Northwestern University has appointed three new members to its Board of Trustees: David Helfand, Jack Kang, and Rodney Priestley. Each brings a diverse background in business, engineering, and academia.

David A. Helfand is the chair, CEO, and president of Equity Commonwealth. His extensive experience includes roles at Equity Group Investments, Helix Funds LLC, American Residential Communities LLC, and Equity Office Properties Trust. He holds positions on several boards including the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Kellogg Real Estate Center at Northwestern. Helfand earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern and an MBA from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

Jack Kang serves as a senior manager at Wabtec Corporation. Previously with General Electric Company for nearly 20 years, Kang also worked in banking before moving into strategic marketing roles. He has been a volunteer leader within the Northwestern community and currently serves as president-elect of the Northwestern Alumni Association Board of Directors. Kang graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Northwestern and an MBA from Vanderbilt University.

Rodney D. Priestley is dean of the Graduate School at Princeton University and holds a professorship in Chemical and Biological Engineering there. His research focuses on polymeric materials design with applications in healthcare and environmental sectors. Recognized for his contributions to polymer chemistry, Priestley has received numerous awards including the Carl S. Marvel Award for Creative Polymer Chemistry by the American Chemical Society Division of Polymer Chemistry. He holds degrees from Texas Tech University (bachelor's) and Northwestern (master's and Ph.D.).

Northwestern looks forward to benefiting from their collective expertise as they join its Board of Trustees.