UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Charles H. Whiteman, John and Karen Arnold Dean of the Penn State Smeal College of Business, recently appointed Craig Chobor, director of research at Solus Alternative Asset Management LP, to the college’s Board of Visitors.
Board members offer advice to the dean and other Smeal administrators based on their professional experience and knowledge of the latest issues and trends facing the business community.
Chobor, a founding member and co-chair of Penn State Smeal’s Finance Advisory Board, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and international business from Penn State in 1995 and an MBA from Pace University in 2001. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the New York Society of Securities Analysts and the Association of Investment Management and Research.
He joined Solus at its inception in July 2007 and, over the last 24 years, has been directly involved in transactions and restructurings for some of the largest companies across various industries. Prior to Solus, Chobor was part of the CDO and hedge fund teams at Stanfield Capital Partners covering a variety of industries. Previously, he worked as a senior associate in the Emerging Markets Group at Scudder Kemper Investments.
In conjunction with his current role, Chobor is also executive chairman at Midwave Wireless and a non-executive director at Panavision and Nextwave Wireless. He is also a member of the board of trustees at the Oak Knoll School in Summit, New Jersey.
Chobor said he was looking forward to expanding his role at Smeal.
“There’s been a lot of talk within the Finance Advisory Board about the importance of bringing other disciplines, such as computer science and programming languages, into the curriculum. Doing so ensures we aren’t focused just on the core knowledge required for careers in finance or accounting but are really preparing students to hit the ground running and have an immediate impact when they join the workforce,” he said.
“I’m excited to think more broadly about how Smeal’s curriculum can evolve in ways that ensure all of our graduates, regardless of their major, are at the leading edge of business and employers see an ever-increasing value in hiring Smeal students.”
Whiteman was quick to praise Chobor’s commitment to excellence at Smeal.
“Craig has been a powerful advocate for our students and faculty during his tenure with the Finance Advisory Board, encouraging opportunities to incorporate emerging technologies and real-world applications into our teaching and research. I have every confidence he will continue this pursuit of academic and research excellence in this new role with the Board of Visitors,” Whiteman said.
The board will meet today and Friday.
The Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors is a 36-member advisory board comprised of global business and industry leaders who are Smeal alumni and friends. The complete list of Smeal’s Board of Visitors membership can be found online.