6 new members appointed to Trustees of ASU

Six new members will be joining Arizona State University’s Trustees of ASU today. The new group, drawing on their distinguished careers in law, the media and the corporate sector, will help support and guide the university.

The new members were announced by trustees co-chairs Bob Zollars, chairman of Vocera communications and operating partner of Frazier Healthcare Partners, and Laura Roskind, community volunteer.

The new trustees will be sworn in at their first meeting today, where they also will participate in the naming of two new Trustees of ASU Professors.

The group, formed in 2013 by President Michael M. Crow, advises the university and Dr. Crow on philanthropic opportunities and new resources, as well as helping develop strategies for increasing donor affinity.

“These are highly accomplished friends of ASU who share our vision of the New American University,” Crow said. “They not only will provide wise counsel but also strong representation for the schools and colleges of the university, serving as distinguished ambassadors for what we have accomplished and what lies ahead.” 

The new trustees will each provide a unique outlook based on their life experiences and success. The six new members are: 

Rebecca White Berch, a former faculty member at ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court in 2002 and served as its chief justice from 2009-2014.  Though she retired in 2015, Berch serves or has served on several boards including the Board of Directors of the United States Conference of Chief Justices, the Board of Trustees of the National Conference of Bar Examiners, and as chair of the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Douglas Fulton, chief executive officer of the Fulton Homes Corporation, was born and raised in Tempe. He has served as the military liaison for the Navy League of the United States since 2011. Fulton was a board member for Youth Assistance Foundation from 2009-2014 and currently serves on the Advisory Board. Fulton was appointed special deputy for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and was a board member for Memorial Fund MCSO from 2008 to 2012, and he is now serving on the Advisory Board.

Brian LaCorte, a partner at Ballard Spahr LLC, directs the distinguished patent litigation team in the firm’s Phoenix office and has been involved in several prominent national patent and trademark litigation matters. A seasoned intellectual-property litigator, he practices before administrative tribunals such as the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. He also serves as chair of the ASU Alumni Association Board and the National Alumni Council.

Christine Devine, a veteran television news anchor in Los Angeles, marked her 25th anniversary at Fox News, KTTV, in 2015 and has been awarded 16 Emmys during her tenure. Divine is a proud Sun Devil alumna who was inducted into the Hall of Fame at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Divine is a member of the ASU Leadership Council-LA and a past member of the National Alumni Board.

Jeffrey Wincel, an international purchasing executive and industry leader, is the vice president/chief procurement officer of Global Strategic Sourcing at ON Semiconductor. Wincel has been selected as one of the “Pros to Know” by Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine four times since 2002 and was a recipient of a team award in 2013 and 2015. He also is a faculty associate at ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business.

Ryan O’Hara, the student body president at ASU’s Polytechnic campus in Mesa, has been involved with student government since elementary school — 12 years. He has a passion for student engagement and advocacy and continues to work hard to give a voice to the students. He says his current employer, Landmark Associates, gives him the opportunity to continue to grow as a leader and a young professional.

At today’s meeting, the Trustees of ASU plan to name two new Trustees of ASU Professors:

• Cheshire Calhoun, a professor in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, specializes in the philosophical subdisciplines of normative ethics, moral psychology, philosophy of emotion, feminist philosophy, and gay and lesbian philosophy.
• Zachary Holman, assistant professor in the School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, focuses his research on new materials and device designs for high-efficiency silicon solar cells and silicon-based tandem solar cells.

Both faculty members receive a $75,000 award, distributed over five years, that can be used toward their research or other priorities in their work. Their awards follow the inaugural Trustees professorship, awarded to neuroscientist Brian Smith last spring.

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