Three alumni elected to Board of Trustees for 3-year terms

By Danielle Phillips

Three people have been elected to serve three-year terms on the University’s Board of Trustees, President Mordechai Rozanski announced.

All three members are Rider alumni. They are Ernestine “Mickey” Gast, an associate buyer agent for Prudential, Fox & Roach Realtors in West Chester, Pa.; Karen Licitra, a group chair for Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick, N.J.; and Eli Mordechai, chief executive officer of Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in Mount Laurel, N.J.

“I am delighted that these three outstanding individuals have agreed to serve their alma mater,” Rozanski said in a press release. “Their extensive experience, keen insight, and breadth of knowledge will provide us invaluable counsel as we continue Rider University’s progress toward the next level of excellence.”

Of the three newly elected members, Gast is the only returning board member, having served previously from 1997 to 2006. During her previous terms, she chaired the Student Affairs and Human Resources committees, in addition to serving as a member of other committees. Currently, she is a member of The Mercer Real Estate Team in West Chester and serves on the selection committee for the U.S. Naval Academy of the 7th Congressional
District of Pennsylvania.

Karen Licitra has worked for Johnson & Johnson since 1984, holding various positions in sales and marketing. In 1996, she was promoted to vice president of product management, and in December 2000, she became president of Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc., a position she held until being named worldwide franchise chair.

Mordechai is currently the chief executive officer of Medical Diagnostic Laboratories, LLC in Mount Laurel, a startup company he founded in 1997.

He is also a member of Rider’s Science Advisory Board, the Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce, and several medical science associations.

These members have been elected to one three-year term. After this period, a member may be re-elected to serve another term. However, after serving three consecutive terms, they may not be re-elected again for at least one year.

“With help from the senior leadership team, new prospective trustees are identified,” said Debbie Stasolla, associate vice president for planning.

These prospects are discussed among the Executive Committee and then voted on by the entire board, she said.

Rider could not exist without the Board of Trustees “overseeing the management of the institution,” said Stasolla. The board has “a number of regular items” that it is responsible for on a yearly basis. More recently the board is following up on its self-assessment.