This year, the Westminster College Board of Trustees installed a new chair, welcomed a returning member and re-elected three members for another term.

David Farner ’85 of Pittsburgh was elected to serve a three-year term as chair of the Board. Originally elected to the board in 2012, Farner later served two subsequent terms. Farner is the executive vice president and chief strategic and transformation officer for UPMC. Prior to his current role, he served as the interim chief financial officer and has held numerous financial leadership roles over his 20-plus years at UPMC.
 
Farner, who earned his degree in computer information systems from Westminster in 1985, serves on the Board’s Executive Committee and is ex officio member of all other committees.

Dr. Beth Eck ’85 of Charlottesville, Va., returns to the Board after a one-year hiatus. Eck is currently the director of end-of-life doula services at Hospice of the Piedmont and is a professor emerita of sociology at James Madison University, where she taught for 25 years. She serves on the Board’s Educational Policy and Student Engagement committees.

She earned her undergraduate degree from Westminster in 1995 and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia in 1996.

The Board granted trustee emeritus status to Gary Brown ’71 of Pittsburgh. Brown was first elected to the Board in 2005 and served four terms. During his tenure, he chaired the Athletic Advisory and Student Affairs committees and was vice chair of the Finance Committee. Brown is the CEO of Mount West Investments.

Current Board members Christian Carmody ’96 of Mars, Pa., Tracy Stuck ’88 of Columbus, Ohio, and Thomas Tupitza ’79 of Erie, Pa., were all elected to second consecutive four-year terms.

Westminster College Alumni Council President Dr. Nanci Kleese Hosick ’95 of Hermitage, Pa., was elected to a two-year term as an associate trustee, while three faculty associate trustees were elected for the 2024-2025 academic year: Dr. Jeffrey Bersett, chair of the faculty and professor of Spanish; Dr. Russell Martin, professor of history and chair of the Department of History, Philosophy and Religion; and Dr. Pamela Richardson, professor of mathematics.

Three student associate trustees were also elected for 2024-2025: Gabrielle DiDolce, Ian Herr and Ella Hildebrand.

DiDolce, a senior accounting major and chemistry minor from Shippenville, Pa., is serving on the Board’s finance, audit and compliance, and student engagement committees. She is a graduate of North Clarion High School.

Herr, who is serving on the Board’s athletic advisory and student engagement committees, is a senior computer science and mathematics major from New Castle. He is a graduate of Laurel Junior-Senior High School.

Hildebrand, a senior neuroscience major from Greenville, Pa., is a member of the Board’s enrollment management and student engagement committees.  She is a graduate of Greenville Senior High School.

Pictured above, clockwise from top left: David Farner, Beth Eck, Gary Brown, Jeffrey Bersett, Russell Martin, Ella Hildebrand, Ian Herr, Gabrielle DiDolce, Pamela Richardson and Nanci Kleese Hosick.

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