Rodin to take helm at Rockefeller

With only a few months of relaxation under her belt after relinquishing the title of University president in June, Judith Rodin accepted the head position at the Rockefeller Foundation last week.

Rodin will assume command of the New York-based philanthropic organization in March, working to further the global reach of the organization's $3 billion assets.

"I am very pleased to have the opportunity to serve one of the world's greatest foundations," Rodin said, noting that she had been involved in talks with the organization since late June.

She said that she hopes her experience and leadership skills will enable her to augment Rockefeller's "visibility, increase its prominence and fulfill its mission."

Citing her past successes with community development on the borders of Penn's campus, Rodin said that she was eager to expand her work to a more global level.

"Rockefeller focuses its efforts on how to find sustainable means to improve the lives of poor and excluded people throughout the world," Rodin said, explaining what drew her to the position.

Logistically, the Rockefeller Foundation will be a much more closely knit environment for Rodin, who observed that the "smaller employee base" would enable her to foster deeper relationships.

"I wasn't able to get to know everyone at Penn given its size and scale," she said.

But those she did know seemed touched by her abilities and confident in Rockefeller's choice for its 13th president.

"She's probably the most extraordinary executive that I've worked with in any capacity," former Chief of Staff Pedro Ramos said. The current city solicitor described Rodin as "brilliant and strategic."

Board of Trustees Chairman James Riepe added "energetic" and "visionary" to the list of adjectives describing Rodin in a press release last week.

"Judy will bring her extraordinary talents to bear on the foundation's work in all four of its focus areas culture, health, nutrition and work," he said.

Though Rodin's newest endeavor is centered in New York, she plans to stay involved with the Philadelphia area.

"I'm never going to sever my ties" to Penn, she said, adding that she looks forward to returning to a faculty post in the future.

"My goal is to get comfy in this [Rockefeller] position ... and hopefully teach a course or two at Penn in a couple years," she said. "I would never teach anywhere else."

For now, Rodin is maintaining her local ties through work on an upcoming book about Penn's place in West Philadelphia.

Writing "the book is fun. ... It's quite different from the challenges of being president," she said, also describing the process as "relaxing."

With a Left Bank office complete with what Rodin calls a "modern and funky" decor to replace her College Hall presidential suite, Rodin certainly seems to be changing directions in her relationship with Penn.

She turned over the Knowledge Industry Partnership to James Gallagher, president of Philadelphia University, last spring. Though she is still serving on the Schuylkill River Development Organization, Rodin noted that "over time, [that] commitment will probably change."

Penn Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White said that she was not surprised by the direction that Rodin is taking.

"She's always looking for new challenges," White said.

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