Dambly Elected Chair of Penn State Board of Trustees

Mark Dambly was elected chair of Penn State’s Board of Trustees at the board’s meeting Friday on the campus of Penn State Harrisburg.

Matthew Schuyler was elected vice chairman.

Dambly was vice chairman for the past year. The president of Philadelphia-based real estate group Pennrose Properties, he was first appointed to the board by former Gov. Ed Rendell in 2010. With that term set to expire this year, Dambly was approved in May for a new term as a business and industry trustee after recommendation by a selection committee.

He graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in real estate and insurance.

Robert Capretto, a Penn State graduate and business owner appointed to the board by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2015, ran against Dambly for the chair position. Dambly received 21 votes to Capretto’s 12, with one trustee abstaining.

Schuyler ran unopposed for vice chair. He was elected by the board as an at-large trustee in 2015. Schuyler is Chief Human Resources Officer of Hilton Worldwide and earned his B.S. in accounting from Penn State in 1987.

Before the vote Dambly was questioned about a past issue that recently resurfaced as it became known he would be a candidate for chair.

In 2012 Dambly was asked about his  criminal history. WJAC-TV’s Gary Sinderson found court records showing that in 1979, Dambly pleaded guilty to a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a fight in downtown State College. Dambly was sentenced to five days in Centre County jail.

But when asked about it on camera by Sinderson, Dambly responded, ‘I’m not aware of that.’ In 2013, Dambly filed to have the case expunged.

The issue came up in the days leading up to the election, and before the vote, trustee Anthony Lubrano asked Dambly to address it.

‘When I was young, I made some mistakes. I deeply regret those actions,’ Dambly said. ‘It was certainly a low point in my life, which is of record. I have learned from those mistakes and have moved on to live a productive life, both personally and professionally. I was fortunate to be elected as vice chair by my peers last year, and it is my hope that based on my experience and your experience with me and my presentation yesterday that I made to the group that I have earned your support. The university has many important things to focus on moving forward, many issues, and I am committed to addressing those for the students of this university, and I stand ready to serve.’

Trustee Ron Tribeck asked both candidates about how they would stop in-fighting and bridge the divide among some trustees.

‘I actually think we’ve made some progress,’ Dambly said. ‘In the last couple of meetings, I have really felt a better vibe. I felt that we’ve had significantly more open dialogue. You have my commitment to extend an olive branch if that’s the appropriate phraseology, and I think you will see that in the construct of the committee structure.

‘But there needs to be, I think, appropriate dialogue. We can agree, we can disagree, but I think it needs to be appropriate. And I don’t think there is an easy answer… so I can’t say I am going to do this and that’s going to bring us all together… I think the last couple meetings I have seen an improvement. I would like to build on that momentum. You have my pledge to attempt to do that. But you also have my commitment that if folks don’t choose to participate constructively, then that’s going to be on them, and it’s not going to be on me.’

In nominating Dambly, trustee Julie Anna Potts praised the leadership he has demonstrated during his time on the board.

‘Mark’s passion, leadership skills, and experience position him perfectly to lead this Board at this time, as we work in partnership with President [Eric] Barron and the administration to successfully guide this amazing institution,’ she said. ‘Mark has demonstrated through his commitment to numerous board, leadership, and Penn State service roles his energy and passion for all things Penn State.’

Tom Poole, vice president for administration, was re-elected unanimously as board secretary.