LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. -- Paul H. Silvis has been elected the new vice chairman of Penn State's Board of Trustees. Silvis replaces Stephanie N. Deviney, whose three-year term as a trustee ended on June 30.
The election was held as part of the board's regular bi-monthly meeting Friday (July 12) at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus.
Silvis graduated from the Penn State Smeal College of Business executive MBA program in 2006, having earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and life science from the University of Pittsburgh in 1977. He is the founder and president of SilcoTek Corporation, an international company specializing in CVD silicone chemistries that extend the life and enhance properties of metals, glass and ceramics. The company has expanded rapidly since its founding in 2009 and has made major impacts on the oil and gas, semiconductor and analytical industries.
Before founding SilcoTek, Silvis founded Restek Corporation, which manufactures products for analytical laboratories worldwide. After growing the company from one employee in 1985 to more than 300 in 2008, Silvis sold Restek to its employees and continues to serve as chair of the board. Restek has been recognized among the best places to work in Pennsylvania and the United States.
Silvis was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2010 by then-Gov. Ed Rendell. He serves on the Patton Township Planning Commission and Centre Community Foundation and is president of Central PA July 4th Inc. He previously has been a member of the advisory boards of For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, Penn State Outreach, the Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, and Schreyer Honors College.