John A. Fry
President, Drexel University

After becoming Drexel University’s 14th president in 2010, John Fry set out to transform Drexel into a comprehensive research university with a strong public purpose – an institution that harnesses its strengths in cooperative education, translational research, online education, entrepreneurship and urban extension to serve its students, neighborhood, the city and nation. 

Under Fry, Drexel has helped lead the continuous revitalization of West Philadelphia, spearheading the designation of this area as a federal Promise Zone, initiating both Schuylkill Yards, a 14-acre innovation district at 30th Street Station, and uCity Square, anchored by a Drexel University-assisted K-8 public school and soon to be relocated colleges of Nursing and Health Professions and Medicine. In addition to leading Drexel, Fry has served as chair of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and is a member of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, The Kresge Foundation, his alma mater, Lafayette College, and the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America. 

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