Former Lehigh Trustees Conferred Emeritus Status

The four newly appointed Trustees Emeriti were honored for meritorious and exemplary service to Lehigh University.

Four former members of Lehighs Board of Trustees were approved for Emeritus Status at the universitys October meeting.

Francis J. Ingrassia 75 16P, Jane P. Jamieson 75, Joseph R. Perella 64 06H and Brad Eric Scheler 74 05P 08P 09PG were nominated at the Oct. 2 Board of Trustees meeting. A vote was then conducted and their nominations approved. During the meeting, Board Chair Kevin L. Clayton 84 13P expressed his “utmost thanks and deepest appreciation” to Frank Ingrassia, Jane Jamieson, Joe Perella, and Brad Scheler for their 75 years of combined service to the Board of Trustees.

“Our Board of Trustees, the campus community and the entire extended Lehigh family have benefitted immensely from their leadership, vision and wise counsel,” said Clayton. “During their tenure as Trustees, these four individuals displayed an unwavering commitment to their alma mater and exemplary service to the Lehigh community. They are truly deserving of this special recognition.”

Francis J. Ingrassia ’75 ’16P

Francis J. Ingrassia 75 16P

Ingrassia, Jamieson, Perella and Scheler join 19 others as Trustees Emeriti.

Ingrassia, president and CEO of Clever Devices Ltd., served as an appointed trustee from 2004-2009 and a corporate trustee from 2009-2019. During his time on the Board, Ingrassia served on the Executive Committee, Academic Affairs Committee, Advancement Committee, Audit Committee and Finance Committee. He served as chair for both the Audit and Finance Committees.

Prior to Clever, Ingrassia spent over 30 years working in public finance on Wall Street, including 26 years at Goldman Sachs. He was a general partner of the firm and served as the head of public finance and ultimately co-head of the Municipal Bond Department. As an investment banker, his focus was primarily the public power sector, working with many of the nations largest municipal utilities, including the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power, the Intermountain Power Agency (UT) and the Washington Public Power Supply System. He holds board positions at Friends Academy (treasurer), St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church (chair, finance) and the Long Island Association (vice chair). He received a bachelors degree in finance from Lehigh in 1975.

Jane P. Jamieson ’75

Jane P. Jamieson 75

Jamieson, retired executive vice president, marketing, at Fidelity Investments after a 28-year career at the firm, served as an appointed trustee from 2002-2009 and as a corporate trustee from 2009-2019. She also served as vice chair of the Board from 2012-2017. She currently serves as the president of the Board of Trustees of the Lincoln School (Providence, R.I).

She received a bachelors degree in English from Lehigh in 1975 and a masters degree in communications from Boston University in 1976.

Joseph R. Perella ’64 ’06H

Joseph R. Perella 64 06H

Perella, founding partner of Perella Weinberg Partners, served as an appointed trustee from 1986-1995 and 2012-2014 and as a corporate trustee from 1995-1998, 2002-2012 and 2014-2019. He served as chief executive officer of Perella Weinberg Partners from its formation in 2006 to June 2014 and as chairman from 2014 to 2019. Prior to founding Perella Weinberg Partners, he was a member of Morgan Stanleys Management Committee and held several senior positions at Morgan Stanley, including vice chairman, chairman of Institutional Securities and Investment Banking and worldwide head of the Investment Banking Division. In 1988, Perella co-founded Wasserstein Perella & Co., Inc. and was chairman of the Board until September 1993. From 1972 to 1988, Perella held senior positions at First Boston and was the founder of its Mergers & Acquisitions Group.

He is a director of the American Italian Cancer Foundation, The Atlantic Salmon Federation, SCAN-Harbor, Inc., Foundation for Italian Art and Culture, Italy and the Holocaust Foundation and the Japan Society, where he serves as its chairman. He is a trustee of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and a member of the Directors Advisory Board for Yale Cancer Center. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former member of the Business Roundtable.

Perella was Lehighs 2016 commencement speaker. He received a bachelors degree in business administration from Lehigh and a masters degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Brad Eric Scheler ’74 ’05P ’08P ’09PG

Brad Eric Scheler 74 05P 08P 09PG

Scheler, senior partner with Fried, Frank Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, served as an appointed trustee from 2005-2010 and a corporate trustee from 2010-2019. He was Board chair from 2012-2017. Scheler is chair emeritus of the Deans Advisory Board for the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. Scheler also serves as a member of the Board (and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board) of The Honorable Tina Brozman Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research (Tinas Wish). Scheler is a member of the Leadership Committee for the Bankruptcy and Reorganization Group of UJA Federation. He is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. He is also a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Scheler received a bachelors degree in interdisciplinary history and government from Lehigh and earned a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was research editor of the Hofstra Law Review.

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