From left to right: Cynthia Barnhart, Jason Maulucci, McKenzie Hart, John Bartholomew, Scott Beck.
Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont Board of Trustees today elected Cynthia Barnhart to serve as chair and welcomed four new members following a special meeting.
Barnhart was first elected to the Board on August 1, 2014, then re-elected in December 2019 and October 2024. Her current term expires in March 2030. Barnhart succeeds Ron Lumbra, who served as chair since 2020 and will remain a member of the Board.
Barnhart graduated from UVM with a BS in Civil Engineering in 1981 before going on to earn an SM in Transportation Systems and a PhD in Civil Engineering (Transportation Systems and Operations Research) at MIT. Her former UVM affiliations include serving as a member of the advisory board for Civil and Environmental Engineering and for the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.
“UVM is a special place for me, and my 11 years on the Board of Trustees have been filled with deep connections and meaningful work,” Barnhart said. “It is truly a privilege for me to take on the role of chair, and I look forward to working with my fellow trustees as we guide and support the university through its next chapter of progress and success.”
“On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Ron Lumbra for his five years of service as chair,” Barnhart continued. “He has led the board with consistency and collegiality as our UVM community navigated the pandemic period, experienced leadership transitions, and together reached significant milestones, including our recent R1 designation.”
Barnhart has been vice chair of the Board of Trustees since 2020. She currently serves as provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as the Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management Science and Professor of Operations Research. She previously served as MIT's chancellor, as associate and acting dean of MIT's School of Engineering, and as co-director of the Operations Research Center and the Center for Transportation and Logistics at MIT.
Barnhart is married to Mark Baribeau (UVM, 1981); they have two daughters, Olivia and Julia.
“A warm welcome to our newest trustees, and congratulations to Cynthia Barnhart on her election as chair. She is the ideal trustee to lead the board as the university looks to build upon our strengths in the coming years,” said Interim President Patricia Prelock. “Her knowledge and deep experience in higher education will be an invaluable resource for UVM leadership.”
At their February meeting, trustees elected Donald McCree to serve as vice chair of the board, effective March 1. McCree is a graduate of the class of 1983 and is Vice Chairman and Head of Commercial Banking at Citizens Financial Group, Inc. He has been a member of the board since 2014 and has been serving as chair of the board’s Budget, Finance and Investment committee. Trustees also reelected Catherine “Kitty” Toll as secretary of the board in February as well.
New members who officially joined the board on March 1, include:
- Jason Maulucci, who was appointed by Governor Phil Scott for a six-year term expiring in March 2031.
- Senator Scott Beck and Representative John Bartholomew, each elected by the Vermont General Assembly for six-year terms expiring in March 2031. Representative Bartholomew previously served on the board from 2017-2023.
- McKenzie Hart, an undergraduate Political Science major, class of 2027, was appointed by the Associate Directors for the Appointment of Student Trustees, Inc., to serve on the board for a two-year term.
- Representative Carol Ode was re-elected for a second consecutive six-year term.
- Kevin “Coach” Christie, Carolyn Dwyer, Katelynn Giroux, and Sam Young completed their terms on the board on February 28.
Board of Trustees Members
Barnhart, Cynthia (Chair)
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2030
Committees:
Annual Review Subcommittee (chair); Executive Committee (vice chair); University of Vermont Board; Board Governance Work Group (ex-officio); Presidential Search Advisory Committee (co-chair)
Bartholomew, John L.
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2031
Committees:
Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board
Beck, Scott L.
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2031
Committees:
Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board
Brengle, Susan M.
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2028
Committees:
ad hoc Labor Advisory Group; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; University of Vermont Board;
Cioffi, Frank J.
Gubernatorial Trustee
Term: March 2029
Committees:
Board Governance Work Group (leader); Committee on Board Governance (chair); Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Executive Committee; Multipurpose Center Work Group
Devost, Matthew G.
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2030
Committees:
Audit Committee (vice chair); Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; University of Vermont Board
Dineen, John M.
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2026
Committees:
ad hoc Labor Advisory Group; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee (chair); Executive Committee; University of Vermont Board (secretary); Bond Work Group (leader)
Dodge, R. Stanton
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2030
Committees:
Audit Committee; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; University of Vermont Board
Goldstein, Jodi H.
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2030
Committees:
Annual Review Subcommittee (vice chair); Audit Committee; Committee on Board Governance; Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; University of Vermont Board (chair)
Ha, Jennifer A.
Student Trustee
Term Expires March 2026
Committees:
Board Governance Committee; Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee
Hart, McKenzie E.
Student Trustee
Term: March 2027
Committees:
Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee
Jerome, Stephanie
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2027
Committees:
Ad Hoc Labor Advisory Group; Board Governance Committee; Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee (chair); Executive Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board (secretary); Presidential Search Advisory Committee
Lumbra, Ron E.
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2028
Committees:
Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; University of Vermont Board; Presidential Search Advisory Committee (co-chair)
Maulucci, Jason D.
Gubernatorial Trustee
Term: March 2031
Committees:
ad hoc Labor Advisory Group; Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; Multipurpose Center Work Group
McCree, Donald H. (Vice Chair)
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2026
Committees:
Annual Review Subcommittee; Bond Work Group; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Executive Committee (vice chair); University of Vermont Board; Multipurpose Center Work Group; Presidential Search Advisory Committee
Ode, Carol B.
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2030
Committees:
Annual Review Subcommittee; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board (chair)
Pagano, Ed
Gubernatorial Trustee
Term: March 2027
Committees:
Audit Committee; Board Governance Committee (vice chair); Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Multipurpose Center Work Group (leader); Presidential Search Advisory Committee
Pisanelli, Kristina, M.
Self-Perpetuating Trustee
Term: March 2028
Committees:
Annual Review Subcommittee; Audit Committee; Committee on Board Governance; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee (vice chair); Executive Committee; University of Vermont Board (vice chair); Multipurpose Center Work Group
Prelock, Patricia A. (Interim President)
Term: ex officio
Committees:
ad hoc Labor Advisory Group; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Committee on Board Governance; Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; Executive Committee
Priestley, Monique, E.
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2029
Committees:
Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board
Rogers, Lucy E.
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2027
Committees:
Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board
Scott, Phil
Governor of Vermont
Term: ex officio
Smith Jr., Shapleigh
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2029
Committees:
ad hoc Labor Advisory Group (leader); Audit Committee (chair); Board Governance Work Group; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Executive Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board (vice chair); Multipurpose Center Work Group
Toleno, Tristan D.
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2029
Committees:
Board Governance Work Group; Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee (vice chair); Vermont Agricultural College Board
Toll, Catherine "Kitty" (Secretary)
Legislative Trustee
Term: March 2027
Committee:
Audit; Bond Work Group; Budget, Finance & Investment Committee; Executive Committee; Vermont Agricultural College Board; Multipurpose Center Work Group; Presidential Search Advisory Committee
Source: BURLINGTON — University of Vermont https://www.uvm.edu/
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