New Trustees Elected

Anthony Lubrano, Adam Taliaferro and Ryan McCombie are now on the Penn State Board of Trustees.

From NPR:

Alumni elected lawyer Adam Taliaferro, who played for the late coach Joe Paterno; prominent donor and outspoken board critic Anthony Lubrano; and retired U.S. Navy captain Ryan McCombie.

Election results were announced Friday following more than three weeks of online voting that drew a record turnout of at least 37,000. The new trustees begin their three-year terms July 1.

—Adam Taliaferro, attorney, of Swedesboro, N.J. Former defensive back for Paterno who became well known for his courageous recovery from a career-ending spinal-cord injury suffered his freshman year in 2000 during a game at Ohio State. Now an attorney in Cherry Hill, N.J., the 2005 graduate also won election last year as a freeholder in Gloucester County, N.J.

Taliaferro has said that fellow alumni have told him the biggest issue is transparency. He pledged to make information and access to trustees more easily available. Taliaferro has offered more measured responses when asked about the trustees' actions in November.

—Anthony Lubrano, financial services executive, of Exton. Among the 86 candidates, the 1982 graduate has been the most vocal critic of the board and its ouster of Paterno. Lubrano has said the election is about "governance," and that the board was ill-prepared to handle the scandal. Lubrano distributed a petition calling for "due process" for Paterno. He has the endorsement of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, an alumni watchdog group.

—Ryan McCombie, retired U.S. Navy captain, of State College. The 1970 graduate cites his experience in contingency planning and crisis management from his days in the military as strengths in helping the university get through the scandal. McCombie said in his position statement that the trustees must lead "with integrity and by example," but he did not specifically criticize the board's actions in November. His supporters dotted the State College area with campaign yard signs.

The trustees race once generated little interest in the general public, let alone the more than 557,000 Penn State alumni across the country. Fewer than 12,000 voted last year; this year's race drew more than 37,000 votes to shatter the previous record set in 1990 by about 10,000 votes.

Congratulations and Good Luck in mving Penn State forward past this disaster!