Pamela D. Zilly elected chair of Connecticut College Board of Trustees
Pamela D. Zilly, a 1975 Connecticut College graduate and a retired senior managing director at The Blackstone Group L.P., has been elected to serve as chair of the Connecticut College Board of Trustees for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2012. Zilly succeeds James S. Berrien, a 1974 graduate of the college, who is completing his three-year term as chair. "I am honored to lead this dedicated board and to build on the successes Jim Berrien has achieved as chair," Zilly said. "I look forward to serving this extraordinary institution as board chair." Connecticut College President Leo I. Higdon Jr. said Zilly is a dynamic leader who becomes chair during a time of great momentum for Connecticut College. "The College celebrated its Centennial in 2011, and when Pam assumes her new role, we will be entering the final phase of a comprehensive Capital Campaign that is transforming the College for its second century," Higdon said. "Pam will advance the important work Jim accomplished during his tenure." Under Berrien's leadership as chair, Connecticut College broke ground on a new science center, opened a new fitness center, invested in faculty research and teaching, increased faculty and student diversity, and launched new programs that extend the intellectual life of the classroom more deeply into students' residential life on campus. "Jim has been a tireless advocate for Connecticut College," Higdon said. "His dedication to the College and his passion - for our students for the education we provide and for the important role this institution and our alumni have in today's world - is evident in everything he does and says." Berrien, the former chairman, president and publisher of Forbes Magazine, currently serves as chief revenue officer of Gogo, the world's leading provider of inflight connectivity. Zilly is a resident of New York and Martha's Vineyard, and currently serves as a vice chair of the Connecticut College Board of Trustees. Elected to the Board in 2005, Zilly also serves as chair of the Finance Committee, vice chair of the Investment Subcommittee and a member of the Committee on Trustees, Advancement & Communications Committee and Executive Committee. She is a past member of the Committee on Academics. Zilly recently retired as a senior managing director in the Restructuring & Reorganization Advisory group at The Blackstone Group. At Blackstone, she provided financial advisory services to companies in need of capital or operational restructurings, or to creditors of such companies. Prior to joining Blackstone in 1991, Zilly worked at E.F. Hutton & Company, Inc., and at Chemical Bank. Zilly majored in economics and American history at Connecticut College, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude and with distinction in a major. She received a master of science degree in industrial administration from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in 1977. She is a trustee of the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust.
March 9, 2012