Dean's Council

Patricia Q. Connolly is an executive with notable success guiding discussions on how to lead and govern in the 21st century. While supporting and contributing to multiple Boards of Directors, she has brought energy and transparency to the task of corporate governance.

Ms. Connolly’s background is a rare blend of corporate and nonprofit leadership. During her early career, she advanced through a series of positions at financial services firm PNC Financial Corp. This culminated with her role as Vice President for the firm’s retail and private banking group. Here, she gained a firm grasp of the various principles that underpin the corporate world.

Ms. Connolly then applied her business acumen to the nonprofit sector, holding executive roles at prominent institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She was able to infuse nonprofit op-erations with a new efficiency and cost-effectiveness that streamlined processes and positioned long-term success. Her contributions during this period included driving a 60% increase in annual donations to the country’s oldest natural history museum.

Ms. Connolly serves as Executive Director of Drexel University’s Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute. Although situated in the academic arena, she has been heavily involved with the for-profit sector while consulting various Boards of Directors. She established two new flagship programs that have strengthened the discourse and education on new corporate governance areas. She secured a $5 million naming endowment to ensure a sustainable, long-term future for the Institute. Ms. Connolly is presently engaged as Chairman of the Nominating & Governance Committee for a 1500-employee, 370-physician medical center.

Through her varied record of experience, Ms. Connolly has gained unique perspective on the critical role that a Board of Directors has in steering an organization to success. Regarded as an influential thought leader, she enjoys the chance to guide companies through pivotal decisions and periods of major change.

Diana leads experiential learning efforts for Drexel LeBow, building initiatives that provide business solutions for organizations and practical opportunities for students. She works with corporations to develop partnerships in curricular and co-curricular settings, such as consulting projects, speaking engagements, and interdisciplinary activities. She also manages college collaborations focused on educating youth about technology.

Diana oversees the Center for Business Analytics, a hub for collaboration between industry and academia. She leads the biennial Drexel LeBow Analytics 50, a national recognition of industry analytics innovators. She has written several articles about analytics and business and a book chapter on data storytelling.

Prior to joining Drexel LeBow in 2013, Diana managed communications efforts and international business experiences for Arcadia University’s School of Global Business and oversaw journal publications for Springer publishing company. She received a BA in Professional Writing from York College of Pennsylvania and a MS in Public Communication from Drexel University. She is currently pursuing a MBA with a concentration in business analytics at Drexel LeBow.