New members named to Saint John's University Board of Regents

October 7, 2008

Saint John’s University recently named Thomas Schnettler, Marilyn Dahl, Dan Whalen, Paul Krump, the Rev. René McGraw, OSB, Michael Scherer and Tom Grudnowski to three-year terms on its Board of Regents.

Each began their term on the board July 1. Their terms are renewable every three years, and board members can serve up to three terms (nine years). There are now 43 members of the Board of Regents.

Schnettler is the president and chief operating officer of Piper Jaffray. He has been with the company since 1986. Prior to his current position, he served as vice chairman and chief financial officer, a position he held since August 2006. He also served as head of the corporate and institutional services business, the equities and investment banking group and the investment banking department. Schnettler received his bachelor of science degree from SJU in 1979, and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He serves on the board of directors of Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He and his wife, Cheryl Appeldorn (College of Saint Benedict ’81) reside in Edina, Minn.

Dahl is regional president of small business banking, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Known for her commitment to providing outstanding customer service, Dahl has worked in virtually every area of banking within every business line in her 42-year career with Wells Fargo (formerly Norwest). She also has 30 years of direct line experience in banking. Dahl’s term chairing the board of directors for the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (MEDA) was completed in June 2007. She remains a board member of MEDA, and also serves on several additional boards, including the Better Business Bureau. Dahl lives in Hopkins, Minn. Her son, Casey, graduated from SJU in 2005.

Whalen is an active community volunteer and private investor. He founded or co-founded several telecommunications or related services companies. He is currently the principal investor and executive chair of Vello, Inc., a teleconferencing startup. Whalen received a bachelor of science degree from SJU in 1970, an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and an M.A. from Stanford University’s Food Research Institute. He was an SJU Regent for 10 years, serving three years as vice president and three years as chair of the board until 2007. He was the chair of the recently concluded Saint John’s capital campaign, “One Generation to the Next.” Whalen and his wife, Katharine, live in Oakland, Calif.

Krump is executive vice president and chief underwriting officer for Chubb and Son. He received a bachelor of arts degree from SJU in 1982. He has also attended executive management programs at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland; the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.; and the U.S. Army War College/Columbia Business School. Krump is active in several charities. He has also been the regional chair of the SJU capital campaign in New York and New Jersey. Krump and his wife, Anne (Schmidt, College of Saint Benedict ’82), live in Mendham, N.J. Their daughter, Emily, graduated from CSB in 2006.

McGraw, associate professor of philosophy and peace studies at CSB and SJU, is the newly elected monastic regent. McGraw joined Saint John’s Abbey in 1955, and was ordained in 1962. McGraw rejoins the board after serving as a regent for 12 years and for four years on the predecessor to the Board of Regents. During his term, he will be a member of the student affairs committee of the board. He is a 1958 graduate of SJU.

Scherer served 20 years as vice president and chief operating officer of Scherer Bros. Lumber, retiring in 2000. He received a bachelor of science degree from SJU in 1967. He served in the Army in 1968-69 as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. Scherer is an active volunteer on many boards and committees. He is a trustee of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Medina, Minn., and board member of Senior Catholic Services of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He also serves on the SJU Building and Grounds Committee. Scherer and his wife, Susanne, reside in Wayzata, Minn.

Grudnowski retired from Fair Isaac, the nation’s leading credit scoring agency, in 2007. He had been the CEO of the agency since 1999. He oversaw the launch of several major new products, shifting Fair Isaac toward a netsource delivery model and expanded the FICO brand to the consumer market. Prior to Fair Isaac, Grudnowski was a managing partner with Andersen Consulting, where he was responsible for the creation of Global Andersen Consulting E-Commerce Ventures Division (1972-99). He also managed Andersen’s Services Industry Group, working with financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, transportation, utilities and government entities. He graduated from SJU in 1972. He and his wife, Mary, split their time between Excelsior, Minn., and Avon, Colo. They have four grown children.