MUHLENBERG COLLEGE ANNOUNCES ELECTION OF NEW TRUSTEES
The Muhlenberg College Board of Trustees elected three new members at its fall meeting last week. Paul L. Vikner of Allentown, Pa., and Elizabeth A. Urmston-Fowle of Porter Ranch, Calif., have been named full trustees. Jeffrey R. Porphy of Harrison, N.Y., has been named an associate trustee.Friday, October 26, 2001 01:59 PM
The Muhlenberg College Board of Trustees elected three new members at its fall meeting last week. Paul L. Vikner of Allentown, Pa., and Elizabeth A. Urmston-Fowle of Porter Ranch, Calif., have been named full trustees. Jeffrey R. Porphy of Harrison, N.Y., has been named an associate trustee.
Paul L. Vikner, a 1971 graduate of Muhlenberg College, served on the Board of Trustees 1995-1998. He has been president and CEO of Mack Trucks, Inc., in Allentown, Pa., since July 2001. Mack is a subsidiary of AB Volvo, one of the world's top truck manufacturers, headquartered in Sweden. Vikner is also a member of Volvo's management team, and was previously executive vice president for sales and marketing at Mack. Vikner began his career in the trucking industry with Mack Trucks, Inc., after graduation from Muhlenberg. He has worked with Iveco Trucks of North America, Inc., as well as Isuzu Truck of America; he joined American Isuzu Motors Inc., attaining the position of senior vice president, before returning to Mack as senior vice president in 1995.
Elizabeth "Betsy" A. Urmston-Fowle is the president of Graphic Marker International in Chatsworth, Calif. The company is the world's sole producer of environmentally safe, non-toxic, refillable marking pens. The business was formerly a family enterprise known as Cooper Color Corporation, headquartered in New Jersey. Following her graduation from Muhlenberg College in 1976, Urmston-Fowle was employed in the Chartpack Division of the Times Mirror Company; she returned to the family business as a sales representative and purchased the firm in 1993. Under her direction, the company relocated to California and the patron base grew to include national clients such as The Walt Disney Company as well as international accounts. In 1998, Muhlenberg College recognized her successful efforts to reengineer the company's mission, product line and marketing strategies, naming her Entrepreneur of the Year.
Jeffrey R. Porphy is chief operating officer for the Mergers and Acquisitions Group of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) in New York, N.Y. CSFB is a subsidiary of the Swiss bank Credit Suisse Group, one of the top global investment banking firms. Porphy, a 1989 graduate of Muhlenberg College, began his CSFB career in 1995 as an investment banker. He served as vice president of the Group, working out of the company's London office, before accepting his current position.
