Widener University Appoints Five to Board of Trustees

The Widener University Board of Trustees recently named five new members to its ranks including senior officials at Affinity Health Plan, People 2.0, the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, and the law firm of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth.

The Board of Trustees is charged with ensuring that Widener upholds its mission as a metropolitan university, serves as a bridge between the university and society and holds in trust the intellectual, physical and financial assets of the institution.

Claire M. DeMatteis, the senior vice president, general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary for Affinity Health Plan; Glenn Eckard, vice president for business development for People 2.0 in West Chester; Matthew Hartley, executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (AHEAD) and professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education ; Douglas M. Wolfberg, a founding member of the Mechanicsburg, Pa. law firm of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth; and Samantha Krupa, a student in the physical therapy doctoral program at Widener; were elected to the board at its May meeting.

“Widener is extremely pleased to welcome such highly qualified members to an already strong Board of Trustees,” said Widener President Julie E. Wollman. “We look forward to their service and wise counsel to the board.”

DeMatteis has more than 25 years of legal, executive and legislative management experience spanning corporate, government and non-profit work. Before joining Affinity in 2013, she was executive vice president, general counsel, corporate secretary and chief privacy officer of Catalina Marketing in St. Petersburg, Fla. A 1992 graduate of the Widener University Delaware Law School, she served for 10 years as senior counsel to then Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., coordinating public policy positions and activities and managing all corporate and legal matters.

Eckard, a resident of Springfield, Pa., was named to the board of trustees as the incoming president of the Widener University-Pennsylvania Military College Alumni Association. A 1991 graduate of Widener with a bachelor’s degree in English, Eckard assumed his current position at People 2.0 in April. Previously, he was chief operating officer with Eminent Group in Horsham, Pa., and is the former co-founder and COO for Rapid Learning Institute in Eddystone, Pa.

Hartley, a resident of Media, Pa., is executive director of AHEAD and professor of education for the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. AHEAD seeks to promote and support education policy and practice that fosters open, equitable and democratic societies by providing research to international policy stakeholders. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, which named his a distinguished fellow in 2014. His research explores the civic responsibilities of universities and their roles as anchor institutions in their communities.

Wolfberg, a 1996 graduate of the Widener University Commonwealth Law School, is a founding member of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth, which specializes in the emergency medical services, ambulance and public safety industries. He is also a co-founder of the National Academy of Ambulance Compliance. Wolfberg serves on the Board of Advisors for the Commonwealth Law School, and has served as an adjunct professor at the law school for more than a decade.

Krupa, a resident of Union, N.J., was named to the board as a student. She graduated from Widener in May with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and is currently enrolled in the physical therapy doctoral program at Widener. Krupa completed a physical therapy internship in fall 2015 at Nova Care Rehabilitation in Swarthmore, Pa. A Dean’s List student, Krupa was also involved in several activities including Alternative Spring Break, Women’s Rugby, and serving as a Crew Leader and PRIDE Mentor.

Widener University is a private, metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, leadership development and experiential learning are key components of the Widener experience. A comprehensive doctorate-granting university, Widener comprises eight schools and colleges that offer liberal arts and sciences, professional and pre-professional curricula leading to associate’s, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral degrees. The university’s campuses in Chester and Harrisburg, Pa., and Wilmington, Del., are proud to be tobacco free. Visit the university website, www.widener.edu.

 

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