Who runs Northwestern?
NBN's guide to your overlords.
By Maggie Harden
As you might expect, Northwestern’s board of trustees is mostly rich, old, white men. What these 52 men (and 18 women) lack in demographic diversity they make up for in fun facts. Take a look for yourself and get to know your trustees.
Emma Kumer / North by Northwestern
Frederick Waddell
NORTHERN TRUST CORP
Wadell is ranked the 15th most powerful person in Chicago by Chicago Magazine.
W. James McNerney, Jr.
BOEING
McNerney played college baseball with George H.W. Bush at Yale.
W. Rockwell Wirtz
RUSSEL REYNOLDS ASSOCIATES
Wirtz is the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Charles Tribett III
WIRTZ CORP.
Tribett III started dating his wife at the age of 14.
Ivy Beth Lewis
FREELANCE EDITOR
Lewis homeschooled her three children from first to eighth grade while simultaneously managing a sheep and cattle ranch in New Zealand.
T. Bondurant French
ADAMS STREET PARTNERS, LLC
French’s secret to success is, “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” This is something his mom used to say.
Mark Angelson
GOVERNMENT
Angelson served as Deputy Mayor of Chicago from 2011-12, where he made a salary of $1 a year.
Benjamin Slivka
WISSNER-SLIVKA FOUNDATION
Slivka taught himself computer programming on demo equipment in various Seattle retail stores.
Michael Ferro, Jr.
MERRICK VENTURES
Lupe Fiasco once asked Ferro to mentor him, and Ferro offered Fiasco a job the first time they met.
Christopher Combe
COMBE INC.
Combe’s company invented the popular acne medicine Clearasil.
Phebe Novakovic
GENERAL DYNAMICS
Novakovic is a former CIA agent.
Wendy Nelson
CARLSON RESIDOR
Nelson was a professional tennis player who was internationally ranked in both singles and doubles.
Jane DiRenzo Pigott
R3 GROUP LLC.
Pigott decided she wanted to be a lawyer after her parents took her to the Supreme Court and she saw no women serving as justices.