Andrew Newman was elected vice chair and chair-elect to the board of trustees of Washington University at the Oct. 4-5 quarterly meeting.

Newman is currently chairman of Hackett Security Inc. and has served on the board of trustees since 1987. He will replace Craig D. Schnuck as chairman in June. Previously, Newman served on the Medical Finance Committee, the University Finance Committee and the Honorary Degree Committee.

“I was head of Medical Finance for a while,” Newman said. “Throughout my board service, I’ve been most involved in the Buildings [Committee] and Chair Committee.

Chancellor Wrighton is confident in the selection of Newman.

“This action to elect Andrew Newman was a very important decision,” Wrighton said. “There’s been a lot of discussion about Andrew Newman among the board of members.”

As the highest-ranked member on the board, the chairman is tasked with working closely alongside the Chancellor and deciding who will be appointed to various committees. Newman’s appointment to the board will coincide with the transition of designate-Chancellor Andrew Martin.

“We have great momentum,” Newman said. “The University is such a great place, it’s hard to say ‘no’ when one is asked to take on a responsibility like this.”