IOWA CITY, Iowa—The ACT Board of Directors has two new leaders. Robert M. Berdahl, president emeritus of the Association of American Universities, has been selected by his peers as board chair. Chad P. Wick, founder of the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, has been named vice chair.
Berdahl succeeds Carl A. Cohn as board chair, while Wick is replacing Berdahl as vice chair. Berdahl joined the ACT board in 2011 and Wick in 2012.
Robert M. Berdahl, PhD
Robert M. Berdahl served as president of the Association of American Universities in Washington, DC, before retiring in 2011. He previously served as chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley from 1997 to 2004, and as president of the University of Texas at Austin from 1993 to 1997.
Throughout his career, Berdahl has been a strong advocate for undergraduate education. Before moving into university leadership, Berdahl taught history at the University of Oregon from 1967 to 1986. Berdahl earned his undergraduate degree from Augustana College in South Dakota, his master’s degree at the University of Illinois, and his PhD from the University of Minnesota.
Chad P. Wick
Chad P. Wick founded the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, serving as its president and CEO from 1998 to 2013. The KnowledgeWorks Foundation, headquartered in Cincinnati, seeks to advance economic opportunity in order to prepare students for college, work, and citizenship.
Wick has long worked to achieve equity and respect for diversity inside and outside education. Wick led the development of the Ohio College Access Network, which supports the college aspirations of more than 165,000 students each year, and assists in turning neighborhood schools into community learning centers. He has also served as president and CEO of RISE Learning Solutions, president of Mayerson Company, and CEO of Southern Ohio Bank. Wick currently serves as University Ambassador for Texas Woman’s University.
Biographies for all ACT Board members can be found here.