The Knox College Board of Trustees officially welcomed five alumni to its ranks on July 1, 2017: Barbara A. Baird ’73, John T. Lawler ’88, Laurence J. Msall ’84, Derek Papp ’01, and John J. Straus Jr. ’73. Baird, Lawler, and Msall will serve as general trustees, Papp as alumni trustee, and Straus as past chair of the Alumni Council.

Baird, a 1994 Knox College Alumni Achievement Award recipient, currently serves as the Horace White Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University. She has been honored for her work with the New York Academy’s Harold Lamport Award for Biophysics and Physiology and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, among others.

After holding a variety of roles at Ford Motor Company since 1990, Lawler is currently the executive vice president and controller for Ford Motors and was, most recently, CEO & President of Ford Motors China. He has a wealth of experience in business strategy, particularly related to market analysis, pricing strategy, and product programs.

Msall is currently the president of The Civic Federation, a tax policy and government research organization. Before joining The Civic Federation in 2002, he held a variety of political appointments, including senior advisor for economic development for Illinois Governor George Ryan.

Papp is a board-certified, orthopaedic sports medicine physician employed at MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He also has a part-time appointment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he teaches residents, and serves as a team physician for the Baltimore Orioles and their minor league affiliate, the Aberdeen Ironbirds.

Straus is client services manager for Exponent in Chicago. His professional specialties include new venture startups, public affairs, government relations, business development and marketing, media relations, and project management. He served as chair of the Alumni Council for the last two years and is a recipient of the Knox Service Award.