Board of Trustees elects new chairman, six new membersMay 18, 2004
The Syracuse University Board of Trustees met in Syracuse on May 7-8 for their Spring 2004 meeting. Key actions taken by the board include the election of six new trustees; changes in board organization including the election of Chairman John A. Couri ’63 and the election of Joseph O. Lampe ’53, G’55 as Chairman Emeritus; and the bestowal of a University Professorship and Chancellor Emeritus status upon Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw.
Shaw’s honors recognize his 13 years of service to SU and 25 years of leadership in higher education; he was also recognized with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the May 9 Commencement exercise.
Couri became a member of the board in 1998. He is the president of the Couri Foundation Inc., a provider of programs for underprivileged children. The foundation also operates two senior centers in Maine, and the Couri family has founded the Ridgefield Senior Center Foundation to build another such center in Connecticut. Couri, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from SU, co-founded and was president and CEO of Duty Free International Inc., since renamed Duty Free Americas Inc.; he also served as a consultant to the company until 1999. Before forming DFI, Couri was in sales for Couristan Inc., an importer of carpets and rugs; previously, he founded and presided over IDF Services Inc. He served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1964-66.
Couri was honored in 1993 with a George Arents Pioneer Medal for Excellence in the Field of Business, SU’s highest alumni award. The Institute of American Entrepreneurs named him the Entrepreneur of the Year, New England Region, in 1990. He has served as a member of the Listed Company Advisory Board of the New York Stock Exchange and chairman of the board of directors of the Datahr Rehabilitation Institute. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1941, Couri lives in Ridgefield, Conn., with wife Elaine Couri; the couple has one son.
The board named six new trustees to four-year terms: Lew F. Allyn ’62, Daniel A. D’Aniello ’68, Alan Gerry, Kenneth E. Goodman ’70, Deryck A. Palmer ’82 (alumni trustee) and Harold John Riley Jr. ’61.
Allyn, who holds a BFA in industrial design from SU, is the chairman and director of Welch Allyn Inc. in Skaneateles, N.Y. Following a stint in the U.S. Coast Guard, he has been with Welch Allyn since 1963, beginning on the sales staff of the 2,300-employee business, then serving as vice president of the international division for medical products, corporate vice president, and executive vice president and general manager of sales and marketing. He has been a trustee or director of Wells College, the YMCA in Auburn, the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Central New York, as well as a sponsor of the Central New York Community Foundation.
D’Aniello, founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group in Washington, D.C., holds a bachelor’s degree from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and an MBA from the Harvard University Graduate School of Business. Before founding the Carlyle Group, he was vice president and CFO of Marriott Corp., Pepsico director of planning, a senior financial analyst for Trans World Airlines and a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He is a former director of the Washington-based charity Fight for Children, and he was named to the Whitman School’s Corporate Advisory Council in 2003.
Gerry, an investor with Granite Associates LP, was formerly chairman and CEO of Cablevision Industries Corp. Following service in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1947-48, Gerry studied television in New York City under the auspices of the GI Bill, then founded a TV repair service before founding Cablevision, which became the nation’s seventh-largest cable system operator before its 1996 merger with Time Warner. His leadership roles include board service for Time Warner, C-SPAN and the National Cable Television Association.
Goodman’s accounting degree from the Whitman School launched a career that would culminate in a position as president and COO of Forest Laboratories Inc., where he has guided growth of the $2.2 billion pharmaceuticals company. Before joining Forest in 1980, he was employed by American Home Products and the accounting firm of Hurdman, Cranston. He has been a trustee of and donor to the Israel Cancer Research Fund. At SU, he sits on the Whitman School’s Corporate Advisory Council.
Riley has been chairman, president and CEO of Cooper Industries since 1996. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. He joined Crouse-Hinds Co. in 1963, working variously as a vice president, executive vice president, president and CEO before assuming his current role. Former chairman of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Riley has been a director of Baker Hughes Inc., and Allstate Corp., among others. He is a lifetime member of the Whitman School’s Corporate Advisory Council.
Palmer, a partner in the business refinance and restructuring department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, was recognized as one of “America’s Top Black Lawyers” by Black Enterprise Magazine in 2003. He holds a political science degree from The College of Arts and Sciences, with a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. He was honored in 1995 with the Chancellor’s Citation for Exceptional Achievement in the Field of Law.
Four members of the board-Ragan A. Henry, Tarky J. Lombardi Jr., Robert B. Menschel and Richard C. Pietrafesa-rotated to emeritus status. Trustees Emeritus Robert H. McCaffrey and Charles F. Schoenlein retired from board service.
