Penn State Health Board of Directors

Neeli Bendapudi, president of Penn State, has a nearly 30-year career as a leader in higher education and business. She was named the 19th president of Penn State by the University’s Board of Trustees in 2022. She leads Penn State’s 24-campus network and top-ranked online World Campus.

Previously, Bendapudi served as president of the University of Louisville where she oversaw a series of transformative efforts in academics; finance; the health enterprise; philanthropy; athletics; diversity, equity and inclusion; and more. 

Prior to that, she served the University of Kansas (KU) in positions including provost and executive vice chancellor and dean of the School of Business, and was founding director of the Initiative for Managing Services at The Ohio State University (OSU). In addition, she was the executive vice president and chief customer officer for Huntington National Bank and taught marketing at the University of Louisville, KU, Texas A&M University and OSU. 

With a background in the study of consumer behavior in service contexts, her research focuses on customers’ willingness to maintain long-term relationships with firms and with the brands and employees that represent them. Bendapudi has been honored at the national and university levels, including the Academy of Marketing Science Outstanding Marketing Teacher Award, KU’s Women’s Hall of Fame, as one of 25 outstanding women who have made a difference by Diverse Issues in Higher Education and as one of 25 Most Admired CEOs by Louisville Business First.

Bendapudi is a Leadership Foundation fellow, member of the International Women’s Forum and serves on the boards of the American Council on Education and Internet2. She has taught marketing at the University of Louisville, KU, Texas A&M University and OSU. 

She earned her bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Andhra University, India, and her doctorate in marketing from the University of Kansas.

Dr. Kevin Black joined Penn State Health in 1993. Before accepting the role of interim dean of Penn State College of Medicine, he served as interim chair of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation and the C. McCollister Evarts professor and chair in Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, director of Penn State Bone and Joint Institute and vice dean of Penn State Health University Park Regional Medical Campus in State College. Under his leadership, clinical activity in his department increased fourfold, its residency program doubled in size, the Center for Orthopaedic Research and Translational Science was established and Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center was named among the nation’s best hospitals for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report for three consecutive years. His clinical practice with Penn State Bone and Joint Institute focuses on knee ligament and patellofemoral instability. As a faculty member, he started the Medical College of Wisconsin’s sports medicine program before joining the faculty at Penn State College of Medicine and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Black’s honors and awards include the Traveling Fellowship of the Clinical Orthopaedic Society, European Travelling Fellow of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Teacher of the Year Award (twice) by Hershey Medical Center orthopedic residents and the Steven and Sharon Baron Leadership Award. He has also been president of the Pennsylvania Orthopaedic Society and the American Orthopaedic Association. Recognized as a national leader in orthopedic resident education, Black served as course director for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Orthopaedic Educators course. He has also served as the Hershey Bears’ team physician.

Black is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He completed his orthopedic residency at the University of Rochester and a fellowship in sports medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Timothy Brown is the founder and CEO of Sageworth, including Sageworth Holdings LLC, Sageworth Trust Company, and Sageworth Trust Company of South Dakota. He also serves as chair of the Finance and Investment committees for Penn State Health.

Brown also serves on the boards of several organizations, including:

• Utz Brands Inc.
• High Holdings Inc.  
• Chief Executives Organization ─ incoming international chair
• Global Family Enterprise Program advisory board, Columbia Business School

Prior to founding Sageworth, Brown was a partner with the law firm of Barley Snyder LLC where he advised closely held businesses and their owners on corporate transactions, general business matters, tax issues and estate planning. He chaired both the firm’s tax group and its family business group.

Brown received his undergraduate degree in accounting from Penn State and his law degree from Georgetown University. After graduating from Penn State, he joined Arthur Andersen & Co. as a certified public accountant in its tax division in Washington, D.C. Following Arthur Andersen, Brown was an associate attorney with the law firm of Dunnells, Duvall, Bennett & Porter, where he concentrated his legal practice in the areas of tax, partnerships, real estate and estate planning. Brown returned to his hometown of Lancaster, Pa., to join the Barley firm.

Brown is a member of Chief Executives Organization and YPO, of which he served as chair emeritus, chair, education officer and finance officer of the Pennsylvania chapter. He helped found the High Center for Family at Elizabethtown College. He is co-founder and manager of The International Churchill Society, was a founding director of Music for Everyone, former trustee of the Pennsylvania Academy of Music, general counsel and secretary past president of the Lancaster City Alliance, past president of the Lancaster Museum of Art and past director of Harb-Adult.

Peter Carlino is chairman emeritus of Penn National Gaming Inc., a public company trading on the Nasdaq, as well as chair and chief executive officer of Gaming and Leisure Properties Inc., also a public company found on the Nasdaq.

For 20 years prior to the Penn National IPO, Carlino served as chair and president of Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, the predecessor of Penn National Gaming Inc. His real estate businesses have developed commercial and residential projects in eastern Pennsylvania and surrounding states.

Carlino and his wife, Marshia, have been instrumental in developing Penn State's Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center, with gifts to endow the chair position and three early career professorships. Through Penn National Gaming Inc., Carlino has provided leadership for an annual golf tournament that supports the IBD Center. The Carlinos have also provided significant support to further the professional careers of Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center nurses through the Elizabeth Powers Carlino Nursing Excellence Award. The award is named in memory of Carlino's mother, who was a registered nurse. Penn National Gaming Inc. also made a leadership commitment to Penn State Health Children's hospital building campaign.

Carlino is a Penn State graduate.

Mark Dambly began his career at Pennrose Properties as a vice president and partner, becoming the firm’s president in 2004. He directs the firm's business development efforts, seeking opportunities for future business and establishing and maintaining relationships with municipalities, agencies and lenders. Under his leadership, Pennrose's portfolio of real estate developments has grown to nearly 10,000 units.

Prior to joining Pennrose, Dambly owned and operated a successful homebuilding business.

Among his civic activities, Dambly serves on Penn State’s board of trustees and on the board of directors of Penn State Health. He is also a member of the board of directors for the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County, Regional Housing Legal Services, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Apartment Association – East. He has partnered with Penn State Health Children's Hospital to help conquer childhood cancer through his support for Four Diamonds.

Dambly is a Penn State graduate, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in real estate and insurance.

Dr. David Han is professor emeritus of surgery, radiology and engineering design at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State College of Engineering, having served as faculty until 2021. While at Penn State, Han served as the program director of the residency training programs in general and vascular surgery.

In 2011 and again in 2017, Han was elected to the American Medical Association Relative Value Scale Update Committee, which makes recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services regarding the value of physician-provided services. He has served on the editorial board of the Surgical Council on Resident Education, the largest online curriculum for surgeons in training. In 2018, Han was elected vice chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Review Committee for Surgery, the organization responsible for setting and monitoring the professional educational standards essential in preparing physicians to deliver safe, high-quality medical care to all Americans.

In 2015, Han was elected by the Faculty Senate as the inaugural academic member of the Penn State Board of Trustees. He was the 75th president of the Penn State Alumni Association and in 2011 was named a Penn State Alumni Fellow. His research interests in surgical education and the learning environment have been funded through multiple sources, including the National Institutes of Health. In 2014, he was named a Penn State College of Medicine Distinguished Educator.

After completing his medical degree at Harvard Medical School, Han trained in vascular surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He received his Master of Science in health evaluation sciences from Penn State College of Medicine and graduated with honors from Penn State with a Bachelor of Science in biology. He is currently the chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery at Saint Louis University.

Karen Hanlon is executive vice president and chief operating officer of Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh-based national, blended health organization. She is responsible for overseeing the strategy and long-term operations of Highmark Health and Highmark Inc., as the organization focuses on bringing transformational care to its customers and growing beyond traditional health care models, products and services. Hanlon also oversees the operations of Gateway Health, the Highmark Health-Penn State Health partnership and HM Health Solutions.

During her tenure at Highmark, Hanlon held several positions within the finance division before becoming the chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer of Highmark Health in 2014, and the chief operating officer in 2018. As CFO, Hanlon played a significant role in strengthening the overall financial performance of the enterprise, including oversight of the financial turnaround of Allegheny Health Network.

In her current role at Highmark, Hanlon is a strong advocate of supplier diversity and is executive sponsor of the initiative to provide consistent opportunities for minority-owned and operated businesses in the supply chain. She sits on the board of several Highmark Health subsidiaries and affiliates and also champions leadership roles for women in health care. A certified public accountant in Pennsylvania with more than 20 years of finance experience, Hanlon began her career in public accounting at KPMG Peat Marwick.

Hanlon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Grove City College. She was a 2019 recipient of the Grove City College Alumni Association Jack Kennedy Memorial Alumni Achievement Award, which honors graduates who have made significant contributions in their field. She has also been honored by the Pittsburgh Business Times as CFO of the Year.

David Kleppinger is chair emeritus at McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC, a law firm in Harrisburg, Pa., where he served as chair for 12 years. He was appointed to the Penn State board of trustees by Governor Tom Wolf in 2017 and was elected vice chair in 2020. Kleppinger is also a member and past chair of the Penn State Political Science Department’s Board of Visitors and is on the board of the RETTEW Holding Company. His past board service includes the PA Chamber of Business and Industry, where he held positions of chair and vice chair; the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation; Team Pennsylvania Foundation; LINK Foundation; Jonathan Eshenour Foundation; and chair of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities and United Way of the Capital Region.

Kleppinger is a Penn State graduate who earned his Juris Doctor degree from Temple University School of Law. 

Keith Masser is president of Sterman Masser Inc. in Sacramento, Pa., a family farm that produces potatoes, cash grain and hay, and processes dehydrated and fresh-cut potato products. He was elected to the Penn State board of trustees in 2008 and currently is chair emeritus.

Masser’s honors and recognitions include Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Alumni, the Red Book Produce Directory Business Character Award, EPA Environmental Stewardship Award and Master Farmer. He was the Vance Publishing Potato Man of the Year and Man for All Seasons, as well as an American Vegetable Grower Achievement Award national finalist and Top Producer of the Year finalist.

Masser and his wife, Helen, contributed to the Penn State Health Children's Hospital Building Campaign and have joined in the fight to conquer childhood cancer with gifts to Four Diamonds.

Masser is a graduate of Penn State with a Bachelor of Science in agricultural engineering. He is actively involved with the University as a member of the Mount Nittany Society, Penn State Alumni Association; Alpha Epsilon, the honor society for outstanding agricultural, biological and food engineers; and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society.

As chief executive officer, Stephen Massini focuses on the growth, development and overall performance of the Penn State Health system, including St. Joseph Medical Center, the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Hampden Medical Center, as well as the continued expansion of Penn State Health Medical Group across the health system’s core counties of Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon and Lancaster.

Massini joined Penn State Health in 2015, originally serving as chief financial officer for Hershey Medical Center. In 2016, he was promoted to executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief administrative officer of Penn State Health. Massini has been a transformational leader, central to the expansion of the health system’s clinical presence across central Pennsylvania and the development of innovative partnerships, including the collaboration with Highmark Health.

Prior to joining Penn State Health, Massini worked for Geisinger Health System in multiple roles, including chief administrative officer and chief financial officer for Geisinger Clinic. Previous to Geisinger, he held various leadership positions within the Highmark family of companies, including executive vice president and chief financial officer of HVHC, a subsidiary of Highmark focused on providing vision services.

Massini is a Penn State alumnus, having earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting with honors. He is a certified public accountant and a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

As CEO and chief growth officer of Highmark Health Plan and Diversified Businesses for Highmark Inc., Deborah Rice-Johnson is responsible for nationally recognized Highmark subsidiaries, including United Concordia Dental, stop-loss insurance company HM Insurance Group and health care technology and services firm Helion. She also has responsibility for pursuing a range of strategic partnerships, affiliations and acquisitions that will allow Highmark Health to unlock shared value to organizations and transform health care.

Rice-Johnson has more than 30 years of experience in the health insurance industry, having held a variety of management positions at Highmark and its predecessor company. Throughout her career, she has developed a passion for improving the health care experience, particularly as it relates to oncology services. She is committed to positively impacting the employment situation of our nation’s military veterans and those with disabilities through championing private-sector hiring efforts.

In addition to her position at Highmark, Rice-Johnson serves on the boards of the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Carlow University, Blue Health Intelligence, Evio and Dollar Bank. She is board president for Variety – the Children’s Charity and board chair emeritus of the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central Pennsylvania. 

Rice-Johnson holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Carlow University and in 2014, was named Carlow Laureate, the university’s most prestigious alumni award, recognizing those whose work, thoughts and actions demonstrate the highest standards of professional accomplishment and leadership.

Barry Robinson, a practicing attorney, retired as chief counsel for economic affairs with the U.S. Department of Commerce. He previously served as senior counsel for corporate affairs for the Recording Industry Association of America Inc., the nonprofit trade association representing the United States sound recording industry, and as senior counsel for international investment and trade in the U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.

Robinson served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps and as a member of the Defense Department Task Force to Investigate Discrimination in the Administration of Military Justice. He served as president and director of the Washington Foreign Law Society and a member of the Legal Section Committee of the American Society of Association Executives.

Robinson was the recipient of the Penn State African American Alumni Organization’s 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award. Additional honors include the College of Liberal Arts' Outstanding Political Science Alumni Award, the Liberal Arts Alumni Society's Service to Penn State Award and the Department of Commerce's Gold Medal Award in recognition of his contribution to the development and timely implementation of the International Trade Data System.

He is a Trustee Emeritus of the Pennsylvania State University Board of Trustees. Robinson and his wife, Francine, have also supported the Pediatric Research and Discovery Fund at Penn State Health Children's Hospital.

Robinson received his law degree from New York University and is a graduate of Penn State's College of the Liberal Arts.

As the senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer at Penn State, Sara F. Thorndike is responsible for the management of the university’s financial performance and operating budget and the Finance and Business Unit's strategic planning process. Thorndike also leads financial, endowment management, business and administrative activities at all Penn State campuses. She serves as a member of the President's Council and the Board of Directors for Penn State Corporation. In addition, she chairs the Penn State Investment Council and Health Care Advisory Council.

Prior to joining Penn State, Thorndike served as vice chancellor for administration and finance and chief financial officer for East Carolina University from 2018 to 2021. Previously, she served as the senior associate vice chancellor for business affairs, chief financial officer and controller for the University of North Carolina Wilmington from 2014 to 2018 and as the controller and accounting director for the Principia Corporation from 2005 to 2014. Prior to that, she served in financial analyst and accountant roles at various corporations.

Thorndike earned a doctorate of education in higher education leadership from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, a Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Franklin University. She is a certified public accountant licensed in Ohio and North Carolina. 

Active in numerous community and business organizations, Thorndike serves on the board of directors of the Chamber of Business and Industry of Centre County and the Centre County United Way. She also volunteers for the Higher Education Financial Wellness Alliance and is active in National Association of College and University Business Officers and a variety of professional and community service organizations.

Peter Tombros is professor and distinguished executive-in-residence at the Eberly College of Science, Penn State. He serves and has served on the boards of Cambrex Inc., Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Columbia University Medical Center Board of Advisors. Tombros was also appointed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania CURE Program, Health Research Advisory Committee, and served as a director of other public companies, including Alpharma, Pharmanet Development Group Inc., Dendrite International and NPS Pharmaceuticals.

Tombros and his wife, Ann, created the Tombros Foundation to pursue their philanthropic interests. He served as chair of the seven-and-one-half-year Pennsylvania State University $2.2 billion Capital Campaign.

Tombros’ professional career includes president and CEO of Enzon Pharma, where Enzon was able to grow from a market capitalization of $44 million to more than $3 billion under his leadership, making Enzon one of the top 20 biotech firms in the United States at that time. Prior to that, he spent 25 years at Pfizer Inc., where he helped build the pharmaceutical business in a variety of positions, including vice president of marketing, senior vice president and general manager and executive vice president of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. He was also appointed corporate vice president for strategic planning. In that role, he helped Pfizer narrow its focus on health care and oversaw the divestiture of non-health care businesses. Tombros also had oversight for the venture capital firms Pfizer funded to look for new technologies.

Tombros’ private company experience included serving as CEO and director of VivoQuest. The Financial Times selected him to receive its 2015 Outstanding Director Award.

Tombros earned both Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Penn State, followed by a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Thomas VanKirk was executive vice president, chief legal officer and secretary for Highmark Health until his retirement in 2021. He supervised the legal affairs of the company, managed the legal department and served on the company’s executive leadership team. 

Prior to joining Highmark in 2012, he served as chair and chief executive officer of the law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney for nine years, where he provided visionary strategic leadership, including client relationship development and recruitment of attorneys and groups of attorneys to the firm. Prior to that, he was chief operating officer of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney for more than 18 years.

While at Buchanan, VanKirk was a practicing trial attorney specializing in antitrust and corporate takeover litigation and served as a corporate advisor to many Fortune 1000 companies. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2006-2012 editions of Best Lawyers in America.

VanKirk continues to act in a variety of high-profile civic and community leadership roles, including the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh executive committees, and on the board of trustees for YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh. He also serves on the boards of United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Jefferson Hospital and the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, where he is chair of the board of visitors.

He and his wife, Bonnie, were co-chairs of the capital fundraising campaign for the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (now UPMC Hillman Cancer Center), for which he is also a council member, and they co-chair the capital fundraising committee for the August Wilson African American Cultural Center.

VanKirk is a graduate of Bucknell University and received his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Penn State Dickinson Law.