This is a developing story, updates will be posted as they come in.
In an email sent to faculty and staff by Board of Trustees Chair Richard Greenwalt on Monday, July 17, it was announced that Denis P. O’Brien would be named interim President of Drexel University. President John Fry was announced to be leaving Drexel to become the president of Temple University earlier this month. Fry stated at that time that he would remain at Drexel until a suitable successor could be found.
Denis O’Brien is a current member of Drexel’s Board of Trustees and has served for two decades. He received his MBA from Drexel. He was also previously the chairperson of Drexel’s Buildings and Properties committee. He is known for his time as the CEO of PECO Energy, and later the senior vice president of Exelon, PECO’s parent company. PECO and Exelon are large regional utility companies, supplying customers in the Philadelphia and PA region with natural gas and electricity.
The chair of the presidential search committee was also announced in the same email. “Trustee Mike Lawrie [will] chair the presidential search committee. More information on the presidential search process will be forthcoming, including the names of the search committee members, which will include a group of trustees, faculty members, students, alumni, and administrators,” said Greenwalt.
O’Brien addressed the Drexel community in a statement via an email sent on Tuesday, July 17 conveying his gratitude for the position.
“I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to Drexel University’s Board of Trustees for their trust and confidence in selecting me to lead this great institution as interim president. I am honored to serve in this role and pledge to all of you that my priority during this time of transition will be to uphold all that makes Drexel an innovative institution at the forefront of higher education,” said O’Brien in his statement.