Rutgers Board of Trustees Elects 2026-2027 Officers

The board also elected several new members at a recent meeting

The Rutgers Board of Trustees has re-elected Kenneth R. Johnson as chair and Mary Papamarkou and Squire J. Severance as vice chairs for the 2026-2027 academic year as of July 1, 2026.

During his 10 years serving on the board, Johnson has chaired several board committees, including the Trustees Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Task Force on Trustee Assessment, and the Task Force on Philanthropy. He also served as a member of the Board of Governors' committees on Finance and Facilities, Academics and Student Affairs, and Health Affairs.

While chairing the philanthropy task force, Johnson led the initiative to create the Scarlet Promise Grants and establish the Scarlet Promise Endowment to help students with unmet financial needs.

Funded by Trustees, partner organizations, and Friends of the Trustees, it raised more than $3 million in its first three years and has grown into a key institutional initiative.

Johnson has also served with the Rutgers University Foundation and the Rutgers Engineering Alumni boards, and he continues to support Rutgers students financially, as a mentor, and as a visiting lecturer in the School of Engineering.

A retired executive from GE and Lockheed Martin Space Co., Johnson was named a "Pioneer in Space" by the National Air and Space Museum and was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni in 2023.

Papamarkou will serve her third year as trustees vice chair. During her 10 years on the board she has served on multiple committees, including the Joint Committee on Investments and Board of Governors committees on audit, university relations, academic and student affairs, and health affairs.

A managing director in the financial services industry with 25 years' experience, Papamarkou also was a member of the student aid task force that led to the creation of the Scarlet Promise Grant Endowment Fund. She is a director emerita of the Rutgers University Foundation Board of Directors, which she served on for nine years.

Papamarkou received her undergraduate degree in economics from Douglass College and her master's degree in public administrationfrom Cornell University. In 2020, she was recognized for her service to Rutgers' student veteran population as a recipient of the Eagle Award from the Office of Veterans and Military Programs and Services, and in 2023, she was inducted as a Loyal Daughter of Rutgers for her long-term support of Rutgers.

In his four years on the Board of Trustees, Servance has served as chair of the Ad Hoc Task Force on Committee Effectiveness and Task Force on Assessment and has served on the Executive Committee and the Task Force on Legislative Engagement. He also served on the Board of Governors committees on audit and finance and facilities.

A Rutgers alumnus who received a bachelor's degree with honors with a double major in biomedical engineering and cell biology and neuroscience, he earned an MBA and law degree from Duke University. Recognized with the Rutgers School of Engineering's Distinguished Achievement Industry award in 2022, he is the founder and managing partner of Syridex Bio, which focuses on launching life sciences companies that develop innovative and accessible solutions for diseases that impact underserved communities.

Several new members join the board

Yanela V. Frias, who holds two degrees from Rutgers University-Newark and serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Prudential Financial Inc, was elected as an alumni trustee.

Also elected as an Alumni Trustee was Candice N. Tse, a Rutgers graduate and managing director for global client business at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

The Trustees also elected five new charter trustees:

Gregory Passanante, who holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Rutgers and shares his expertise as president and chief executive officer of Bancroft.

Navneet Puri is a graduate of the Rutgers College of Pharmacy and a pharmaceutical entrepreneur who founded the firms InnoPharma, Inc. and Nevakar, Inc.

John Sharkey graduated from the Rutgers School of Engineering and is a retired senior executive, whose career culminated with his role as CEO of Corning Incorporated.

Gloria Vanderham is a graduate of the School of Communication and Information, and former President of the Rutgers University Alumni Association. She currently serves as the chief executive officer of Bliss Bio Health.

Leslie Walker is a graduate of Rutgers University-Camden, who works as executive director of the Sixers Youth Foundation, the non-profit affiliate of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.