Ellen E. Reilly, ’83, assumes the Board’s top leadership role effective July 1. 

La Salle University’s Board of Trustees has elected Ellen E. Reilly, ’83, as its new Chair. Effective July 1, Reilly becomes the first woman to serve as the Board’s Chair in the University’s 159-year history.

A recent appointee to La Salle’s Board of Trustees, Reilly earned ex officio Board membership in 2021 upon beginning her term as President of La Salle’s Alumni Association.

“I arrived at La Salle as a student only a handful of years after it had first transitioned to a co-educational institution and now, all these years later, I am humbled to have been elected as Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees,” said Reilly. “It’s a role I never dreamed of holding when I first got involved with our Alumni Association. I am honored and proud to work on behalf of the Board and our University.”

She will replace William W. Matthews, III, Esq., ’90, who announced the Board leadership changes in a message Monday to the University community. Matthews has served as the Board’s Chair since July 2020. Elected to the Board in 2007, he had served as the Board’s Acting Chair for a year prior, dating to July 2019. Matthews’ term concludes June 30.

“Ellen is prepared for this moment—and it’s an important one for the Board and La Salle University alike,” Matthews wrote in his message. “Just last month, I announced the Board’s selection of Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D., as our University’s President-elect. Ellen will work closely with Dr. Allen in advancing his vision and promoting the University and its historic mission.”

Reilly is an industry leader with substantial experience developing and executing digital strategies within corporations. Currently, she is the head of healthcare and life sciences at WHOOP, the company that in 2015 debuted a novel wrist-worn device that continually tracks key biomarkers. Throughout her career, Reilly has driven change by partnering with businesses to transform and simplify business processes while also delivering bottom line measurable benefits. Prior to joining WHOOP, Reilly was vice president of global technology partnerships at IQVIA and vice president of the life sciences and healthcare industry at DocuSign.

Reilly maintains extensive ties to La Salle. She serves as a member of an advisory board for the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and recently co-led an effort to establish an endowed scholarship recognizing assistant professor of accounting Brother Gerald Fitzgerald, FSC. Reilly, with more than a dozen La Salle alumnae, established a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $200,000 as part of La Salle’s 9th annual Day of Giving.

A resident of North Caldwell, N.J., Reilly earned a bachelor of arts degree in computer science from La Salle. She received a master of business administration degree from Drexel University.

“Ellen’s pride in La Salle is unmatched,” said La Salle University Interim President Tim O’Shaughnessy, ’85. “She possesses a deep commitment to our University and wants what is best for our students and our community. For her, La Salle isn’t just her alma mater. It’s a family. It’s home. I am confident in the future direction of our Board under Ellen’s leadership.”

Also in Matthews’ message, the Board elected John K. Dugan, CPA, ’85, as its newest Vice Chair. A resident of Newtown, Pa., Dugan is an accounting alumnus who recently concluded a career of more than 35 years—including the last 26 at PwC, from which he retired as a senior partner. He has served on the Board since 2019, contributing his leadership to various committees. His board leadership extends to the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia and, previously, the Inglis Foundation, and La Salle’s School of Business Advisory Board.

The Board, Matthews said, also approved three-year term renewals for Vice Chair AmyLynn Flood, CPA, ’95; Brother Jack Curran, FSC, Ph.D.; and Joann M. Magnatta, ’77. Along with Dugan’s election as Vice Chair, these changes are effective July 1.

—Christopher A. Vito