Hochul appoints Jerry Jacobs Jr. to serve as chair of UB Council

Jeremy “Jerry” M. Jacobs Jr., chief executive officer of Delaware North, a global hospitality and entertainment company, has been appointed chair of the University at Buffalo Council by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The UB Council serves as the primary oversight and advisory body to UB and its president and senior officers. The council comprises leaders from some of Western New York’s top public and private companies and community organizations, including Delaware North, M&T Bank, Rich Products Corp., Moog Inc. and Independent Health.

“The UB Council is pivotal to our university’s mission of excellence, so we are delighted that Jerry Jacobs will be serving as chairman,” said President Satish K. Tripathi. “As a highly regarded business and civic leader who is dedicated to the goals and values of higher education, he is well positioned to help UB build upon our stature as a premier public research university. Our university community looks forward to working with him in the years ahead as we continue to advance UB’s transformative education, research and clinical care.”

Jacobs brings extensive leadership experience and a deep commitment to the community in Western New York and beyond. As CEO of Delaware North, a role he shares with his brothers, Lou and Charlie, Jacobs oversees the company’s seven operating subsidiaries, focusing on strategic growth and planning, corporate governance and financial management.

He is a founding member of Say Yes Buffalo, which aims to enhance educational access for local students. He is a past chair of the Nichols School Board of Trustees, where he founded the Jacobs Scholars program for high-achieving students with financial need. He served for five years on the Georgetown University Board of Regents, and served three terms on the UB Foundation Board, including time spent on the executive board. He serves as co-chair of the dean’s advisory council for UB’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

In addition, Jacobs has dedicated his career to serving a number of philanthropic, civic and business organizations in his hometown of Buffalo. He serves on the board of directors for the Jacobs Institute, a medical innovation center founded by the Jacobs family and focused on accelerating device development in vascular medicine. He has dedicated more than three decades of volunteer service to the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County, including time spent on the board and as campaign chair. He is on the board of directors for the Corps Network, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps.

He also serves as an alternate governor to the National Hockey League’s Boston Bruins.

Additional UB Council members are Julie Bargnesi, partner, Bargnesi Britt PLLC; Michael W. Cropp, president and CEO, Independent Health; Jonathan A. Dandes, corporate vice president of governmental relations and special projects, Rich Products Corporation; Scott E. Friedman, partner and team leader, startups/VC and family business, Lippes Mathias LLP; René F. Jones, chairman and CEO, M&T Bank; Brenda Williams McDuffie, chair, Erie County Industrial Development Agency; and Pat Roche, CEO, Moog Inc.

Alika Turton, a senior political science major from Queens, New York, is the student representative on the UB Council for the 2024-25 academic year.

Jacobs succeeds his father, Jeremy M. Jacobs Sr., an alumnus of UB’s School of Management who has served as chair of the UB Council since 1998. The elder Jacobs is chairman of Delaware North, and chairman and governor of the Boston Bruins. The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB is named after the Jacobs family in honor of their historic gift to UB in 2015.

“On behalf of the entire UB community, I would like to thank Jeremy Jacobs Sr. for his tremendous contributions to the UB Council,” Tripathi said. “He has been a trusted adviser to me, and he served the council with great distinction and outstanding devotion. Truly, every aspect of our university enterprise has benefited from Mr. Jacobs’ extensive experience, thoughtful perspectives and dedicated leadership.”