In Review

Danny Wegman, CEO of the iconic Rochester-based grocery store company founded by his grandfather and great-uncle, has been named chair-elect of the University’s Board of Trustees. A trustee for more than 15 years, Wegman will succeed current chair Ed Hajim ’58 in a five-year appointment at the May 2016 board meeting.

“Danny is one of the country’s most admired business leaders, a champion of our region, and a highly respected and dedicated board member,” says President and CEO Joel Seligman, who has worked closely with Wegman for the past four years in their roles as cochairs of the Finger Lakes Economic Development Council, part of New York State’s community-based economic development program.

The announcement was made at this spring’s board meeting, where four new trustees were also elected.

Wegman joined Wegmans Food Markets after high school and was named a store manager in 1969, the same year he graduated with honors from Harvard University with a degree in economics. He became president in 1976, and was named CEO in 2005. Today, the company operates 85 stores in six states and is consistently recognized in Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America,” earning the No. 7 spot in 2015.

In April 2014, Wegman, president and chairman of the board of the Wegman Family Foundation, announced a $10 million lead gift to the Goergen Institute for Data Science and a $7 million gift to support Golisano Children’s Hospital. Altogether, the foundation has provided $20 million to The Meliora Challenge: The Campaign for the University of Rochester. Wegman and his wife, Konstanze (Stency), are members of the George Eastman Circle, the University’s leadership annual giving society.

Newly Elected Trustees

Barbara Burger ’83 is the president of Chevron Technology Ventures, a Houston-based division within Chevron Corporation. A chemistry major at Rochester, Burger went on to receive a doctorate in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and an MBA in finance from the University of California, Berkeley.

A member of the San Francisco Bay Regional Cabinet, the Texas Regional Cabinet, and the River Campus Libraries National Council, Burger is a charter member of the George Eastman Circle. She established the Barbara J. Burger Endowed Scholarship in the Sciences and has generously supported two professorships in chemistry as well as special projects at the River Campus Libraries and in the Department of Athletics and Recreation.

Edward Miller ’68M (MD) is CEO emeritus of Johns Hopkins Medicine and dean and vice president emeritus of the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, where he joined the faculty in 1994. He became the first CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, dean of the medical school, and vice president for medicine in January 1997, serving until his retirement in 2012.

He and his wife, Lynne Reilly Miller ’64, are members of the George Eastman Circle and supporters of the medical school. Lynne has supported student scholarships, including establishing a fund to support study abroad.

Brian Prince ’86, ’89S (MBA) is the founder and senior partner of the private-equity firm Hegemon Capital LLC. He recently served as president and chief executive officer of ORIX USA Corporation, a diversified financial services company.

A board member of the Friends of Rochester Athletics, he established the Prince Family Endowment for Men’s Soccer in appreciation of his experiences and leadership opportunities as a student-athlete and made the lead gift to support a multimillion dollar renovation of the University’s outdoor athletic facilities, named the Brian F. Prince Athletic Complex. In addition, he has generously supported initiatives at the Eastman School of Music, the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the Simon Business School.

E. Philip Saunders is an entrepreneur known for his business acumen and philanthropic spirit. He was instrumental in reshaping the travel center industry and has had business interests in fields as diverse as auto rental, recreation and tourism, packaged foods, property management, and banking. Saunders has founded several companies, including Genesee Regional Bank, Griffith Energy, Truck Stops of America, Travel Centers of America, and Sugar Creek Corporation.

In 2011, Saunders contributed $10 million to the Medical Center to support neuromuscular disease, cancer, and translational research. The Saunders Research Building, home to the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, clinical research programs, and academic departments, was named in his honor. His gift also supports the Saunders Family Distinguished Professorship in Neuromuscular Research and the E. Philip and Carole Saunders Professorship in Neuromuscular Research. He serves as a cochair of the Medical Center’s campaign in support of The Meliora Challenge and honorary chair of the George Eastman Circle Rochester Leadership Council.

—Sara Miller