MIT Corporation elects 11 term members, three life members
ofessor of chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis
Wrighton earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Florida State University in 1969 and his PhD in chemistry from the Caltech in 1972. Wrighton started his career at MIT in 1972 as associate professor of chemistry. He was appointed associate professor in 1976 and professor in 1977. In 1989 he was appointed the first holder of the Ciba-Geigy Professorship in Chemistry. He was head of the Department of Chemistry from 1987 to 1990 and became MIT’s provost in 1990, a post he held until the summer of 1995. From 1995 until 2019 he served as the chancellor and CEO at Washington University in St. Louis. He is now a professor and chancellor emeritus at the school.
The three new life members are:
Patricia Callahan, former senior executive vice president and CAO, Wells Fargo and Company
Callahan earned her bachelor’s degree in 1975 and her master’s degree in 1977, both from MIT. That year she began working at Wells Fargo, serving in various roles in operations, finance, and product management. She served as head of systems, operations, and finance for the commercial real estate group from 1991 to 1993 and of wholesale banking from 1997 to 1998; head of corporate human resources from 1993 to 1996 and again from 1998 to 2005, and head of compliance and enterprise risk management from 2005 to 2008. From 2008 to 2011, Callahan successfully led a large banking merger, and in 2011 was promoted to chief administrative officer, responsible for managing 2,300 team members in corporate communications, corporate social responsibility, enterprise marketing, government relations, and human resources. She retired in 2015.
Alan Leventhal, chairperson, CEO, and founder, Beacon Capital Partners
Leventhal earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1974 and his MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College in 1976. He serves as chair and CEO of Beacon Capital Partners, one of the leading owners and managers of office and life science properties of the United States. He has held board memberships with Boston University, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the Leventhal Map and Education Center, the Friends of Post Office Square, Northwestern University, and the Amos Tuck School. He was awarded the New England Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004 by Ernst and Young and the Outstanding CEO Award in 1996 and 1997 by Realty Stock Review.
Kenneth Wang, president, U.S. Summit Company
Wang received his bachelor’s degree in economics in 1971 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1976. After graduating from Harvard, he was employed by Bank of America’s New York Corporate Office’s transportation group, specializing in ship finance. In 1980, he joined a family-owned private company, Oceanic Petroleum Corporation (OPC), which built and operated an oil refiner and gas station chain in Thailand and a joint venture refinery in Singapore. OPC’s operations also included an oil terminal in Hong Kong and LPG terminals in Singapore and Malaysia. During the sale of most of these petroleum-related assets in the 1980s and 1990s, Wang became involved in U.S. Summit Company, another family company primarily engaged in marketing and distribution of ethical pharmaceuticals, OTC products, medical products, and industrial chemicals through operating subsidiaries in multiple Asian markets.
President of the Association of Alumni and Alumnae of MIT:
Annalisa Weigel, senior director, Fairmont Consulting Group
Weigel earned a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics in 1994, a bachelor’s in science, technology, and society in 1995, a master’s in aeronautics and astronautics in 2000, and a PhD in technology, management, and policy in 2002, all from MIT. She also earned a master’s in international affairs in 1998 from George Washington University. Weigel is a senior director of the Fairmont Consulting Group, having joined the firm in 2012. She provides counsel to CEOs, leadership teams, boards, and investors on growth strategy and transactions in the aerospace, defense, and government services sectors. Previously, she was on the faculty at MIT with a dual appointment in aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems, where she spent eight years researching and teaching in systems design, continuous process improvement, and engineering innovation.