Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Leadership
Sean O'Keefe is University Professor and Distinguished Senior Adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Maxwell’s partner institution in Washington, D.C. On four separate occasions Professor O’Keefe served as a presidential appointee when he led NASA, as Secretary of the Navy, as Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Deputy Assistant to the President, and as Comptroller and CFO at the Department of Defense.
About Howard & Louis Phanstiel
Howie Phanstiel '70 B.A. (PSc) / '07 M.P.A., former chairman and CEO of PacifiCare, has served as a co-chair for The Campaign for Syracuse University since 2007, is a member of the S.U. Board of Trustees and has served on the Maxwell School Advisory Board since 2005. Louise Phanstiel received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Golden Gate University. Retired since 2008, she is a former partner of Coopers & Lybrand—now PriceWaterhouse Coopers—in its insurance practice and a former president of Specialty Products at WellPoint, Inc.
The Phanstiels are active in several philanthropic endeavors, especially in support of educational institutions at the elementary, high school and university levels. In October 2010, the Phanstiels announced a gift to S.U. in the form an educational grant program known as the Phanstiel Scholars Program. This grant provides assistance to S.U. students from middle income backgrounds that have demonstrated examples of academic success and community leadership.
