UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Charles H. Whiteman, John and Karen Arnold Dean of the Penn State Smeal College of Business, recently appointed Lori Koch, executive vice president and chief financial officer at DuPont, to the college’s board of visitors.
Board members offer advice to the dean and other Smeal administrators based on their professional experience and knowledge of the latest issues and trends facing the business community.
Whiteman said he was looking forward to working with Koch as a member of the board of visitors.
“Lori is an accomplished finance professional with a deep commitment to mentoring and empowering women, especially those with an interest in pursuing careers in finance. With a keen eye to how business schools like Penn State Smeal can influence the future of business, I have every confidence that she will be a tremendous role model and advocate for not just our female students but for everyone in the Smeal community,” Whiteman said.
Koch graduated from Penn State with a degree in finance and international business in 1997 and earned a master’s in accounting from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College in 2000.
She has served in key finance roles at Comcast Business Communications, Lucent Technologies and most recently at DuPont. She joined the company in 2003 and has held finance leadership roles spanning business units, the science and technology organization and corporate functions. Prior to being named CFO in 2020, she served as the head of investor relations and corporate financial planning analysis.
Koch said she was excited to repay Penn State Smeal for the foundation the college provided to her at the start of her career.
“Joining the Board of Visitors is a full-circle moment for me,” she said. “I’m happy to be in a position where I get to be the one who is helping ensure today’s students are able to apply the valuable business skills they are acquiring at Smeal as they begin their own professional careers.”
The board is meeting today and tomorrow (April 13-14). The Smeal College of Business Board of Visitors is a nearly 40-member advisory board that includes global business and industry leaders who are Smeal alumni and friends. The complete list of Smeal’s Board of Visitors membership can be found online.