Board of Trustees Welcomes Three New Members

The Hartford International University Board of Trustees welcomed three new members at the Annual Meeting on June 20. Each of them was elected to a three-year term. Dr. Lisa Dahill was elected to a two-year term as a Faculty Trustee, and these board members were each re-elected to three-year terms: Peter Kelly, Shakeeb Alam, John Cordani, Trudie Prior, and Naseem Shaikh.

Below, the biographies of the new Trustees.

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Dr. Sherry Turner, a native of Memphis, TN, serves as Rhodes College's vice president of strategic initiatives. She leads efforts to achieve ambitious goals and foster diversity and equity. Prior to her arrival at Rhodes, Dr. Turner served as the Director of Institutional Success and Support for the United Negro College Fund's (UNCF) Institute for Capacity Building (ICB). She also served as the Executive Director and CEO of the Atlanta University Center Consortium. While at the AUC Consortium, she led joint strategic initiatives for Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse School of Medicine. She founded and directed the AUC Consortium's Communiversity, a community-focused, lifelong learning institute that connects colleges and communities through educational programs and services. Dr. Turner also served as Vice President for Student Affairs and as the President's Chief of Staff at Spelman College. She spent more than a decade at Mount Holyoke College, where she was a member of the faculty as well as an assistant dean and ombudsperson. Dr. Turner holds a bachelor's degree in psychology-anthropology and sociology from Rhodes, a master's degree in developmental psychology from North Carolina State University, a master's in theological studies from Emory University's Candler School of Theology, and a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Sherry Turner's biography originated from Rhodes.edu

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Mildred McNeill served as Executive Director Marketing Communications at University of Hartford. She conducted the University's first-ever image and identity research to streamline and integrate University messaging, with an emphasis on overall academic excellence and student support. The result was an award-winning branding and image campaign introduced in 2013 that included a new style guide and messaging, new print, and online materials, redesigned University and athletic logos, a television commercial, social media campaigns, and an updated website. Prior to University of Hartford, she worked in marketing at United Way of the Capital Area in Hartford, helping the now nearly 100-year-old agency achieve record fundraising results of over $25 million and exceed its fundraising goals. Previously, she developed and implemented public relations and communication programs for the Connecticut Education Association, the state's largest teachers' union, and for the Office of the State Treasurer. She began her career in television, working for 13 years at Connecticut's NBC affiliate (WVIT, Channel 30), where she became the country's first black female television news director and was ultimately appointed Vice President of News and Public Affairs. She is a connector and a trailblazer.

Mildred McNeill's biography originated from Hartford.edu 

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Kathleen E. Dion chairs Robinson+Cole's interdisciplinary Education Industry Team and is a member of the firm's Business Litigation Group and Internal Investigations and Corporate Compliance Team. She is a lawyer specializing in counseling and dispute resolution for educational institutions and organizations serving children and youths. She has expertise in complex legal issues and crisis management. She also handles complex civil litigation and defends individuals and companies in white-collar criminal cases. She has devoted significant time to the representation of pro bono clients. She was part of a group of Robinson+Cole attorneys whose legal assistance ultimately allowed a soup kitchen and food pantry to remain open, despite attempts by the local municipality to close them. She participates in the firm's Domestic Violence Restraining Order Program, which provides free legal services to victims of family violence. She also successfully argued an appeal before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for a prisoner on a civil rights claim. She received the firm's Pro Bono Service Award in 2013. 

Kathleen E. Dion's biography originated from Rc.com 

Welcome to our new Trustees!