Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute

Faculty and Staff

Name: LeBow College of Business
Address: 3220 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
Telephone: (215) 895-2111

Alyssa Abbott

Assistant Director
Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute

Position Type Staff
Location Gerri C. LeBow Hall 428
Phone 215.895.2126
Email aa976@drexel.edu

Alyssa D. Abbott is the Assistant Director of the Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute. Adept at guiding discussions on how to lead and govern in the 21st century, Ms. Abbott has a strong background in corporate and nonprofit governance leadership.

Ms. Abbott was named Assistant Director in June 2018, following a successful launch of the Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute, a $5 million naming endowment ensuring the long-term sustainability of governance work at Drexel University. She began working at the Institute, formerly the Center for Corporate Governance, in September 2013 to complete a co-op experience as part of her undergraduate coursework and continued part time until transitioning into the Program Manager role in March 2016. Alyssa holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing from Drexel University and is currently pursuing a MBA at Drexel.

Patricia Connolly

Executive Director
Raj & Kamla Gupta Governance Institute

Position Type Staff
Location Gerri C. LeBow Hall 417
Phone 215.895.6182
Email pqc23@drexel.edu

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.