Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer President Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson has been named to the Boards of Directors of AT&T and Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG).

The PSEG announcement was made June 19 by E. James Ferland, chairman, president, and CEO. “Dr. Jackson is widely recognized as one of the premier voices in science and technology policy and education in the country today,” said Ferland. “Her scholarship, her range of research and policy experience, her advocacy, and her commitment to issues of social justice will be a valuable addition to this board. We feel very fortunate to have her.”

The AT&T announcement was made June 20 by Chairman and CEO Michael Armstrong, who also announced the appointment of J. Michael Cook, retired chairman and CEO of Deloitte & Touche LLP, one of the leading professional services firms. Armstrong noted that the two new appointees “bring diverse and valuable perspectives to AT&T’s board.” “I am looking forward to working with them as we shape the AT&T of the future,” Armstrong said.

Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D.
A physicist, educator, researcher, and former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Dr. Jackson became the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on July 1, 1999. Since then, she has led Rensselaer’s transformation into becoming a world-class research university with global reach and global impact.

Upon joining the Institute, Jackson immediately set about developing and implementing a detailed strategic plan — called “The Rensselaer Plan” — to increase the graduate school, virtually triple research, and build prominence in biotechnology and information technology. This Plan has attracted widespread support that includes an anonymous gift of $360 million, one of the top three single gifts to any university in the United States (Stanford University, followed by Rensselaer, and MIT).

Dr. Jackson’s career prior to becoming Rensselaer’s president has encompassed senior positions in government, as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; in industry and research, as a theoretical physicist at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories; and in academe, as a professor of theoretical physics at Rutgers University.

Dr. Jackson holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from MIT (1973) and an S.B. in physics from MIT (1968).

Dr. Jackson was named a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in February 2001. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1991) and the American Physical Society (1986). She is a member of a number of other professional organizations. Dr. Jackson holds 16 honorary doctoral degrees.

In addition to the two new board appointments, Dr. Jackson serves as a director of FedEx Corporation, Marconi International Fellowship Foundation, Newport News Shipbuilding, SCI Systems Inc., Sealed Air Corporation, USX Corporation, and as a trustee of the Brookings Institution. She serves on the executive committee of the Council on Competitiveness, and on the Council of the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable.

Dr. Jackson is a Life Member of the MIT Corporation (the MIT Board of Trustees). She also is a trustee of the Liberty Science Center (N.J.), the Pingry School (Martinsville, N.J.), and the Emma Willard School (Troy, N.Y.).

Dr. Jackson was the recipient on Feb. 7, 2001 of the “Immortal Award” for the 15th Annual Black History Makers sponsored by Associated Black Charities. In February 2001, Dr. Jackson became the first woman to win the Black Engineer of the Year Award by US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine.

PSEG
PSEG is a $21 billion energy and energy services company with three major subsidiaries: PSE&G, a regulated electric and gas distribution business; PSEG Power, a major U.S. power producer; and PSEG Energy Holdings, the parent of PSEG’s other unregulated businesses including: PSEG Global, a major international developer and operator of power generation and distribution, PSEG Resources, which invests in energy-related financial transactions, and PSEG Energy Technologies, which provides energy-related services to industrial and commercial customers.

AT&T
AT&T is among the world’s premier voice, video, and data communications companies, serving consumers, businesses and government. AT&T has annual revenues of nearly $66 billion and 162,000 employees, and provides services to customers worldwide. Backed by the research and development capabilities of AT&T Labs, the company runs the world’s largest communications network, is the largest cable operator in the U.S., and has one of the largest digital wireless networks in North America.

Contact: Bruce Adams
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A