Lehigh University Names New Trustee Chairman

Brad Eric Scheler '74 was elected chairman of Lehigh University’s Board of Trustees effective July 1, the Bethlehem-based institution recently announced.

A nationally-known corporate restructuring attorney and senior partner of the law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, Scheler has served in leadership roles as a member of Lehigh University’s Board of Trustees for the past seven years.

Elected as vice chairs were Jane P. Jamieson '75, who retired as executive vice president, marketing, at Fidelity Investments after a 28-year career at the firm, and Kevin L. Clayton '84, a principal and director of Oaktree Capital Management, a leading global investment management firm.

As a member of the Board of Trustees since 2006 and a corporate trustee since 2010, Scheler has served on the Executive, Student Affairs, Advancement, Public Affairs, Campus Planning and Nominating committees.

He chaired the Linderman Project Advisory Committee, which was charged with raising funds and awareness for the $19 million renovation of Linderman Library that was completed in 2007. He also served as the immediate past chair and is a current member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics.

“I received an extraordinary education at Lehigh University that I continue to draw on each and every day,” Scheler said. “I can never repay Lehigh for the opportunities this wonderful university has made possible in my life, and I can think of no better legacy than to work diligently to ensure that the Lehigh we leave to future generations is even better than the one that so profoundly affected our lives.”

Scheler succeeded Daniel E. Smith Jr. '71, president and CEO of Sycamore Networks, Inc., who served as the chair of Lehigh’s Board of Trustees since 2007.

During Smith’s tenure, Lehigh experienced a time of growth and change that included the development and implementation of Lehigh’s Strategic Plan, the conclusion of the Shine Forever Campaign, the launch of a new Campus Master Plan and the addition of 755 acres to Lehigh’s campus through the generosity of the Stabler Foundation.

“Brad’s election as board chairman assures a continuation of the bold and visionary leadership that defines Lehigh’s success,” Lehigh President Alice P. Gast said. “Like Dan, Brad has the experience and integrity to lead Lehigh during a time of great opportunity and change in higher education.”

Scheler graduated from Lehigh with high honors (B.A., interdisciplinary history and government) and earned a J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was Research Editor of the Hofstra Law Review.