Boston University Board of Trustees gains 4 new members

The Boston University Board of Trustees has elected four new members, two of which are graduates from BU schools, officials confirmed.

BU spokesman Colin Riley explained that technology specialist and businessman Peter J. Levine and primary care physician Shamin A. Dahod, both BU alumni, have been elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. Financial specialist Jorge Morán and Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar were also elected as new members.

“When there are openings for people transitioning off or coming on to the board, the Board of Trustees looks for people who are going to bring their expertise, knowledge,and experience to weigh in on university matters as members of the board,” Riley said.

Levine, a 1983 College of Engineering graduate, is a partner in venture firm Andreessen Horowitz and lectures at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, Riley said. He previously served as the chief executive officer of XenSource, an innovative technology company whose officials aim to allow all types of workers the ability to work from home.

Dahod, outgoing chair of the Board of Overseers, graduated from BU’s  College of General Studies in 1976, BU’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1978 and BU’s School of Medicine in 1987. She currently works at Lowell General Hospital.

In 2008, Dahod pledged $10.5 million to BU’s School of Medicine for the establishment of the Shamim and Ashraf Dahod Breast Cancer Research Center. Additionally, she has served on the BUSM Board of Visitors since 2004.

Morán previously served as president and CEO of Sovereign Bank and Santander Holdings, U.S.A. Sovereign Bank and Santander Holdings has awarded money  both to BU’s School of Public Health to fund scholarships for students studying abroad and also to CAS for the Hispanic Voices Program.

Before heading Sovereign Bank and Santander Holdings, Morán served as CEO of Morgan Stanley in Spain and in Portugal.

Devadhar, Bishop of the New England Conference of the U.S. Methodist Church, has taught at Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and Karnataka Theological College in Mangalore, India among other institutions.

Devadhar has served as a trustee for Drew University, Centenary College and Pennington School, all located in New Jersey. He has also lectured at West Point United States Military Academy and the Oxford Institute at Duke University.

When a seat opens on the Board of Trustees, candidates are suggested, nominated and elected, Riley said. While members are elected to serve three years, they are limited to 14 years of service.

“We’re extremely grateful and fortunate to have such an outstanding board who care deeply about the quality of education here, who are very student-focused, and supportive of the senior administration and work closely with the senior administration,” Riley said.

Chair of the Faculty Council Kathe Darr, who is also a School of Theology Professor, said she looks forward to welcoming the new members to the board.

“These people have relationships with the university, some of them long-term relationships,” she said. “I’m delighted that they are going to be joining the board.”

Darr said Davadhar is not the first United Methodist Bishop of the New England conference to serve on the Board of Trustees, because BU’s School of Theology was originally a United Methodist seminary.

“It’s not unusual for the New England Conference Bishop to be a member of the board,” she said. “I assume that the other three members are very interested in the university and want to take on this role.”

The newly elected officials will join the rest of the board for a meeting on Thursday morning, Darr said.

“I’ve seen the agenda for the Board meeting, but it’s hard to anticipate in advance exactly what the conversations will be,” she said. “… They [the meetings] are always wonderful opportunities to learn more about what’s going on at the university and also to get some sense of what lies ahead for the university.”