Trinity College Announces Executive Leadership Team Reorganization

Trinity College President Dan Lugo has announced the reorganization of the College’s Executive Leadership Team, including promotions for three of its members, effective immediately. 

“This reorganization reflects both the strength of our current Executive Leadership Team and our continued focus on aligning our organization to best support Trinity’s mission and strategic priorities,” said Lugo. “With this approach, we are strengthening our collaboration and positioning the College to advance our work with greater cohesion and impact,” he added. 

Trinity’s chief academic officer, Sonia Cardenas, has been promoted to provost and dean of faculty and Scott M. Johnson ’97 Distinguished Professor of Political Science. Cardenas will continue to lead the division while taking on an expanded portfolio that further integrates the learning experiences of students and advances resources for teaching and research.  

Cardenas’s expanded role will include overseeing the library, reflecting its essential role in supporting teaching, learning, and scholarship. In addition, the Career and Life Design Center will report to Cardenas as part of academic affairs, providing students with a seamless experience across the Trinity Plus curriculum, more robust internship offerings, and success after Trinity as liberal arts graduates. 

Anita Davis has been promoted to vice president for students, community, and institutional culture. Her portfolio will include student life, the Office of Community and Belonging, and the Office of Human Resources, bringing together key areas that shape the student experience, and recruit, develop, and support employees, while advancing a strong and connected campus culture.  

Davis’s expanded role brings to bear her myriad experiences at Trinity as vice president for community and belonging and her previous institution, Rhodes College. During her career, she has led programs that enhance student access and success; integrated best practices and a continuous improvement mindset in divisional programming; partnered with faculty and staff governance; and overseen personnel matters, including developing recruitment and retention policies and practices. A practicing clinical-community psychologist, Davis brings to her work a strengths-based, collaborative, and action-oriented approach and a keen awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness. 

As part of these changes, Gavin Viano, director of athletics and recreation, will report directly to Lugo. Athletics and recreation play a vital role in Trinity’s student recruitment and experience, operations, alumni engagement, and in the College’s broader institutional visibility, and this reporting structure reflects the importance of that work across the College. 

Scott Jordan, vice president and chief financial officer, will now oversee Campus Safety as part of his portfolio of College finances and administration, aligning this function with the operational areas that support campus infrastructure, planning, and resources. 

Matt Hyde, who has served as the College’s dean of admissions and financial aid, has been promoted to vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid, which recognizes his leadership strength and role in the community, as well as the importance of student recruitment, enrollment, and financial aid and its impacts on Trinity’s market position and financial stability. 

“I am grateful to each of our colleagues who are stepping up and forward to do more at this very important moment for Trinity,” said Lugo. “These organizational and leadership changes will generate important efficiencies while stimulating innovative approaches and partnerships that will strengthen the Trinity experience and position the College for increased national leadership in our third century.”