UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Board of Trustees voted to reelect Matthew W. Schuyler as chair and David Kleppinger as vice chair during its regular meeting today (Nov. 12) on the University Park campus.
In accepting the results, Schuyler said it is an honor to continue serving the University and the board as its chair. He highlighted the board’s work with the Select Penn State Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias, and Community Safety; additional ongoing efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion, including the establishment of a new Committee on Equity and Human Resources and the establishment of diversity goals for the board’s membership; and the board’s work to identify world-class candidates and select Penn State’s next president as examples of the board’s dedicated efforts and areas of continued focus.
“David and I would like to thank our fellow trustees for your ongoing dedicated service to Penn State,” Schuyler said. “We will remain committed to continue working with each of you and our new president to ensure our focus, as a board, remains on strategic matters such as affordability, financial management, innovation, the future of higher education and ensuring Penn State is an inclusive environment for all.”
Schuyler was first elected to the board as an at-large trustee in July 2015 and has served as vice chair of the board from 2017 until being elected chair in 2020. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Smeal College of Business in 1987 and holds an MBA from the University of Michigan.
Schuyler currently serves as the chief brand officer for Hilton Worldwide and has been with the company since 2009. Under his leadership, Hilton was recognized by Fortune and Great Places to Work as the No. 1 best company to work for in 2019 and 2020.
His previous Penn State volunteer service includes membership on the boards of visitors of the Smeal College of Business and the College of Information Sciences and Technology, as well as on the School of Hospitality Management Advisory Board. In 2013, he was honored with the Alumni Fellow Award from the Penn State Alumni Association.
Kleppinger, a 1977 Penn State alumnus, was appointed to the board in January 2017 by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf as one of six gubernatorial appointees. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Penn State and a juris doctorate degree from Temple University School of Law.
He is chairman emeritus at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, a law firm in Harrisburg. Kleppinger is a member of both the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and has served as chair of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, Team Pennsylvania Foundation, the Foundation for Enhancing Communities and United Way of the Capital Region. His service to Penn State also includes his membership with the Department of Political Science’s board of visitors, which he also has chaired.
Schuyler and Kleppinger ran for reelection unopposed.