The Penn State Board of Trustees voted to elect its chair and vice chair during its meeting on Friday, November 8.

David Kleppinger was elected as the board’s chair and Rick Sokolov was voted in as the board’s vice chair. Both candidates ran unopposed.

Kleppinger earned a bachelor of arts degree from Penn State in 1977. He was appointed to the board in 2017 by former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and has served as its vice chair since 2021.

Sokolov graduated from Penn State in 1971 with a bachelor of arts degree. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2022 to represent business and industry. Sokolov serves as chair of the Facilities Planning Subcommittee and is a member of the Committee on Finance and Investment.

Kleppinger is a member of the Penn State Department of Political Science’s Board of Visitors and the Penn State Health Board of Directors. Kleppinger and his wife, Joanne, have also supported Penn State’s Liberal Arts program.

Sokolov’s work with Penn State includes a history of philanthropy, including the Intercollegiate Athletics Campaign Committee for the Future. He also was chairman of the Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence until its conclusion in 2022 and has been a member of the Next Gen Penn State Advisory Group and the Advisory Council on Philanthropy.

About the Author

CJ Gill

CJ was a broadcast journalism student at Penn State from 2022-26 and was the sports editor at Onward State. He's a huge Phillies and Steelers fan, which is odd. He's probably drinking a beer with his friends and watching Penn State football right now. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @CJGill14.

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