DePaul University has announced that six members have joined its Board of Trustees. New members include five noted corporate leaders and a Vincentian priest with expertise in science and ethics.

Harry J. Harczak, Jr. 52, former executive vice president at CDW Corp.; Gerald A. Beeson, 36, chief operating officer of Citadel Investment Group LLC; Patrick Moore, 54, chairman and CEO of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.; Richard Hanson, 67, principal and founder of Mesa Development LLC; Dia S. Weil, 57, one of the founders of Airfone; and the Rev. Richard Benson, C.M., 56, the academic dean and an assistant professor at St. John’s Seminary, all became new trustees at a board meeting held Oct. 30.

“DePaul University is fortunate to attract such high-quality leaders to serve on its Board of Trustees,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C. M., president. “I am confident that DePaul will benefit greatly from their recognized experience and proven track records.”

Harczak is a former executive vice president of CDW Corp., a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Vernon Hills. CDW is a leading reseller of computer services, hardware, software and supplies for businesses, government agencies and educational institutions. Harczak served CDW in several capacities including executive vice president responsible for marketing, business development and partner and product management; executive vice president of corporate sales and chief financial officer. Prior to CDW, Harczak, who is a certified public accountant, worked for 16 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was an audit partner. He also serves on the boards of directors and audit committees of U.S. Cellular Corp. and Tech Data Corp.

Beeson is a senior managing director and chief operating officer for Citadel Investment Group, LLC.  Citadel is a global investment firm managing more than $17 billion in investment capital.  He is responsible for key corporate functions, including treasury, finance, human capital development, marketing, investor relations and corporate communications.  Prior to becoming chief operating officer in 2008, Beeson served Citadel’s chief financial officer, a role he held since 2003.  Beeson, a registered public accountant,  joined Citadel in 1993.                                                                

Moore is the chairman and chief executive officer of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. The Chicago-based company is the industry’s leading integrated containerboard and corrugated packaging producer as well as one of the world’s largest paper recyclers.  Formerly the Jefferson Smurfit Corp., Moore joined the company as assistant treasurer and later was appointed treasurer before assuming his chairman and CEO duties.  Among the boards on which Moore sits are the American Forest & Paper Association; JP Morgan’s National Advisory Board; the International Corrugated Case Association and the Sustainable Forestry Board.  Moore also is the lead director of the Archer Daniels Midland board.

Hanson is the principal and founder of Mesa Development, a Chicago-based real estate developer which oversees the construction, leasing and sales for properties such as The Heritage at Millennium Park and The Legacy at Millennium Park in Chicago. With over 30 years of real estate and accounting experience, Hanson establishes the strategic direction and investment strategy for Mesa Development.  Prior to his work at Mesa, Hanson spent 16 years as president of Stein & Company and its successor Mesirow Stein Real Estate, Inc., where he was involved in several major Chicago developments including the United Center and U.S. Cellular Field.

Wiel is a retired business innovator and executive.  In 1981, she was on the founding team of Airfone, the first nationwide wireless communications company, and served as CFO and COO. She also  was the founder of two other businesses under the Verizon umbrella and most recently served as CEO of two Internet-based businesses.  Since retiring, Wiel has devoted her time, in addition to other philanthropic endeavors, to serving as chair of a Catholic secondary school in Chicago.  

Benson is a Vincentian priest and a member of the Congregation of the Mission, Province of the West. He is the academic dean and an assistant professor in the Moral Theology Department at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, Calif., where he has served since 1993. Ordained to the priesthood in 1978, Benson has been active in scientific and ethical discussions surrounding genetics. He also has lectured at scientific conferences in human genetics and to departments of human genetics and medical genetics at universities in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Canada and the United States.

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and is the largest private, not-for-profit university in the Midwest.  Modeled on the teachings of St. Vincent de Paul that include access, diversity and respect for the individual, DePaul enrolled 24,352 students for the 2008-2009 academic year.