DePaul University’s Board of Trustees appointed Gerald A. Beeson chair of the department and Karen Atwood and Harry Harczak vice-chairs effective immediately through June 30, 2021, according to an email sent to community members Tuesday morning. 

The new appointments follow the loss of alumna and former board chair Lori Holland who passed away on Nov. 26. 

“Lori had a deep personal connection to our mission and the impact that education can have on people’s lives,” said former chair and current trustee James T. Ryan. “She never managed just from board meetings. She was active on campus, meeting students, meeting faculty, getting involved in school advisory boards. Lori was very accomplished academically and in her career, but my lasting memory of Lori will be her smile and the way she genuinely cared for people.”

Beeson served as vice-chair for the board since July 1, succeeding Holland as she took on the role of chair. Beeson graduated from DePaul with a bachelor’s in commerce with concentrations in accountancy and finance and received his MBA from the University of Chicago. Since 2008, he has served as chief operating officer for Citadel and as a trustee of the university’s board. 

Atwood and Harczak are also DePaul alumni. 

Atwood graduated with a master’s degree in business administration from the university and received her bachelor’s in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to her retirement in 2016, she served as executive vice president of service and technology for the Health Care Service Corporation. She has served on the board since 2010. 

Harczak received a bachelor’s in accounting from DePaul and went onto the University of Chicago to earn his MBA. He joined the board in 2008 and is the current managing director of Sawdust Investment Management. 

The board will begin the process of selecting a chair and vice-chairs to serve three-year contracts beginning July 1, 2021.