Board gains new leadership, members
At the May 2016 meeting of the Marlboro College Board of Trustees, several changes were made that promise new and strengthened leadership for the college. Longtime trustee Richard Saudek stepped up to the position of chair, replacing Dean Nicyper ’76 after six years of loyal and steady guidance. Dick has served on the board himself for 20 years, recently in the role of clerk of the corporation, and is an attorney specializing in utilities and energy issues for Diamond & Robinson in Montpelier, Vermont.
“We welcome Dick’s leadership on the board, particularly during this period of transition when admissions and retention are so crucial to Marlboro’s sustainability,” said President Kevin Quigley. “The board’s guidance has never been more important, and I am confident that Dick’s clear insights and direction will help steer the college through any storm. I am also so grateful for Dean’s years of leadership, as the first alumni chairman of the board, and for his continued support.”
In addition to Dick’s new role, trustees Kirsten Newcomer ’82 and Ted Smyth were appointed as vice chairs. Kirsten is a senior product manager for Black Duck Software, in Bedford, Massachusetts, with more than 20 years of experience in the software industry. Ted is vice chairman and chief of staff for Edelman, a leading global communications firm in New York, and the proud father of a new Marlboro graduate, Jennifer Smyth ’16.
New Trustees
Three new members also bring their fresh perspectives to the board of trustees, including Angela Smith Domzal, parent of current student Andrew Domzal ’18. Angela is a private banker and relationship manager in the TD Wealth Private Client Group, with expertise in the not-for-profit segment and with the philanthropic community.
“I believe I can bring my experience in philanthropy, liberal arts education, community, finance, and parenting to the board,” said Angela. “All of these things are extremely important to me as part of my giving back to my community and sharing opportunities similar to those I received on my journey through life. I also want to be an example to my son Andrew, who loves Marlboro College so very much.”
Angela spent seven years at Wells Fargo/Wachovia as a senior relationship manager and private banker, and before that she was a global manager at Bloomberg LP. Angela holds an MBA in Finance from NYU’s Stern Business School and an international economics degree from Bryn Mawr College. Her philanthropic board work includes MoMa Friends of Education and the Salvadori Center for STEM Education.
“Marlboro College has a very unique role in higher education as a small liberal arts institution that promotes a renaissance approach to education, independent thinking, and community engagement. I think we need more colleges like Marlboro, and it has a strong future if the right people discover what it has to offer.”
“My experience at Marlboro transformed me and helped to develop me into the person I am today,” said Hongping Tian ’94, another new trustee who did her Plan of Concentration in molecular evolutionary genetics. “I hope that Marlboro continues to nurture generations of students, and it is with this in mind I feel deeply honored to have the opportunity to serve Marlboro in the capacity as a trustee.”
Hongping brings a unique international perspective to the board. Following her Marlboro years she acquired her doctorate at Harvard Medical School and a M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health, where she researched community health financing in rural China. She has worked in Beijing as a program officer for the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention and as a consultant for the CDC’s Global AIDS program, and more recently in New Haven as the director of health programs for the Yale-China Association. Since 2014 she has been the director of international strategy and development for Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, where she cultivates key relationships with alumni, foundations, and institutions around the world.
“Not being afraid of change is something I learned at Marlboro that I continue to benefit from today,” said Hongping. “How faculty help students to pursue their passions beyond campus in such a fearless manner is truly amazing. We do not know what the future of higher education holds, but I want to see Marlboro continues to thrive in this ever more complex landscape.”
Michael DeLaurentis is an attorney in Pennsylvania, specializing in domestic and international tax and business planning. Michael is also the parent of Lucy DeLaurentis ’10, who passed away last year and now has an academic scholarship in her name.
“We always knew Marlboro was a virtual lifeline to Lucy. But from our experiences with her friends—and the faculty and administration—we have come to see just how central and sustaining Marlboro has been to all of these constituencies, not just the students,” said Michael. “It’s a rare and beautiful thing: it’s worth preserving and strengthening.”
Michael brings with him a broad and varied educational background, with degrees from Amherst College, Oxford University, Brown University, and Yale Law School, giving him unique insights on diversity, globalism, and the relevance of the liberal arts. He’s taught grade school in a troubled inner city school; logic and the philosophy of science at an Ivy League institution; ethics and philosophy at a Catholic university; and international taxation to graduate-school students. He’s also founded the Susanna DeLaurentis Charitable Foundation and has presided over other nonprofits that fund research to find cures for fatal childhood diseases.
“A liberal arts education today remains the best preparation for a world where the very meaning of ‘job’ has never been more fluid,” said Michael. “I am not aware of another institution that offers such a caring, close-knit, committed community. That has been Marlboro’s defining feature from its inception, and it remains so today.”