University of San Diego Board Welcomes New Chair, Trustees

The University of San Diego announced a new chair of its board of trustees. Tom Mulvaney, who’s served as a board member for six years, will take over as board chair. He succeeds Donald Knauss, who served as chair for seven years. Knauss will continue as a board member.

“We are so grateful for Don’s leadership over the last seven years, helping to steward the university through the challenges and opportunities that arose in the wake of a global pandemic,” said President James T. Harris III, DEd. “We’re also indebted to Don and his wife, Ellie, for making it possible for USD to open the Knauss Center for Business Education, home to our renowned Knauss School of Business.”

“We are excited for Tom’s appointment as chair. As the university approaches its 75th anniversary, his knowledge, experience and leadership will be pivotal as we look toward the horizon and prepare for what will come next at USD.”

Mulvaney ‘77 (JD) has been a private investor and community leader since 2001. He manages and directs the assets of several real estate investment enterprises. Tom and his wife Karen helped establish the Mulvaney Center for Community, Awareness and Social Action, which plays a central role in connecting USD to the community, and forwarding one of the university’s core principles – serving with compassion. Mulvaney, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, has held positions ranging from welder, early in his career, all the way to Senior Vice President at Seagate Technology. As a member of the Governing Board of Acalanes Union High School District he led several successful political campaigns resulting in super majorities of voters authorizing significant bond measures and parcel taxes. He earned a J.D. from USD and a B.A. from Santa Clara University.

Knauss has reached the highest levels of the business world, and has shared that success with USD to help cultivate the Changemakers and leaders of the future. Don joined the USD Board of Trustees in 2008. He and his wife Ellie’s generous gifts helped name and expand USD’s Knauss School of Business, which perennially ranks among the best business schools in the nation, and is now home to the state-of-the-art Knauss Center for Business Education.

Two board members – Virginia Nelson, ’79, and Sue Cunningham – have been appointed as officers in the roles of Vice Chair and Secretary, respectively. Nelson is a former trial attorney, and current adjunct professor at USD’s School of Law. She and her husband Mark Andrews support multiple scholarships across USD’s campus. Cunningham is the President and CEO of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, which supports thousands of institutions across the world. She’s helped broaden CASE’s reach and the accessibility of its research, and expand its commitment to diversity.

USD also announced two new members to its Board of Trustees, effective July 1, 2023: Lisa Bicker Martin and Sandro Salsano.

“The university is delighted to welcome two new Board members, who have a proven track record of success, and are leveraging that success to tackle some of the world’s most urgent challenges,” Harris said. “They set a terrific example for the Changemakers on our campus, and will help guide USD in its mission to develop educated and ethical leaders who are prepared to confront humanity’s urgent challenges.”

Lisa Bicker Martin is a small business owner with decades of experience in the private and non-profit sectors. She is currently a Director and Vice Chair of the Monarch School Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting unhoused youth in San Diego. She’s devoted much of her career to advancing clean energy and sustainability goals. She’s the past chair of San Diego Foundation’s Climate Initiative, and was the founding president of CleanTECH San Diego. She also served as the founding president of CalCEF, the California Clean Energy Fund. Earlier in her career, Bicker was a founder and Chief Operating Officer of NewEnergy, Inc., before its acquisition by the AES Corporation. Today, NewEnergy is the largest retail electricity provider in North America. She has a B.A. from the University of California at Davis and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco.

Sandro Salsano is president of the Salsano Group – a holding company which invests in private equity, real estate, and technology – as well as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Salsano Shahani Foundation, which he and his wife started to improve education in Central and Latin America. In 2014, Salsano was recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic forum. He is part of the Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle and is a member of YPO. He’s studied business at Bocconi University in Milan, as well as Harvard, INCAE, Princeton, and Oxford. Salsano also studied at the University of San Diego as part of an MBA exchange program.

Four trustees – Jeffrey W. Martin, Darrin Montalvo, Peter Seidler, and Sandra Stangl, ’90, – will be rotating off the Board.

View and download photos of Tom Mulvaney, Donald Knauss, Virginia Nelson, Sue Cunningham, Lisa Bicker Martin and Sandro Salsano.

About the University of San Diego

Strengthened by the Catholic intellectual tradition, we confront humanity’s challenges by fostering peace, working for justice and leading with love. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the Knauss School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. In 2021, USD was named a “Laudato Si’ University” by the Vatican with a seven-year commitment to address humanity’s urgent challenges by working together to take care of our common home.