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Widener University will welcome a newly elected chair to its Board of Trustees this spring, and the leader is an alumnus who is focused on the future.

Paul Beideman, who earned his Master of Business Administration at Widener in 1979, is one of the university’s most engaged alumni. He will begin a three-year term at the conclusion of the academic year, when he replaces Gen. John H. Tilelli, who is stepping down after five years as board chair. Tilelli, a 1963 alumnus of Pennsylvania Military College, will continue to serve on the board’s executive committee as past chair.

Beideman is currently vice chair of the board, and is one of two trustees serving on Widener’s Core Strategy Team. The group is taking an innovative approach to position Widener for future success by building an agile, adaptive strategy that allows the university to rapidly respond to evolving student needs, market changes, and new technologies.

This is the most important thing we’re doing right now, because we are helping to define how Widener will respond to a changing world. Students and families expect different things in how we deliver a great educational experience, and we are working to make sure Widener is well positioned to do that. – Paul Beideman

Widener President Julie E. Wollman said Beideman’s dedication to the university is evident in his work with the Core Strategy Team, and in the many other ways he serves his alma mater. He chaired Widener’s last presidential search committee, and he founded and continues to sponsor the Beideman Visiting Scholar program with his wife Caroline. The program draws compelling speakers to campus annually to share lessons on leadership through the university’s Oskin Leadership Institute, on whose advisory board he sits.

“It is an honor to welcome Paul Beideman to this important position,” Wollman said. “He is enthusiastically present and genuinely engaged with the university and his commitment to Widener’s success is demonstrated through his countless hours of service. I look forward to working closely with him as board chair, and to all the ways Widener will grow with him in this new role.”

Beideman is the retired chairman and CEO of Associated Banc-Corp and serves as president of Avenue of the Arts, Inc. in Philadelphia. He joined the board in 2001, and chairs its Audit, Compliance, and Risk Assessment Committee. He is a member of the Administration and Finance Committee, and the Advancement Committee. With his experience between Associated Banc-Corp and Avenue of the Arts, Inc., he is in a unique position to provide the university with sound financial and operational advice, and access to professional networks for Widener and its students.

“I am honored to be the chair of Widener’s Board of Trustees. As we approach the university’s 200th anniversary, I look forward to continuing to work with this outstanding group of trustees and the excellent management team to ensure the future success of Widener and its students,” Beideman said.