Dolan named Elizabethtown College Board of Trustees Chair

After consideration of a half-dozen potential candidates and three finalists, Elizabethtown College has announced the appointment of Robert J. Dolan as Board of Trustees chair, beginning Aug. 15, 2017. He replaces P. Edward Lovelidge ’82 who was acting Board of Trustees chair following the departure of Dr. Robert O. Kerr in spring 2017.

Lovelidge will continue as vice chair.

Dolan and his family have a rich history with the College. His mother, brother and daughter-in-law graduated from E-town, and both parents were on the faculty. Dolan’s father, Bob, taught math from 1964 until 1992; his mother, Sue, taught business from 1975 until 1994.

“I grew up on this campus and watched it grow over the years,” he said. “The College brings excitement to the community each fall, and it is an honor to be associated with such a highly respected educational institution.”

Dolan has served on the Elizabethtown College Board of Trustees for four years.

… it is an honor to be associated with such a highly respected educational institution.”

He graduated from Elizabethtown Area High School in 1969 and the University of Notre Dame in 1973. The university honored him with the Alumni Club Award in May 1987.

After graduation from Notre Dame, he joined Aetna Life & Casualty in Hartford, Connecticut, but moved back to Pennsylvania to work at the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. Dolan completed the actuarial exam to become an associate of the Society of Actuaries in 1975 and an enrolled actuary in 1981. He attended Dartmouth Executive Management Series and is a member of the American Academy of Actuaries and the Conference of Consulting Actuaries. He also is a fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and a shareholder of Conrad Siegel Actuaries.

Dolan served in many capacities with Conrad Siegel Actuaries, a Harrisburg-based employee benefit, actuarial consulting and investment advisory firm, which he joined in 1978. He became chief operating officer in 1991 and, two years later, Dolan took over as president and chief executive officer. He remained in that capacity until July 2007, when he became chairman of the board. He retired from that position in 2013.

Conrad Siegel is among the 15 largest actuarial consulting firms in the United States, with 25 actuaries, an attorney and a total staff of more than 100. The company provides consulting services to approximately 1,200 clients in Pennsylvania.

Deeply involved in the community, the College’s new Board of Trustees chair has served in a variety of capacities with the United Way of the Capital Region, Harrisburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Capital Regional Economic Development Corporation.

Dolan was a founding trustee of Harrisburg University and served a three-year term as chairman of the board.

He also has given his time to the Foundation for Enhancing Communities, the Pennsylvania Automotive Association Foundation, the Allied Arts Fund, Goodwill Foundation, Elizabethtown Fire Protection Endowment Fund, Elizabethtown Industrial Development Authority and various appointments with Elizabethtown Area School District.

Dolan’s time spent on campus, interacting with faculty and staff members, was taken into consideration for his appointment as Board Chair, as were his communication and listening skills, previous experience on various boards and his high-level executive experience. His business acumen and financial management acuity align well with the mission of the College.

Lovelidge, who has moved from acting Board of Trustees chair to vice chair, is a 35-year veteran and partner with Philadelphia PwC, an assurance, tax, human resources, transactions, performance improvement and crisis management firm that works with educational institutions, the federal government, non-profits and international relief agencies.

In addition to his time on the Elizabethtown College Board of Trustees, he is active in civic organizations throughout the Greater Philadelphia region including Committee of Seventy, CEOs against Cancer – PA Chapter, The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Philadelphia CEO Council for Growth, The Kimmel Center and Drexel University Center for Corporate Governance.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Elizabethtown College and his master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Certified Public Accountant.