy Advisor to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for six years. In that role, she led inter-agency teams to create and implement economic development policies, projects and initiatives. Before serving in government she was a partner in Urban Green Builders, LLC, a real estate development firm with a focus on transportation-based, mixed-use real estate projects in distressed neighborhoods throughout the New York City metro area, emphasizing eco-friendly design. Lynch has also worked as an analyst with Goldman Sachs and was a professional runner and spokesperson for the sporting goods corporation, Fila. She is a board member of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars and the New York Road Runners, and a member of the Robin Hood Foundation's Housing Advisory Board. Lynch received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1993. A standout runner at Villanova, whose resume included five NCAA and nine Big East titles as well as NCAA Woman of the Year and NCAA Top Eight Awards, she was inducted into the University’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. In 1993, she became the first of three Rhodes Scholars in Villanova history. Lynch earned her Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from Oxford University in 1996. She resides in Harlem, N.Y., with her husband and two children. 

Thomas M. Quindlen is Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Retail Card, Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance), the largest provider of private label credit cards in the U.S., headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Quindlen’s entire professional career has been with GE, serving as CEO of GE Capital, Corporate Finance; President and CEO, Corporate Lending; Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Commercial Financial Services; President and CEO of Franchise Finance; and Senior Vice President of Global Six Sigma for Commercial Equipment Financing. Earlier in his career, Quindlen worked in marketing and sales for GE Capital, Vendor Financial Services, and held financial management positions in GE Aerospace. His global leadership experience includes serving as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at GE’s Japan Leasing in Tokyo, and as Director of Business Development and Marketing for European Equipment Finance based in London, England. Quindlen serves as the Vice Chair of Junior Achievement of Southwest Connecticut, Inc., and as a Board Member of Family and Children’s Aid in Danbury, Connecticut.  A frequent speaker at the Jack Welch Leadership Center, he also mentors young talent as a leader of GE’s Experienced Commercial Leadership Program. Quindlen earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from the Villanova School of Business (VSB) in 1984. He is a former member of the VSB Dean’s Advisory Council. Quindlen lives in Ridgefield, Conn.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. 

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Villanova University

(610) 519-6508  

jonathan.gust@villanova.edu