April 16, 2024: Message from Board Chair Lisa Bisaccia ’78

Dear Members of the Trinity Community,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I write to extend our gratitude for the service of President Joanne Berger-Sweeney, who will complete a remarkable 11-year presidency at the end of the 2024–25 academic year. As she announced yesterday, she will retire from Trinity College as president on June 30, 2025. Throughout the next academic year, we will celebrate President Berger-Sweeney’s presidency and the many accomplishments brought about during her impressive tenure.

Today, I write as a follow-up with initial information about the work ahead. The Board of Trustees now embarks on its most important responsibility: recruiting and securing the 23rd president of Trinity College. Our goal is to ensure a strong continuity of leadership that will serve the community and will continue our shared mission of educating bold, independent thinkers well into Trinity’s third century.

Although the ultimate selection rests with the board, we will rely heavily on feedback and input from the entire community. To guide this process, we have assembled a search committee that reflects important constituencies and which I will chair. The committee includes trustees Lisa Alvarez-Calderón ’88, Ross Buchmueller ’87, Walter Harrison ’68, H’18, Kelli Harrington Tomlinson ’94, and Damian W. Wilmot ’97, P’25; faculty members Davarian L. Baldwin, Kevin J. McMahon, and Priscilla Meléndez; administrators David Andres ’04 and Sarah Raskin; and student Izabella Bautista ’26. I also have asked Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Yelich to provide support throughout the process.

We have retained the executive recruitment firm Spencer Stuart as our partner in this work. An internationally recognized leader in the field, the firm has recruited and placed numerous executive leaders successfully in higher education. Mary Gorman, consultant and senior partner in the education and social impact practice, and Shailaja Panjwani, consultant, will serve as our key liaisons.

The next step is to begin the process of listening to our community to shape a presidential leadership profile. We invite you to share thoughts about the strategic future of the College and the ideal profile of the next president by participating in a survey that is now available on new Presidential Search website. On this website, we will post future communications and updates throughout the process. We also will offer a number of opportunities over the upcoming months for additional engagement. We have created a dedicated email address, [email protected], to manage and facilitate communications. Candidate nominations also may be shared with the search firm through this address.

Throughout the months ahead, we will remain guided by a steadfast commitment to the future of the College and by a firm belief in the importance of Trinity’s liberal arts education. As the search progresses, we will be sure to provide future updates.
Sincerely,

Lisa G. Bisaccia ’78

Chair of the Board of Trustees