Purdue Board of Trustees adds members, elects officers
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's Board of Trustees on Tuesday (July 12) added two new members, re-elected Keith Krach as chairman and elected Thomas Spurgeon as vice chairman.
Keith Krach
Krach of San Francisco, Calif., is a Silicon Valley veteran who earned a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Purdue in 1979 and graduated from Harvard Business School in 1981. He is chief executive officer of 3Points Inc., a California-based investment company, and serves as chairman of the board for DocuSign and Angie's List. He was founder, chairman and CEO of Ariba Inc., a business-to-business e-commerce company he took public. He also is a former vice president of General Motors.
Thomas Spurgeon
Spurgeon is an entrepreneur who has built companies throughout the United States. Most recently, he was president and CEO of Lincoln Office in Peoria, Ill., one of the country's largest distributors of Steelcase furniture. He sold the company in 2001 and remained with Lincoln as a consultant. Spurgeon, who has served on the Board of Trustees since 2005, received a bachelor's degree in industrial management from Purdue in 1961. Following military service, he earned an MBA from Indiana University.
Krach said he is looking forward to the important work facing the board in the upcoming year as Purdue President France A. Córdova completes her term and the board begins its search for a new president.
"I'm honored to serve on this board because every member is driven to help Purdue succeed in its mission to provide a world-class education to our students while also reaching out to the state, nation and world as a research and economic development powerhouse," Krach said. "Our board is a great team, and I'm very appreciative of the partnership and leadership of each trustee. We are all excited about working with our two newly appointed board members and know that another great year is ahead for Purdue."
The board welcomed those two new members, who were appointed by Gov. Mitch Daniels:
* Bruce W. White of Merrillville, Ind., was appointed to a three-year term. He is founder, chairman and CEO of White Lodging, a developer, owner and manager of premium-brand hotels. A graduate of Purdue and the Harvard Graduate School of Business OPM program, White is an active leader in numerous hospitality, business and civic organizations. He was recognized with the Hunter Hotel Developer Conference Award for Excellence and Inspiration and, along with his family, the Will Koch Indiana Tourism Leadership Award. He is a board member of the Chicago Economic Club, a member of World Presidents' Organization and serves on the policy committee of the Indiana Economic Corporation, of which he was a charter member. White also serves on the boards of directors of Chicago Big Shoulders and Merrick Ventures and previously served on the governing board of the University of Chicago Hospitals.
* Miranda McCormack of Fowler, Ind., was appointed to a two-year term as the student trustee. She is entering her junior year at Purdue, pursuing a degree in chemical engineering and a certificate in entrepreneurship and innovation. She is a member of Purdue Student Government, serves on Purdue's Community Standards Board, and was a participant and counselor for Purdue Research Park's Entrepreneurship Academy. McCormack has been awarded the Presidential Scholarship and is a 2009 Lilly Endowment recipient. She graduated salutatorian from Benton Central High School.
The trustees also re-elected the following:
* Corporate secretary - Janice A. Beard.
* Treasurer - Al Diaz, Purdue executive vice president for business and finance, treasurer.
* Assistant treasurer and assistant secretary - James S. Almond, Purdue senior vice president for business services and assistant treasurer.
* Legal counsel - Anthony S. Benton, a partner in Stuart & Branigin in Lafayette.
* Assistant legal counsel - Tom Parent, a partner in Stuart & Branigin.
Media contact: Chris Sigurdson, assistant vice president for external relations, 765-494-2076, sig@purdue.edu