Wallace Loh
University President Wallace Loh secured a spot last week on Washington Business Journal’s “Power 100” list, which named him among the most influential leaders in Washington business for the second consecutive year.
Loh said he is gracious for the recognition, but insisted the real news lies not in his business endeavors, but in this university’s academic standings.
“The quality of the student body and diversity of the student body keeps going up every year,” Loh said. “With last year’s class we had an 85 percent graduation rate, which is the highest ever. Those measures, those metrics, put us in easily the top-10 of public research universities.”
There are six other university officials on the list; five of them are university presidents. George Mason University, Prince George’s Community College, Howard University, George Washington University and Trinity Washington University each have a president in the power rankings.
“[Loh] is not the only college president on our list; however, not all college presidents are on our list,” said Douglas Fruehling, Washington Business Journal’s editor in chief. “Over the last two years, [Loh] has really grown the university’s presence and put the university on the map.”
Fruehling cited this university’s move to the Big Ten athletic conference, campus and community development efforts such as the Route 1 hotel and conference center, and the university’s recent cybersecurity efforts as some of the reasons Loh was selected again for the list.
Fruehling said the process of whittling down names and finalizing the list is a daunting task and takes about a month to complete. He said the list — now in its third year — highlights local businesspeople in the private and nonprofit sectors and excludes elected officials.
“We look for people who are doing good things for the region, who are influential either in a quiet way or a very forceful way, people who other people look up to, sort of the standard-bearers of doing good things for the community,” Fruehling said.
Michele Eastman, this university’s assistant president and chief of staff, said Loh fits that description, playing an integral role in this university’s success on and off campus.
“The University is a very large, complex organization,” Eastman wrote in an email. “We have over 50,000 faculty, staff and students, our own transportation network, hundreds of buildings and a mission that is truly important to educate the next generation of leaders. To pull it all together takes a strong leader, and we have one in President Loh.”
Brian Darmody, this university’s corporate and foundation relations associate vice president, said it is also Loh’s recent visions and support of initiatives, such as the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation and a partnership with MITRE to help operate the first federally funded research and development center focused solely on cybersecurity, that helped propel him to the forefront of the local business community.
“This is really recognition from the Washington Business Journal about business leadership, and that kind of leadership is reflected in the redevelopment you’re seeing on campus and in other partnerships, like the new Iribe Center,” Darmody said.
He also said the start of this university’s Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students honors program has also drawn attention from local business powerhouses, such as Virginia-based sponsor Northrop Grumman, one of the world’s largest defense contractors.
Northrop Grumman helped launch ACES last year with a $1.1 million grant. Its CEO, Wes Bush, who is also on the “Power 100” list, attended the Oct. 2 lab dedication at Prince Frederick Hall, which houses ACES students.
“To have a CEO like that on-campus and meeting with Loh, it’s kind of indicative of the public and private partnerships that Loh has been creating,” Darmody said.
Senior staff writer Ellie Silverman contributed to this report.
