Trinity College has announced the appointment of Daniel G. Lugo as its 23rd president. Currently president of Queens University of Charlotte, Lugo brings with him a wealth of expertise and years of academic leadership. He will assume his new role on July 1, 2025.
Lugo will succeed Trinity President Joanne Berger-Sweeney, who will conclude a distinguished 11-year tenure at the helm of the prestigious liberal arts institution.
“The search committee was impressed immediately by Dan, who stood out above a highly competitive pool for his track record of accomplishments and for his deep commitment to the value of a liberal arts education and to fostering a sense of belonging on campus,” said Lisa Bisaccia ’78, chair of the Trinity College Board of Trustees and of the presidential search committee. “We particularly noted Dan’s ability to steer institutions toward enduring financial strength while amplifying their brand and deepening campus pride.”
Under Lugo’s presidency since 2019, Queens University developed an ambitious strategic framework with goals to deepen its connection with the local community of Charlotte, to reshape and develop new multidisciplinary academic programs, to support the holistic wellness and well-being of the university community, and to create an integrated approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion that begins on campus and extends into the surrounding area.
Most notably, Lugo led efforts to strengthen Queens’ branding and enrollment efforts, which have yielded a 50 percent increase in undergraduate applications; executed a $25 million capital improvement plan to address long-standing deferred maintenance opportunities; and reclassified the university’s 25 NCAA sports to Division I competition. He was nominated by Queens employees and selected in 2021 as one of Charlotte’s “Most Admired CEOs” by the Charlotte Business Journal. The same year, he received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Carleton College Alumni Association.
Prior to his tenure at Queens, Lugo served in key leadership roles at three prominent liberal arts colleges—Colby, Franklin & Marshall, and Carleton.
As the vice president of college advancement at Colby from 2015 to 2019, Lugo oversaw the ambitious and successful $750 million “Dare Northward” comprehensive campaign, the largest of its kind for any liberal arts college. Colby subsequently has increased the campaign goal to $1 billion. Lugo led strategies to build alumni engagement and to deepen connections between the campus and alumni, including introducing technology and programs for alumni to mentor students and to enhance philanthropy for the student experience. Lugo also co-chaired the diversity, equity, and inclusion task force, partnering with faculty members on the college’s inclusivity efforts.
Lugo brings deep expertise in enrollment and admissions. As the vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Franklin & Marshall from 2011 to 2015, Lugo led a global talent strategy that resulted in a 45 percent increase in applications that yielded a more academically talented and diverse class. While at Carleton earlier in his career, Lugo supervised the admissions process and enrollment marketing strategy as associate dean of admissions and helped to develop cultivation and solicitation strategies for leadership donors.
A first-generation college graduate, Lugo earned a B.A. in political science from Carleton and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was an editor of the Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality.
Formerly an intellectual property and entertainment attorney, Lugo changed his professional trajectory because he believed strongly in the transformative power of higher education. He serves on the boards of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities (NCICU), New American Colleges and Universities (NACU), and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
He and his wife, TinaMarie, are the proud parents of two adult children, Michael and Amanda.
Read more about Lugo here.
