POTSDAM -- Karel K. Czanderna, a former Potsdam resident and alumna of Clarkson University's class of 1977, was elected vice chair of the Clarkson University board of trustees at their last meeting.

Dr. Bayard D. Clarkson Sr. will continue to serve as distinguished vice chair.

Czanderna has been a member of the board since 2002, and has served as chair and co-chair of the trusteeship committee, as well as chair of the board's academic affairs committee. During her time as a trustee, she has also served on the executive, compensation, institutional advancement, marketing, alumni and research committees.

Before becoming a trustee, Czanderna was a member of the advisory council for the Wallace H. Coulter School of Engineering and active in supporting corporate and professional society partnerships across Clarkson.

She earned her bachelor of science degree in physics from Clarkson in 1977. She also has a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Cornell University and attended executive education at Harvard Business School.

Most recently, Czanderna has been the group president of building materials for Owens Corning and an advocate for sustainability and improving the energy efficiency of buildings as a way to decrease energy use globally.

Before joining Owens Corning in 2008, Czanderna held various executive management positions including vice president of the cooking products and outdoor kitchens businesses at Whirlpool Corporation, responsible for Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Whirlpool, Maytag and Amana brands.

After graduation, Czanderna spent 18 years at Eastman Kodak, holding a series of increasingly senior positions including corporate vice president for the inkjet strategy and, earlier, the worldwide portrait photography business.

The daughter of Alvin and Lucile Czanderna, she was raised in Potsdam with two sisters and graduated from Potsdam High School in 1974.

Karel Czanderna is married to Dan Shirkey, a 1980 Clarkson master's degree alumnus, who also grew up in the North Country and graduated from Canton High School.