{"id":7483,"date":"2026-05-12T09:33:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/?page_id=7483"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:33:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:33:36","slug":"trinitys-unfailing-champion","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/reporter\/fall-2021\/features\/trinitys-unfailing-champion\/","title":{"rendered":"Trinity\u2019s \u2018unfailing champion\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tess Dudek-Rolon<\/em>
\nPortrait by Paul Rosenfeld<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cActive.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how Cornelia Parsons \u201cCornie\u201d Thornburgh \u201980, who retired at the end of June from her seven-year tenure as chair of the Trinity College Board of Trustees, recently summed up her time in the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had to be active, proactive, and reactive,\u201d she says. From responding to social and political unrest, to celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation, weathering a pandemic, and beginning a comprehensive campaign, the work of college governance has been varied and challenging. Through it all, Thornburgh\u2014who served on Trinity\u2019s board for 17 years\u2014focused on keeping the college moving forward while working to ensure that all perspectives were heard and that the community had an opportunity to contribute in meaningful ways to conversations about the college\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Shana Sureck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Engaging others in the work of supporting the college has been a consistent theme of Thornburgh\u2019s efforts. A founding member of the Women\u2019s Leadership Council, she more recently helped to launch the Marjorie Butcher Circle for women\u2019s philanthropy. But to her mind, her most significant accomplishment for Trinity was in convincing Joanne Berger-Sweeney to sign on as Trinity\u2019s president in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very proud of the fact that I was one of several people who worked to bring Joanne to Trinity,\u201d Thornburgh says. \u201cUnder Joanne\u2019s leadership, we\u2019ve put the college in a position to confront the hurdles we will encounter as we enter our third century. We have dramatically increased our financial aid program, expanding access for a new generation of talented, inquisitive, and curious students. We\u2019ve also recruited a strong and diverse board, and I\u2019m so excited that Lisa Bisaccia [\u201978] has agreed to succeed me as chair.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Nick Caito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Berger-Sweeney, in turn, points to her partnership with Thornburgh as a key element of the college\u2019s success. \u201cCornie is so dedicated, so savvy about people, and just an unfailing champion of Trinity College,\u201d Berger-Sweeney says. \u201cWe could not have moved forward with our financial aid initiative without her support. Really, she\u2019s just remarkably selfless.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thornburgh received similar praise from her predecessor as chair, Paul E. Raether \u201968, P\u201993, \u201996, \u201901, H\u201914, who also credits her leadership in increasing the academic profile of the student body. \u201cWe were losing too many good students to other colleges and universities because they provided better financial aid,\u201d Raether says, adding that the agenda set by the board under Thornburgh\u2019s guidance helped to bring about change. \u201cShe\u2019s done a fabulous job. \u2026 It\u2019s a tough job, and the issues keep getting more and more complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raether says he also feels that Thornburgh has set the college up for success upon her departure. \u201cPart of doing a great job is making sure that your successor is the right person and will continue to provide strong leadership,\u201d he says. \u201cCornie cares a lot about Trinity, just like I do. And, she\u2019s invested a lot of time, energy, and dedication into finding her successor, just like I did.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thornburgh\u2019s impact on Trinity has earned her the admiration of many in the college community, including her colleagues on the board. Trustees Kevin Maloney \u201979, Sophie Bell Ayres \u201977, P\u201912, Michael Kluger \u201978, P\u201913, and Nina McNeely Diefenbach \u201980, P\u201918 led an effort to build an endowed fund to support women\u2019s leadership at the college in Thornburgh\u2019s honor. \u201cThe idea of this fund fits Cornie\u2019s interests and honors her legacy,\u201d explains Maloney. \u201cWhen this concept was explained to donors, they concurred, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.\u201d That response, he added, was not unexpected. \u201cCornie brought out the best in her fellow trustees,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Nick Caito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Generosity to Trinity in Thornburgh\u2019s honor was bolstered by her husband, Dick Thornburgh, who helped to rally family to raise funds to renovate and rename Vernon Social. Once complete, the refurbished building will be known as the Cornelia Parsons \u201980 Center\u2014or the Cornelia Center for short\u2014and will be among the first buildings on campus named for a woman.<\/p>\n

The Cornelia Center will be devoted to career and life design for students to plan their paths after Trinity. It\u2019s a cause about which Thornburgh says she feels particularly passionate. She notes, \u201cPart of this center is helping students learn about themselves\u2014what is their gift, what is their passion\u2014so when they leave Trinity, they will have the confidence to share those gifts with the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Thornburgh\u2019s retirement from Trinity\u2019s board will leave her with a little more free time, she plans to continue her commitment to another passion: working to end homelessness. She serves as chair of the board of The Lord\u2019s Place, a nonprofit, non-secular organization in Palm Beach County, Florida, that aims to break the cycle of homelessness. With the looming eviction crisis exacerbated by the pandemic, she says, she anticipates this work will only be more urgent in years to come.<\/p>\n

That does not mean, however, that she will lose touch with Trinity. She intends to remain active as a member of the Comprehensive Campaign Committee. She also says she\u2019s confident that Bisaccia will continue the college\u2019s legacy of strong board leadership. \u201cShe\u2019s so talented,\u201d says Thornburgh. \u201cShe has my phone number, but she\u2019s more than capable of finding her way.\u201d<\/p>\n

The admiration seems mutual. \u201cThe partnership that developed between Cornie and Joanne will be remembered as pivotal in the evolution of the college as we approach our third century,\u201d says Bisaccia, adding a sentiment that she learned from Cornie while working together on the board: \u201cEveryone in our community has special and unique talents. We need all of them, and we are fortunate that these talented people are choosing to share their gifts with Trinity.\u201d<\/p>\n