Board of Trustees | DeVry University Newsroom

The DeVry University Board of Trustees is composed of seven leaders in business and academia who act as the institutional and governing body for DeVry University, overseeing academic, operational and financial policies.

The mission of the DeVry University Board of Trustees is to foster student learning through high-quality, career-oriented education, in order to prepare students to excel in a changing and increasingly competitive career landscape.

To learn more about the members of the DeVry University Board of Trustees, please click on a biography listed below.

Higgins, Barbara

Senior Vice President, Customer Experience and Retention, Allstate Insurance Company

Barbara Higgins is Senior Vice President, Customer Experience and Retention at Allstate Insurance Company. She has more than 20 years experience in operations, market research, brand management and leadership, and has been active in her community through both non-profit board membership as well as guest lecturing at various universities.

Merten, Alan G.

President Emeritus, George Mason University

Alan G. Merten is President Emeritus of George Mason University. He served as president from 1996 to 2012, and remains a member of the faculty. In recognition of his contributions and record of outstanding service, Dr. Merten was bestowed the title of Distinguished Service Professor. George Mason University, located in Northern Virginia and within the Washington, DC metropolitan area, is a doctoral granting institution with an enrollment of over 33,000 students.

Ng, Grace

Director of Defined Contribution Plans, Portfolio Investments, The Dow Chemical Company

Grace Ng, Director of Defined Contribution Plans in the Portfolio Investments group, is responsible for the global investment oversight and strategic design of the Defined Contribution Plans of the Dow Chemical Company, with plan assets totaling about $8 billion.

Paul, Robert

President, DeVry University

Robert (Rob) Paul was named president of DeVry University in 2014. As chief executive of the university, he is responsible for establishing strategic direction in support of DeVry’s purpose: to empower its students to achieve their educational and career goals.

Rodriguez, Richard L.

Interim CEO, UNO Charter School Network

Richard L. Rodriguez has served as Interim CEO of the UNO Charter School Network (UCSN) since July 2015. UCSN has a population of over 8,000 k-12 students in 16 schools located in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods throughout the City of Chicago. Rodriguez was most recently Vice President and Business Development Director at Lend Lease, one of the world's leading fully integrated property and infrastructure solutions providers.

Walpert, Newton

Vice-President and General Manager, U.S. Enterprise Sales, Printing and Personal Systems, Hewlett-Packard Company

Newt Walpert is HP’s vice president and general manager of U.S. Enterprise Sales for the Printing and Personal Systems organization in the United States.

From 2002 to 2012, Mr. Walpert was vice president and general manager of US Sales for the Personal Systems Group (PSG). Previously, from 2001 to 2002, he was the general manager for HP’s North America Business Customer Sales Organization (BCSO), sales and marketing division -- where he was responsible for leading the server, storage and software sales teams aimed at the US enterprise business segment.