New trustees elected to Marquette board

New trustees elected to Marquette board

Marquette University's Board of Trustees elected three new members at its June 2024 meeting. The new trustees are Rev. Erick Berrelleza, S.J., founding dean of Boston College's Messina College; Jennifer M. Connelly, M.D., professor of neurology and director of Neuro Oncology at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin; and Derek Tyus, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Versiti.

Additionally, Janis M. Orlowski, M.D., retired chief health care officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges, and Thomas H. Werner, chairman of the board for H2U Technologies, FLO, were elected trustees emeriti.

Marquette trustees serve for three-year terms and may be re-elected to serve for a maximum of 12 years; they are volunteers and are not compensated for their service.

Rev. Erick Berrelleza, S.J.

Father Berrelleza is the founding dean of Messina College at Boston College. Part of Boston College's $100 million Pine Manor Institute for Student Success initiative to enhance educational opportunity for low-income, first-generation students, Messina College offers a fully residential associate's degree program with the goal of preparing students to complete a bachelor's degree or to begin their careers.

A Los Angeles native and member of the Jesuits USA West Province, Father Berrelleza earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Divinity from Boston College, and a doctorate in sociology from Boston University. His research lies at the intersection of space and place, the sociology of religion, and immigration.

Father Berrelleza has studied the exclusionary effects of gentrification in a Boston-neighborhood church and the everyday practices of survival by immigrants in the New Sanctuary Movement. His most recent project is an ethnography of Latino religious life in urban and rural North Carolina. His work has appeared in City & Community and the Review of Religious Research.

Father Berrelleza was previously a visiting scholar in Boston College's Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life and served as an assistant professor of sociology at Santa Clara University. He has also served on the board of trustees at Boston College, Santa Clara University, Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, California.

Jennifer M. Connelly, M.D.

Connelly graduated summa cum laude from Marquette's Opus College of Engineering with a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering in 1999. She received her Doctor of Medicine in 2003 from the Medical College of Wisconsin and then completed a combined internal medicine-neurology residency (2003-08) at the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals. She stayed to complete her fellowship in neuro-oncology in 2009, after which she joined the faculty of the department of neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Connelly is board certified in internal medicine, neurology and neuro-oncology. She was appointed professor of neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 2022. Connelly currently serves as the director of the Neuro-Oncology Program at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. She has received numerous awards for her dedication to professional patient care, advancements in research and commitment to education. She is also CEO and director of Strain for the Brain Inc., a nonprofit that raises funds to support brain tumor research and patient support.

Connelly also has served on the Opus College of Engineering's Advisory Board since 2017 and has participated in the Marquette University Alumni Association Mentorship Program since 2014. She received the Young Alumna of the Year award from the Opus College of Engineering in 2014 and the Opus College of Engineering Distinguished Alumna of the Year award in 2023. Connelly's husband, Jim, is a 1998 graduate of Marquette's Klingler College of Arts and Sciences; the two are members of the Marquette University President's Society.

Derek Tyus

As executive vice president and chief financial officer of Versiti, a national leader in innovative blood health solutions, Tyus provides leadership and direction to the finance, supply chain, information services, facilities, corporate development, and continuous improvement teams. He also serves as a member of the executive management team and participates in the development and implementation of Versiti's strategic and annual business plans.

Prior to this role, Tyus served as senior vice president and chief investment officer of West Bend Insurance from 2016-2024. He served in various roles of increasing responsibility at Northwestern Mutual and S.C. Johnson and Son Inc. He began his career at Arthur Andersen LLP.

Tyus is a 1991 graduate of Marquette's College of Business Administration with a bachelor's degree in accounting. He has an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Tyus serves as a board member of Waterstone Financial Inc., and he also serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including the Greater Milwaukee Foundation; Siebert Lutheran Foundation; All-In Milwaukee; Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy; and the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.

In 2021, Tyus received the Professional Achievement Award from Marquette's College of Business Administration. He is a lifelong resident of Milwaukee and lives with his wife, Dwanyell. Tyus is a member of the Marquette University President's Society.

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