James Dinan to succeed Marc Rowan as chair of Wharton Board of Advisors

James Dinan will succeed Marc Rowan as chair of the Wharton School's Board of Advisors, the University Board of Trustees voted Friday. 

Rowan will conclude his time as chair on June 30, 2026, ending his nine-year tenure in the role. Dinan's appointment was announced at the fall stated board meeting of the Board of Trustees and will assume the role on July 1, 2026. 

Dinan — a University Trustee and 1981 Wharton graduate — is best known for founding the investment firm York Capital Management in 1991. He currently serves as the firm’s chairman and CEO, as well as chair of York’s Executive Committee. 

He has served on the Wharton Board of Advisors since 2013. 

"I am honored to follow in the footsteps of those who have served before me as Chair of the Wharton Board of Advisors. I look forward to further advancing the School's ongoing pursuit of excellence and enhancing its legacy," Dinan wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.

In a statement, a Wharton spokesperson wrote that the school "look forward to welcoming Jamie into his new role and thank Marc for his many years of Board leadership."

A spokesperson for Rowan declined a request for comment.

Rowan — who holds a 1984 bachelor’s degree and a 1985 MBA from the Wharton School — was first appointed as chair in 2017. During his tenure, Rowan has been a vocal advocate for higher education reform and a defining force in shaping Penn’s internal governance. 

In May, Rowan publicly called for “fundamentally reforming” higher education across the country, arguing that the Trump administration was in a uniquely apt position to usher in an era of change.

Months later, Penn and eight other universities were offered the opportunity to sign the Trump administration’s preferential funding compact — a document whose language closely mirrored a list of reform questions Rowan circulated to the Trustees nearly two years earlier. The New York Times later reported that Rowan was a chief architect of the compact and personally insisted that it be sent to his alma mater.

Rowan initially sent the list of questions to the Trustees just days after a pressure campaign that he helped orchestrate successfully ousted then-Penn President Liz Magill and former Board of Trustees Chair Scott Bok. In an email, Rowan introduced the list of “essential and strategic questions” and called for “governance reform, a strategy, and a new leader” at Penn. 

Rowan has been a prominent donor to Wharton throughout his tenure, including giving a $50 million gift in 2018 — at the time the largest single contribution in its history — and a $10 million anonymous gift this May. 

The new appointment aligns with the University’s standard practices governing Board of Advisors positions, which limit individuals to three terms. According to the Office of the University Secretary, while terms can be renewed, a board chair “typically will serve two consecutive terms.” 

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