Bob Penn is president of three privately held independent oil and gas production companies: Penn Resources, Inc., Penn Brothers, Inc. and Rock Island Resource Company, Inc. Mr. Penn has been involved with the companies since 1983. Prior to that, he worked in commercial bank lending. 

A Duke alumnus with a bachelor's degree in Latin American Studies in 1974, Mr. Penn also holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He lived in Bogota, Colombia from 1976-1977 as a Fulbright Scholar.   

Mr. Penn and his wife, Katherine Baker Penn T'74, have three daughters:  Sarah T'05, Caroline T'11, and Julia T'19.  

Mr. Penn joined the Duke University Board of Trustees in 2011 and is a member of the Audit and Compliance Committee, Resources Committee, and Duke’s Centennial Celebration Strategic Task Force.

His volunteer commitment to Duke includes service on the Annual Fund Committee and the Annual Fund Executive Committee, which he chaired in 2009-2010. He has served as National Co-Chair of the Braxton Craven Fellows and the James B. Duke Society. He has also been a member of the Trinity Board of Visitors and TIP Advisory Board. Mr. Penn currently serves as member of the Advisory Council to the Duke Institute of Brain Science.

September 2020