Volunteer Spotlight
Amy McGill Dilatush ’94
The most enduring Trinity memories for Amy McGill Dilatush ’94 are about people. Through her coursework in her art history major and creative arts minor and through living in Jarvis and Ogilby, Dilatush says, she formed a vibrant friend group that remains in her life 30 years later.
In fact, members of this friend group first got her involved in the Trinity College Alumni Association. “One of my old roommates nominated me to serve on the TCAA Executive Committee. That was nearly a decade ago.” Dilatush joined the Executive Committee and soon became secretary. She served a subsequent term as vice president and—after a special extension—as president, a role she will wrap up in June.
“The TCAA expanded my community at Trinity,” says Dilatush. “And I’ve enjoyed learning about other people’s experiences at the College. Co-committee member Terrie Rouse-Rosario ’74, for example, who was in one of the first classes of women admitted to Trinity, has broadened and deepened my understanding of the College.”
Even before Dilatush became involved in the TCAA, she centered her involvement with the College around people. She recalls hosting a Trinity Club of Chicago event and a Women’s Leadership Council luncheon as well as a great night co-hosting a new student welcome reception with Sonia Flanders McArdle ’85. “It was such a fantastic night, and I loved meeting future Bantams excited to start their college years in Hartford.”
Dilatush says she enjoys meeting with fellow Bantams. “As part of the TCAA, I have the special privilege of returning to campus for meetings and talking with students as part of these visits. About six years ago, we had a dinner with the student leaders at Smith House. What a treat it was to sit with engaged students and talk about Trinity. I love hearing about their experiences, about what’s happening on campus.”
Dilatush says she also appreciates being able to interact with Bantam staff members, from senior leaders who can give a picture of the admissions landscape to those in facilities who can showcase exciting changes in the physical plant.
More than anything, though, Dilatush says she loves the opportunity to widen her Trinity circle, all with the goal of making positive change at the College. Every volunteer role that she’s held since graduation is aimed at supporting the institution. “Support of Trinity runs in my family. My dad, Charlie McGill, Class of 1963, served Trinity in many ways.” Dilatush’s father—who was awarded the Alumni Medal for Excellence in 1993 in recognition of his significant contributions to his profession, to his community, and to Trinity College—served on Trinity’s Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2013 and as a presidential adviser from 2014 to 2020. An active alumnus, McGill has attended every Reunion since his 30th and has served on his Reunion Class Committee and his Reunion Gift Committee.
“Like my dad, I’ve loved giving back all these years, in so many ways,” she says. “The past couple of years, at the TCAA, we have been focusing on laying the groundwork to deepen alumni engagement at Trinity.”
Dilatush’s predecessor at the TCAA, immediate past president Jorge Rodriguez ’91, puts it this way: “During my time as president of the TCAA, I focused on building engagement opportunities for alumni. Amy has carried this theme while ably establishing her own vision so that the TCAA continues to engage more broadly with the alumni community. It’s an exciting time to join other alumni and volunteers in giving back to Trinity.”
Notes Dilatush, “The College offers so much to alumni, and I hope more people take advantage of all it has to offer.”
By Christine Sanni
Illustration by Kathryn Rathke
