Ursinus College Board of Trustees Appoints New Members
Jeevan Sekhar ’99, Ellen J. Staurowsky ’77, and Susan Hawes Stewart ’80 will begin their four-year terms on July 1, 2023.
“We are honored to have an incredible trio of professionals joining the Board of Trustees, all three of whom happen to be distinguished alumni,” Ursinus College President Robyn Hannigan said. “I look forward to working closely with Ellen, Susan, and Jeevan as we continue to move the college forward through the implementation of the QUEST for Success Strategic Framework.”
Jeevan Sekhar ’99 is one of only a few quadruple board-certified physicians in the country with expertise in internal medicine, hematology, oncology, medical acupuncture, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. He is co-founder of the WellBeing Workshop, an interdependent community that facilitates whole mind-body well-being, and he helped launch the Reid Cancer Center in Richmond, Ind. During his time at Reid Health, he saw the power of complementary therapies to improve the lives of his cancer patients. Leveraging his diverse background in medical therapeutics as well as his extensive training in martial arts including Tai Chi and Qigong, his goal now is to help create the paradigmatic shift away from disease management towards wellbeing enhancement.
Ellen J. Staurowsky ’77 is a professor in sports media in the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. Previously a member of the Ursinus Board of Trustees from 2013-21, she is internationally recognized as an expert on social justice issues in sport, including gender equity and Title IX, pay equity and equal employment opportunity, and college athletes’ rights and the exploitation of college athletes. She has been recognized as a fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM), the AAHPERD Research Consortium, and the National Academy of Kinesiology. Staurowsky is co-author of College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA Amateur Myth and The NCAA and the Exploitation of College Profit-Athletes. She is also editor and author of Women and Sport and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Sport.
Susan Hawes Stewart ’80 is a senior vice president and financial Advisor at RBC Wealth Management. She has a breadth of experience in the field, working with major brokerages, bank trust departments, and at her own independent firm across a 30-year career. Stewart founded Charter Financial Group in 1996, advising families and managing public and corporate pensions. She was also a senior vice president at Merrill Lynch, where she focused on client portfolio management. An accomplished women’s lacrosse and women’s basketball coach, Stewart is a member of the Ursinus Athletics Hall of Fame and played on the U.S. women’s lacrosse team. She earned her law degree from Penn State Dickinson Law.
Sekhar, Staurowsky, and Stewart join the board of trustees under the leadership of chair Joseph M. DeSimone ’86, P’12, the Sanjiv Sam Gambhir Professor of Translational Medicine and Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and the co-founder and former CEO of California-based 3D printing company Carbon.