Russell E Palmer

Mr. Russell E. Palmer, also known as Russ, serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman at The Palmer Group. Mr. Palmer founded The Palmer Group. Mr. Palmer has 27 years of experience in the accounting and consulting profession. In his current career, Mr. Palmer has acquired over thirty companies with the majority being in the educational field. All of these acquisitions have been successful investments. Previously, he served for ten years as the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer at Touche Ross International (now Deloitte & Touche). Mr. Palmer joined Touche Ross in 1956 and was elected as the Managing Director at Touche Ross International in 1974. He became Chief Executive Officer and was the youngest person to ever attain that position in a “Big Eight” firm. He serves as a Director of Imasco Limited, ContiFinancial Corporation Mr. Palmer is active in the outside business community, having served on 12 New York Stock Exchange Boards including Bethlehem Steel Corporation, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Honeywell International, Inc., and The May Department Stores Company. He has been a Director of Bankers Trust Company of Deutsche Bank Trust Corporation since 1988. He serves as a Director of Fire Solutions, Inc. He served as a Director of Safeguard Scientifics Inc. since 1989. Mr. Palmer served as a Director of Bankers Trust New York Corp. and also served as a Director of Bankers Trust Company. He served as a Director of Contel Cellular Inc. since 1991. Mr. Palmer served as a Director of GTE Corp., from 1984 to 2000. He served as Lead Director of May Department Stores Co. since January 2005 and served as its Director since 1984. He served as a Director of Verizon New England Inc. He served as a Director of Verizon Communications, Inc. since June 2000, Honeywell International Inc. since 1987, Verizon New York Inc. and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. He was a Director of Main Line Health, Inc. He serves as the President of the Financial Accounting Foundation of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Palmer was a Trustee Emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania and a Member of The Smithsonian National Board. He is on the Board of The Mann Center for the Performing Arts, the Johns Hopkins University and Carey Business School Board of Overseers. Mr. Palmer was a Dean of The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, from 1983 to June 1990. As the tenth Dean, Mr. Palmer shared his management experience with M.B.A. students in a leadership course that he developed. He was instrumental in attracting over 100 new Faculty Members to the School, building a new executive education program and complex and raising over $120 million for the school. Mr. Palmer was a Trustee of the National Constitution Center. He was the Reliance Professor of Management and Private Enterprise at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a former Member of the Presidential Commission on Management Improvement. Mr. Palmer has written and lectured extensively. His articles and essays have appeared in Business Week, the New York Times, the journal of accountancy and other publications. Mr. Palmer is the Author of the book Ultimate Leadership. Mr. Palmer graduated with a BA degree, cum laude, from Michigan State University and has received several honorary degrees.