NEW ORLEANS — Libby Connolly Alexander, a Tulane graduate, distinguished business leader, philanthropist and longtime university supporter, has been named chair-elect of the Board of Tulane, the university’s governing body. Alexander’s term will begin July 1, 2027, following the conclusion of the successful three-year term of current chair David M. Mussafer.
“Libby will bring decades of executive experience, board leadership and deep generational ties to her role as chair of the Board of Tulane,” Tulane President Michael A. Fitts said. “As a visionary business leader and devoted alumna, Libby’s keen stewardship of university resources has been vital to success in all aspects of Tulane’s mission, from research and teaching to athletics.”
Alexander joined the Board of Tulane in 2017 and has provided extensive leadership across a range of board committees, contributing to governance, finance, audit, endowment management, health sciences and executive leadership.
“As a proud Tulane alumna, this recognition is especially meaningful,” Alexander said. “I am grateful for the trust and confidence of my fellow board members and excited for the opportunity to serve an institution that has meant so much to me. I look forward to supporting Tulane during this period of expansion and helping ensure an even stronger future for generations of Tulanians to come.”
Commitment to Tulane runs deep in Alexander’s family. She followed her sister, Carol, and brother, Larry, to Tulane, where both earned business degrees. A member of the club sailing team at Tulane, Alexander earned her bachelor’s degree from Newcomb College in 1984. Since her time on campus, Alexander has demonstrated an abiding dedication to Tulane through leadership, service and philanthropy.
In 2019, Alexander and her husband, Robert, established a fund to support faculty and Tulane’s research grant proposal development efforts, allowing researchers to spend more time pursuing world-changing discoveries. The gift supported Tulane’s then-newly expanded Office of Research Proposal Development, which helps faculty across the university prepare proposals for federal research grants from sponsors such as the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and more.
In 2023, the Alexanders made a transformative gift to advance a university-wide data science initiative designed to elevate teaching and research across all disciplines at Tulane and position the university as a leader in data pedagogy. Tulane’s Data Hub was renamed the Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science in honor of their support.
That same year, the Alexanders also made a generous donation to Tulane Athletics to help Community Sailing New Orleans, a local nonprofit, build a new headquarters on Lake Pontchartrain. The Alexander Community Sailing Center opened in May 2025, expanding community access to the sport and providing a new home for Tulane’s sailing team, which became a varsity sport in 2017 thanks to crucial support from the Alexanders.
Prior to being named chair-elect, Alexander served continuously on the Board of Tulane’s Audit Committee, the Committee on Board Governance and the Health Sciences Center Committee since 2017, including as the Audit Committee chair from 2019 to 2020. She also served on the Endowment Management Committee from 2017 to 2019, joined the Executive Committee in 2019, and held leadership roles as Audit Committee chair, Finance Committee chair, and, beginning in 2024, as vice chair of the Board of Tulane. Alexander has also been active on the Finance Committee since 2019, first as vice chair and then as chair beginning in 2020, and she became a member of the Compensation and Personnel Committee in 2023. She also served on ad hoc board chair selection committees in 2022 and 2026.
Along with her brother, Larry Connolly, Libby and Robert built Connolly Inc. into a global leader in payment integrity solutions, which help health plans and insurers ensure medical claims are billed and paid accurately. She led Connolly’s healthcare division and served as chief executive officer from 2012 to 2014, guiding the company through its acquisition of iHealth Technologies.
The combined organization was later rebranded as Cotiviti, where Alexander served as vice chair of the board when the company went public and remained in that role until 2018. Since retiring from Cotiviti, she has shared her expertise with the boards of Cedar Gate Technologies, HealthPlan Data Solutions and Rectangle Health.
Alexander is the author of “Figuring It Out,” a memoir chronicling her journey from leading a PC-driven data mining and analytics company to entering the then-untapped healthcare payment integrity industry. She was a featured author at the 2024 New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. She was also honored for her leadership and dedicated service by the Tulane Alumni Association, receiving the Bobby Boudreau Spirit Award during the association’s annual gala in April. The event honors alumni whose contributions have made a meaningful impact on the university, their communities and the world.
During Tulane’s Always the Audacious campaign, Alexander represented the tristate area on the National Campaign Council and was a leader in her 35th and 40th class reunions.