Ms. Eileen McManus Walker AB '76 MBA '78
Alumni-elected trustee, 2009
Eileen McManus Walker is a former IBM human resources executive and currently an active director/trustee of several nonprofit organizations in the areas of health and education.
Cornell Service
Walker was elected by the alumni to her position on the Cornell University Board of Trustees in 2009. As a member of the board, she is a member of the Committee on Development, Committee on Academic Affairs, and Committee on Student Life, and is co-chair of the Committee on Alumni Affairs. This past September she was elected to the Board of Directors of eCornell. In addition, she sits on two trustee task forces. She is also a member of the Cornell University Council, a member of the President's Council of Cornell Women, and president of the Class of 1976.
Professional Career
Walker began her career at IBM as a college recruiter in Burlington, Vermont, immediately after receiving her Cornell MBA. A year later she was transferred to the Westchester / Fairfield county area where over her 18 year IBM career she held senior positions in employee relations, compensation and benefits, organizational management and personnel management.
After leaving IBM in 1996 to work with non-profit organizations in the areas of health and education, she served on numerous boards with active management roles in most of them. In addition to her position as Cornell Trustee, Eileen is currently the chair of the Board of Trustees of The Harvey School, chair of the Board of Directors of the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association, and a member of the Research Advisory Committee of Danbury Hospital.
Ms. Walker is the eldest of five children of Howard N. McManus (dec'd), past chairman of the Department of Mechanical Design at Cornell (renamed the Department of Mechanical Systems and Design during his tenure.) Eileen's mother still resides in Ithaca, in the house Eileen grew up in.
Ms. Walker and her husband Jay S. Walker BS ILR '77, have two children who are graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences (Evan '07 and Lindsey '09). The Walker's reside in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
