Laurence Kessler, a Rochester entrepreneur and owner of restaurant development companies, and Kathleen McMorran Murray, owner and founder of a consulting firm that specializes in driving complex business improvement initiatives, have been elected to five-year terms on the University of Rochester Board of Trustees.
"Our newest trustees share a deep commitment to strengthening the University and bringing their exceptional talents to the workings of our Board of Trustees," said University President Joel Seligman. "Kathy's role as a business leader and active alumna, and Larry's current engagement in the University and the broader Rochester community will provide valuable perspectives to our board."
Edmund "Ed" Hajim, chairman of the Board of Trustees, applauded Kessler's and Murray's selection. "They bring their considerable personal and professional strengths to an already outstanding board that is fully committed to taking the University to the next level."
Kessler is the founder and co-owner of The Kessler Group Inc. & Kessler Family LLC. He and his brother, Dennis, who is the Edward J. and Agnes V. Ackley Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University's Simon Graduate School of Business, are longtime supporters of the University and have established the Kessler Family Burn/Trauma ICU at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
In the early years of his business career, Laurence Kessler was a broker and vice president for investment firms in New York and Florida. He earned his bachelor's degree in government from Adelphi University.
He currently serves on the board of governors of the Jewish Home Foundation and of the Jewish Community Center of Rochester, and is a trustee of Adelphi University. He lives in Webster, N.Y.
Murray founded McMorran Strategists LLC in 2008 after holding leadership positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers as managing director of operations, Aetna Inc. as senior vice president of Aetna Retirement Services, and chief operating officer of Aetna Business Resources, among other roles. Currently, she is a board member of Verity Wines LLC, a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, a board member of Harvard Business School Women's NYC Association, and active in other organizations.
She earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics/general science at the University of Rochester, and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. At Rochester, she has established the Kathleen McMorran Murray Endowed Scholarship Fund to support students. Murray resides in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.