Biographies of Individuals
Elected to the Board of Trustees
at the May 18, 2006 Meeting  

1. STEPHANIE M. BENNETT-SMITH
President Emerita, Centenary College, Hackettstown, New Jersey
Duxbury , Massachusetts; Vero Beach, Florida; and Taos, New Mexico

Dr. Stephanie Bennett-Smith is the president emerita of Centenary College (1984-2001), a Methodist-affiliated institution in Hackettstown, New Jersey. She is the first woman president of the institution. She holds a bachelor's degree in history and English and a master's degree in English from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate (1973) in American Civilization from the University of Iowa. She taught English at Loretta Heights College in Denver. She also taught English and American Studies for eight years at Albion College in Michigan where she was a member of the tenured faculty, director of the school's American Studies program, and president of the American Studies Association of Michigan.

In 1976, Dr. Bennett-Smith was named Dean of Westhampton College, the women's college of the University of Richmond, where she remained for nine years. Under the U of R's coordinate system, the dean of the women's college had primary responsibility for campus life and academic advising for women students and academic responsibility for educational programs that support women's learning. During her service, Dr. Bennett-Smith established academic courses and the nationally recognized Women Involved in Living and Learning (WILL) program that integrated women's studies and career programs. She brought women of achievement to campus to serve as role models and to work directly with students on career planning. In addition, she developed active alumni involvement with students, was involved in fundraising, and served as president of the Southern Association of Colleges for Women.

In the mid-1980s, Dr. Bennett-Smith was named president of Centenary College, which was at the time a women's college with serious financial problems. She was only the second woman to hold the presidency of a United Methodist Church-affiliated college or university. In her fifteen years as president, Dr. Bennett-Smith strengthened the institution, taking it co-educational in 1988, expanding its international programs, revising its curriculum including incorporating required community service into courses, establishing the graduate program and the adult learning program, and completing the first major fund-raising campaign in the college's history. She was also active in the National Association of Colleges and Universities of the United Methodist Church and the University Senate of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and was a founding member of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities. In addition, she held leadership positions in the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey, the New Jersey Association of Colleges and Universities, and the Council of Presidents of New Jersey Higher Education. Dr. Bennett-Smith has published numerous articles and book chapters in the fields of Women's Studies, American Culture and Higher Education. In addition, she has spoken at both national and international conferences on these topics.

When she retired in 2001, a new apartment-style residence hall and conference center at Centenary College was named in her honor. The college Web site includes the following information regarding Dr. Bennett-Smith's tenure as president: "In 1999, the College publicly launched the first capital fundraising campaign in its history. The success of The Capital Campaign for Centenary College made it possible to establish the Engelhard Corporation International Center, expand the College's Equestrian Center, and build the Robert E. and Virginia N. Littell Technology Center."

In retirement, Dr. Bennett-Smith serves on the board of trustees of the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation (board secretary); Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey; and the Indian River Land Trust in Indian River County, Florida. She is a member of the board of directors of the UNM Foundation (a fundraising arm of the University of New Mexico); the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico; and the New Jersey Women's Forum. She maintains homes in Duxbury, Massachusetts; Vero Beach, Florida; and Taos, New Mexico.

2. DAVID R. DROBIS
Chairman Emeritus, Ketchum Worldwide, New York, New York
MA, 1965, School of Communication (Journalism and Public Relations). Mr. Drobis is a member of the School of Communication Advisory Council
Naples , Florida

 David Drobis is a legend in public relations, having spent much of his professional career advancing the industry. He was named among the top 10 most influential people in public relations in the 20th century by PRWeek and received the National Public Relations Professional Achievement Award for 2001 from Ball State University.

Mr. Drobis spent his career at Ketchum helping it grow from a small, specialized firm into one of the top agencies in the world. He joined Ketchum in 1967 as an account executive in the firm's Pittsburgh office after working in government relations as well as community relations in the Washington, D.C., area, and writing press releases in university relations at American University. Mr. Drobis has worked in three different Ketchum offices -- Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and New York -- at one point establishing a brand new base of operations and at another shifting headquarters to New York. He was one of the founders of Ketchum's San Francisco office and served as its director from 1975 to 1982.

Mr. Drobis was president and chief operating officer at Ketchum from 1982 until 1994. From 1994 until 2001, he was CEO of Ketchum and responsible for opening Ketchum's offices beyond the U.S. to the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America and establishing the vertical industry categories and key communication disciplines into five global practices: brand marketing, corporate, food and nutrition, healthcare and technology. Also under Mr. Drobis's guidance, Ketchum established an industry-leading recruitment and training program and also introduced KGN, an award-winning intranet.

Mr. Drobis retired in December 2003 after 36 years of service to Ketchum and assumed the title chairman emeritus. In 2004, he embarked on an international tour of the agency to promote Ketchum values as part of the renowned Ketchum College learning-and-development program. He is working with the agency to provide senior counsel to clients with whom he has longstanding relationships.

Mr. Drobis is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America, a past board member of PRSA's Counselors Academy, a member of its International Committee and College of Fellows and past president of the New York Chapter of PRSA. Mr. Drobis is also a past president of The Arthur W. Page Society, founding chairman and a member of the Board of the Council of Public Relations Firms, a member of the International Public Relations Association, and a past president of ICCO, the international trade association for public relations firms.

Mr. Drobis holds a master's degree in journalism and public relations from American University and has attended graduate programs at the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. He is co-chair of the SOC capital campaign and a contributor to the Forman Challenge. He is an active member of the SOC Dean's Advisory Council and provides direction for SOC on curriculum development and promotion and reputation building.

Mr. Drobis has been a member of the board of directors of the Center for Communication, an organization dedicated to communication education, and The Manhattan Theatre Club, a New York-based nonprofit theater company. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Naples, Florida, Philharmonic Center for the Arts.

3. GISELA B. HUBERMAN
President, GBH Radio, Inc., Fisher Island, Florida
JD, 1980, WCL. Dr. Huberman is a member of American University's Arts Advisory Council
Fisher Island , Florida

Gisela Huberman is an author, attorney, owner of telecommunications towers, former principal owner of thirteen radio stations, and a former professor at AU. As an author, she has drawn on her careers to write two novels involving music, mystery, and suspense: Love Songs for the Dead (1999) and Deadly Tango (2001).

Ms. Huberman is a former tenured professor of language and linguistics at AU (1970-80), founder and chairperson of the American University Committee on Women's Affairs, and a former member of the American University Faculty Senate. She holds AB (1964), MA (1965), and PhD (1970) degrees from The George Washington University and a JD degree (1980) from the Washington College of Law. She has been admitted to the bars of the District of Columbia and the Supreme Court of the United States.

As an attorney, Ms. Huberman formerly worked as an associate with Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Kampelman. Ms. Huberman serves on the board of the National Transplant Organization and Pyramid Atlantic.

She and her husband, Benjamin Huberman, are avid art collectors of modern and contemporary art and support the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the James Renwick Alliance, the Miami Art Museum, and numerous other organizations.

Ms. Huberman is a member of the Arts Advisory Council and has been a significant contributor to AU, primarily to the Katzen Arts Center.

4. C. NICHOLAS KEATING, JR.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Network Equipment Technologies, Fremont, California
BA, 1963; MA, 1964, School of International Service. Mr. Keating is a member of the School of International Service Advisory Council.
San Francisco , California

For more than 25 years, C. Nicholas Keating, Jr., has served as a corporate officer and/or director of both public and private technology companies, including four NASDAQ, a New York Stock Exchange, and a European public corporation. He is currently president and chief executive office of Network Equipment Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: NWK), a provider of wide-area networking products and services.

Prior to Network Equipment Technologies, Inc., Mr. Keating was president and CEO of IP Infusion Inc. from 2000 to 2004. IP Infusion is a software developer and licensor of advanced networking software for enhanced IP services. With customers through the world, IP Infusion is one of the leading companies in the IP routing and switching disciplines.

In 1999, Mr. Keating became president and CEO of US SEARCH.com Inc. US SEARCH is a Web-based provider of on-line information services to individual, corporate and professional users. He took the company public in June 1999 in a Bear Sterns and Robertson Stephens-led IPO. While at US SEARCH, the company entered into marketing agreements with Yahoo, Lycos, AOL, and a number of other major web portals.

From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Keating was an advisor to a number of worldwide organizations. His clients included AT&T, Lucent Technologies, E-Net Corporation, Memotec Communications, Cornerstone Equity Investors and Integrated Telecom Technologies. He has assisted his clients in negotiating business relationships with various companies including Hitachi Data Systems, Fuji, Polaroid, LM Ericsson, Honeywell, IBM, and Samsung Electronics. In addition, Mr. Keating has rendered merger and acquisition assistance to both buyer and seller clients in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

From 1987 to 1993, Mr. Keating was a vice president and corporate officer of Network Equipment Technologies. His responsibilities included corporate development, strategic partnering, international operations, investor relations and supervision of the company's legal department. He was instrumental in developing relationships with many companies including IBM, LM Ericsson, Tellabs, and Cisco Systems. He also negotiated arrangements with both domestic and international telephony and data network providers, including France Telecom, Infonet, AT&T, and British telecom.

Mr. Keating serves on the board of directors and is a member of the Audit, Compensation and Nominating Committees of Foundry Networks (NASDAQ: FDRY), a supplier of high performance networking products. He is also on the board of directors of Bay Microsystems, a Silicon-valley-based semiconductor company, and is Chairman of the Board of Seclarity Inc., a network security company.

Mr. Keating is a member of the board of trustees, a vice president, and a member of the executive committee of the Asian Art Museum Foundation of San Francisco and is a San Francisco City Commissioner on the Asian Art Commission. He is also on the board of directors of the San Francisco-based Korean Chamber of Commerce and is a limited partner in two venture capital firms, Doll Capital Management and ATA Ventures.

Mr. Keating received his BA and MA from American University and was a Fulbright Scholar to Mexico. Prior to his business career, Mr. Keating worked in the State and Commerce Departments in international positions and served as a first lieutenant in the United States Army.

5. ARTHUR J. ROTHKOPF
Senior Vice President and Counselor to the President, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Washington , DC

Arthur J. Rothkopf is Senior Vice President and Counselor to the President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. His responsibilities at the Chamber relate primarily to education and workforce development. He is also President Emeritus of Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania.

Prior to joining the Chamber staff in July 2005, Mr. Rothkopf served for 12 years as President of Lafayette College, a highly selective undergraduate college of liberal arts and engineering. Lafayette raised $213 million in a capital campaign conducted under his leadership. During his tenure, over $250 million in new construction was completed and dedicated primarily to academic projects such as a new library, neuroscience center, engineering center, science complex and community arts center. The college's endowment more than doubled to over $600 million during his presidency.

Before becoming Lafayette President in July 1993, Mr. Rothkopf was Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). He was appointed to this position by President George H.W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate. Before becoming Deputy Secretary, he served as General Counsel of the Department (also a Senate-confirmed position).

Prior to joining DOT, Mr. Rothkopf was a senior partner in the Washington law firm of Hogan & Hartson, specializing in tax, regulatory, and legislative representation of U.S. and foreign clients. He was director of the firm's international operations. He began his career as a lawyer for the U.S. Treasury Department and the Securities & Exchange Commission. He earned his BA degree from Lafayette and his law degree from Harvard.

Mr. Rothkopf serves as a member of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education established by Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. He also serves as a member of the board of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and is president of the Pennsylvania Society. He is past board chair of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, and was a trustee of the Lehigh Valley Hospital and a director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority. He is also a director of two for-profit companies, Bristol West Holdings (listed on the NYSE) and Insurance Services Office, Inc.

Mr. Rothkopf and his wife Barbara reside in Washington.

6. MARK L. SCHNEIDER
Senior Vice President, International Crisis Group, Washington, DC
Honorary Degree, 2000 (WCL)
Washington , DC

Mark Schneider is the senior vice president of the International Crisis Group, a not-for-profit, multinational organization concerned with conflict resolution, and head of its Washington office. Mr. Schneider joined the International Crisis Group in spring 2001. He directs the Washington advocacy office, conveying Crisis Group analyses and recommendations to the White House, the State Department, the Department of Defense, and Congress as well as the World Bank and other international organizations. Two of his areas of expertise are post-conflict reconstruction and Latin American issues. Mr. Schneider was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served as director of the Peace Corps, 1999-2001. Previously, as assistant administrator of USAID, he was directly involved in the design and implementation of support efforts for the peace accords in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Among his other positions were principal deputy assistant secretary of state for human rights during the Carter Administration, head of strategic planning for the Pan American Health Organization/WHO, and legislative assistant and foreign policy advisor to Senator Ted Kennedy. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in El Salvador from 1966-68. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and San Jose State University with a master's degree in political science.

Mr. Schneider has played a key role in many developmental programs and mobilized resources for projects worldwide.

Mr. Schneider received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from American University, Washington College of Law, in 2000; the George Eastman award for public service from the University of Rochester (New York) in 2000; the Bernardo O'Higgins Medal for human rights work from the Government of Chile in 1993; and the Gran Cruz, Orden al Merito, awarded by the Government of Chile in 2000. He has published articles in both academic journals and the media and appeared on numerous radio and television news programs.

7. NEAL A. SHARMA
Chief Executive Officer, Digital Evolution Group, Overland Park, Kansas
BA, 1998, School of Public Affairs
Olaphe , Kansas

Neal Sharma is chief executive officer of Digital Evolution Group, a full-service internet consultancy headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, and founded in 1999. The firm was recently ranked as the 29 th fastest growing company in the Kansas City metropolitan area and one of the largest companies of its kind. Mr. Sharma leads the strategic, marketing and intellectual capital aspects of the firm, which serves several national brands and regional institutions. He has been named by the Kansas City Star as one of the 50 most influential people in technology in the area and has testified to the Kansas legislature twice regarding issues of taxation and software services.

Mr. Sharma serves on the steering committee for the major fundraiser of The University of Kansas City Hospital, the board committee on marketing and fundraising for the Kansas City Chapter of the American Red Cross, as a member of the Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program, and in an advisory capacity to the boards of several local companies and not-for-profit organizations.

Prior to co-founding Digital Evolution Group, Mr. Sharma worked in commercial real estate (1993-94) and served in several capacities for former US Senator and presidential candidate Robert Dole (1994-96), including as one of the youngest salaried members of Senator Dole's presidential campaign staff.

Mr. Sharma attended AU as a Presidential Scholar. He was president of the Undergraduate Student Council in 1997-1998 (honored by the student newspaper as "…one of the most effective presidents in memory"), held leadership roles in many student organizations, served as a Resident Advisor, and received the 1998 Kinsman Hurst Award. He graduated cum laude from the School of Public Affairs with an interdisciplinary major in Communication, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government and a minor in Business Administration. Mr. Sharma recently married Angela Lower (CAS '98), an AU alumna, who graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa and now serves as the Manager of Public Relations for the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Mr. Sharma received his MBA from the University of Kansas (2001), where he served as president of the Graduate Business Council.