TULANE TALK

July 16, 2003

Good Morning:

Hope you are enjoying your summer. I wanted to share with you the exciting news that former CNN chairman Walter Isaacson, renowned cardiovascular surgeon Elias Hanna, international utilities executive Richard Schmidt and pioneering neurosurgeon Charles B. Wilson have joined the Board of Tulane, the university’s main governing body.

Walter Isaacson, a native of New Orleans, began his journalism career as a reporter for The Sunday Times of London before joining the staff of the New Orleans States-Item. In 1978 he was hired by Time magazine where he became the magazine’s national affairs editor, assistant managing editor and, in 1995, its managing editor. In 1993, he was named the editor of New Media for Time Inc. and helped launch the Internet service Pathfinder and the cable online service RoadRunner. He also oversaw Time for Kids, Time online and other franchises. From July 2001 to January 2003, Walter served as the chairman and CEO of CNN. He was appointed president and CEO of the Washington-based Aspen Institute in January 2003. Walter is a graduate of Harvard College and of Pembroke College of Oxford University. He is the author of several books, including the newly-released “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life.” Before joining the Board of Tulane, Walter was a member of the Tulane President’s Council.

Elias S. Hanna, an alumnus of the University of Texas and a graduate of the Tulane University School of Medicine, has been an active cardiac surgeon since 1971 both in the U.S. and abroad. He is the founder and president of the Elias S. Hanna, M.D. Cardiovascular Foundation, a charitable organization that assists countries that do not have the capabilities to perform open-heart surgery. He is also the owner of the Hanna Winery, located in Santa Rosa California, which he founded in 1985. In addition to his membership on the Board of Tulane, Elias is a member of the Tulane University Health Sciences Center 170th Anniversary Committee and a member of the Tulane Medical Alumni Association.

Richard K. Schmidt, of Fairfield, CT, is president and CEO of Kelda Inc, the North American division of the England-based Kelda plc, one of the largest water and wastewater companies in the world. He is also president and CEO of Aquarion, one the largest water and wastewater utilities in the United States. Prior to joining Aquarion, Richard was president and chief operating officer of Mechanical Technology, Inc., a supplier of automated test equipment and contract engineering services to the aerospace and electronics industries. Before that, he co-founded Gundle, the largest worldwide manufacturer and installer of synthetic membrane liners used for environmental protection. Richard started his career in 1971 at Ecodyne Corporation. He received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a master’s in environmental engineering from Tulane. He earned a doctorate in environmental engineering from the University of Texas, and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School. In addition to serving on the Kelda plc Board, Richard serves on the Board of the United Way. He is also chairman of the Bridgeport Regional Business Council, a board member of St. Vincent’s Medical Center, past president of the Tulane Alumni Association and a a member of the Tulane Engineering Board of Advisors.

Charles Wilson, of San Francisco, graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University’s College of Arts and Sciences (now Tulane College). He received his medical and neurosurgical training at Tulane Medical School before obtaining faculty appointments at Tulane, LSU and the University of Kentucky. A pioneer in the surgery of pituitary tumors, Charles served as Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Director of the Brain Tumor Research Center at the University of California at San Francisco beginning in 1968. He retired as Chairman of the Department in 1994 to pursue new interests. While continuing an active practice, Charles obtained a Master’s degree in Health Administration and became a Senior Fellow at the Institute for the Future, a long-range forecasting organization in Menlo Park, CA. More recently he joined the staff of the Health Technology Center, also a long-range forecasting think tank, in San Francisco. His current research involves emerging medical technologies, particularly those related to molecular genetics. He is the author of more than 600 scientific publications. Among other appointments, Charles recently completed a term on the National Cancer Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine. At Tulane, he is a member of the President’s Council, the Leadership Committee, the Health Sciences Center Board of Governors and the Health Sciences Center 170th Anniversary Committee.