Three Named to Widener University Board of Trustees

Chester, Pa. – The Widener University Board of Trustees recently appointed three new members to its ranks including a vice president at Boeing, the new president of the Widener University-Pennsylvania Military College Alumni Association, and an undergraduate student leader.

Leanne Caret of Mullica Hill, N.J., vice president and general manager of Vertical Lift, a division of Boeing Military Aircraft; Jeffrey T. Flynn of Voorhees, N.J., president of the Widener University-Pennsylvania Military College Alumni Association; and Christina Delva of Chester, Pa., a junior political science and international relations major, were elected at the May meeting of the Board of Trustees.

“Leanne, Jeff and Christina represent corporate, alumni and student leadership, a combination that has been important to the strength and success of Widener’s board of trustees,” said Widener President James T. Harris III. “They have outstanding skills and experiences that will complement the board and they are dedicated to helping Widener strengthen its position as a leading metropolitan university.” 

At Boeing, Caret is responsible for business growth and program execution on a portfolio of cargo, tiltrotor and attack rotorcraft. Caret leads a team of 4,000 employees and an international network of suppliers and partners that are focused on advancing rotorcraft technology to meet the current and future needs of customers around the globe.

Caret joined Boeing in 1988 and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in business administration from Wichita State University. She has also earned certifications from Harvard University in the Program for Leadership Development and the International Security Defense Program, as well as completing the Integral Leadership Program at the University of Notre Dame.

Flynn will serve on the board of trustees for two years as president of the alumni association. A 2004 graduate of Widener with a bachelor’s degree in business management, he earned a master’s degree in public administration from Widener in 2005. He served as the first student member of the board of trustees as a senior in 2004.

Flynn serves as partnerships manager with Discovery Education, a division of Discovery Communications. In this role, he is a thought leader with public schools and districts as they continue to shift from a print-to-digital environment in their classrooms, engaging students with rigorous and captivating content that inspires their curiosity about the world around them.

Following in Flynn’s footsteps, Delva will continue the legacy of student trustees at the university, serving a one-year term on the board. She is a member of the Presidential Service Corps/Bonner Leaders Program, contributing 300 hours of community service per year. Through this program, she also attends training and development programs to enhance her skills as a leader. She does her community service hours as a mentor at the Widener Partnership Charter School.

In addition to her commitment to the Presidential Service Corps, Delva has served as vice president of the NAACP Widener Chapter, was a member of the Student Government Association, and serves as a resident assistant. She has also organized voter registration drives in the city of Chester and at Widener, getting more than 150 Chester residents and 250 Widener students to register to vote. A graduate of Chester High School, she is the daughter of Jean and Marie Delva.