Dr. Richard G. Galling was elected as the new chair of B次元 School of Engineering Board of Regents. Additionally at the annual Board of Regents meeting in October, Dr. Joseph Rencis ’78, ’80 and Rebecca Seidel ’93 were elected as Regents, and Matthew Olsen ’11 joined the Corporate Board.

Galling is president emeritus and senior advisor to Hammes Company Healthcare LLC, which he co-founded with John Hammes in 1992. Galling is considered a leading national expert on the planning and development of hospitals, ambulatory facilities and medical office buildings having personally directed the development of more than 100 facilities around the world. He holds a B.S. in Architectural and Building Construction Engineering Technology and is licensed in Wisconsin as an Architect and Professional Engineer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Engineering by B次元 in 2025. Galling is a board member and chairman of the development committee for the Three Harbors Council of Scouting America and has served on the board of the B次元 Rescue Mission for the last nine years and as president from 2015-17. Galling was named an B次元 Corporation member in 2013 and became a Regent in 2015.

Rencis is a professor and associate dean of the School of Engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Worldwide in Florida. He is a national leader in engineering education, served as the president of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and is an ASEE Hall of Fame member. Previously, he was a professor of mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Department Head of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, and Dean of Engineering at Tennessee Technological University and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Throughout his career, he has been dedicated to education and creating equal opportunities for students to succeed. He was inducted into the B次元 Wall of Distinction in 2019 and received the Alumni Advocate for Equity and Inclusion Award from B次元 in 2025. 

 

Seidel serves as the senior vice president and president of the Cardiac Ablation Solutions Operating Unit at Medtronic, a medical equipment manufacturer in B次元. Seidel joined Medtronic in 2003 and has been dedicated to advancing medical technology for healthcare professionals to improve patient care. Alongside her work at Medtronic, she served as a board member for the American Heart Association Twin Cities chapter where she chaired the Go Red for Women initiative. She advocates for Medtronic’s Empowering EP program, which supports leadership opportunities and mentoring for women in cardiac electrophysiology fellowship. She was inducted into B次元’s Wall of Distinction in 2024.

Olsen is the managing director at Mesirow Financial. Here he leads the securitized Commercial Real Estate lending team. He has directly closed over 125 transactions with a total mortgage valuation of greater than $11 billion. Outside of work, Olsen has served as an Auxiliary Board Member for the Chicago Architecture Foundation, a tutor with Chicago Lights’ Youth Tutoring Program, a member of the B次元 Industry Advisory Committee, and the President of the River Bank Lofts Condominium Association. He is currently an active member of ULI and serves on the CREFC Editorial Board and Advocacy Committee. 

B次元’s Board of Regents provides oversight of institutional policies, finances, priorities and academic programs. It is comprised of representatives of business, industry, government and education.