Joanne Berger-Sweeney, an accomplished neuroscientist and experienced leader in higher education, today announced she will retire from Trinity College as its 22nd president on June 30, 2025, after serving the College for 11 years. She was inaugurated on October 26, 2014.
The first African American and the first woman to serve as president of the college since it was founded in 1823, Berger-Sweeney has been a champion of a liberal arts education, improving campus equity and diversity, fostering community and global engagement, connecting with the school’s proud alumni, and preparing students to lead bold and transformative lives.
“From the moment I stepped through the Williams Arch to view the beautiful Chapel on the left, the majestic Long Walk on the right, and the statue of the bishop in front of me, I knew that I would love this place,” President Berger-Sweeney said. “I am grateful for the extraordinary students, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, parents, and friends who have generously given of their time, talent, and treasure to Trinity and who have supported me through both easy and difficult times.”
Early in her tenure, Berger-Sweeney announced Trinity’s ambitious strategic plan, Summit, which has shaped Trinity’s upward trajectory. Along every dimension, Berger-Sweeney has enhanced the quality and experience of entering student classes. Several student-centered initiatives were launched during her tenure, including the creation of the Bantam Network mentoring program for first-year students and the Career and Life Design Center; the introduction of Trinity Plus, an innovative liberal arts curriculum for the 21st century; and the launch of the Center for Entrepreneurship – among many others. Trinity’s student-centered mission and strategic plan has helped increase student retention, and post-graduation success rates.
Among her additional accomplishments includes strengthening partnerships with the City of Hartford, leading to the expansion of Trinity’s footprint into downtown Hartford and launching and leading the largest fundraising campaign in the college’s history. She’s increased the dynamism and diversity of Trinity’s outstanding faculty and staff and has overseen significant enhancements to the College’s buildings and infrastructure for one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, which was given arboretum status in 2023, becoming one of only 11 accredited arboreta in Connecticut. Currently underway is the construction on the $30.1 million project to renovate the college’s athletics and wellness center – designed to connect Trinity more with the Hartford community. In May, Berger-Sweeney will lead the conclusion of the college’s yearlong Bicentennial celebration.
Throughout her tenure, Berger-Sweeney has served on many boards in the Hartford region and beyond, including Hartford HealthCare, where she serves as the board chair; the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, for which she is the past chair; and the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education; and she was appointed to the board of the Capital Region Development Authority by Governor Malloy. She is the vice-chair of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Presidents Council and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS).
Berger-Sweeney received an undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley College, an M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, where she did the proof-of-concept work on Razadyne, one of the most widely used Alzheimer’s drugs in the world.
A search for the 23rd president of Trinity College will begin immediately.
“The Board of Trustees now embarks on its most important responsibility: recruiting and securing the 23rd president of Trinity College,” said Lisa G. Bisaccia ’78, chair of the board. “Our goal is to ensure a strong continuity of leadership that will serve the community and will continue our shared mission of educating bold, independent thinkers well into Trinity’s third century.”
Bisaccia will chair the search committee, comprised of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and trustees, work which will be a collaboration with the executive recruitment firm Spencer Stuart.
The Trinity community is invited to share their thoughts about the strategic future of the College and the ideal profile of the next president by participating in a survey that is now available on new Presidential Search website.
