Marquette University’s board of trustees has elected John Ferraro chair for a two-year term, according to an announcement the university released on Monday.
Ferraro is a 1977 graduate of the university’s College of Business Administration and currently serves as global chief operating officer at Ernst & Young, a professional services firm. He has been part of Marquette’s board of trustees for the past eight years, having served as vice chair from 2011 to 2014.
Ferraro, who was honored in 2008 as the College of Business Administration’s Alumnus of the Year, chaired the university’s Presidential Search Committee during the 2013-14 school year. His leadership throughout the six-month search was critical in helping secure Michael Lovell as the university’s 24th president, university officials said.
“John’s commitment to sharing progress on the presidential search with our campus and Marquette’s 110,000 alumni worldwide was evident during every step in the process and led to a historic announcement that our community is extremely excited about,” said Interim President the Rev. Robert Wild. “John is a gifted leader, and we are grateful that Marquette will continue to benefit from his energy, enthusiasm and strategic thinking during his time as chair of the board of trustees.”
Throughout the presidential search, Ferraro was based in London but traveled frequently as the search progressed. He will remain in London as he takes over leadership of the board, according to university officials.
Ferraro succeeds Charles Swoboda, a 1989 graduate of Marquette’s College of Engineering. Swoboda has reached the end of his two-year term as chair but will continue to serve the board of trustees.
The board also elected Cherryl Thomas vice chair. Thomas is a 1968 graduate of the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and is president and CEO of Ardmore Associates, a Chicago-based engineering consulting firm.
