Connecticut Governor Selects West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor as Chair of the UConn Board of Trustees, Effective Immediately
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced in Hartford on November 13 that he is selecting Mayor Shari Cantor of West Hartford to serve as chair of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees, the governing body overseeing Connecticut's largest public university. The selection takes effect immediately.
A graduate of the UConn School of Business, Cantor has served as a board member since 2014 and is widely regarded as one of the strongest advocates in Connecticut for UConn and its students. She was inducted into the UConn Business Hall of Fame in 2017.
"In selecting a board chair, I want someone who not only has extensive experience with UConn and knows its academic and administrative needs, but who also has strong connections to Connecticut's business community and will actively work to strengthen the bonds between the university and our state's employers so that our graduates are prepared with the resources they need to lead successful, long-lasting careers," Lamont said. "Shari Cantor is the right person to lead the board. Shari bleeds Husky blue, and I look forward to having her serve in this leadership role."
"As a proud UConn graduate, I am deeply honored to take on this responsibility," Cantor said. Public service has always been a deeply meaningful commitment for her, she said, and she sees the opportunity as another way to give back to a university and state that have given her so much. She thanked Lamont for his confidence and Dan Toscano for his years of leadership, and said she looks forward to working with President Radenka Maric, her fellow trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni to expand opportunities for students.
A native of West Hartford, Cantor attended Hall High School and graduated magna cum laude from UConn with a degree in accounting in 1981. She began working as a certified public accountant, first at PwC and then at Cigna, was elected to the West Hartford Town Council in 2004, became deputy mayor in 2012 and has served as mayor of West Hartford since 2016, in an unpaid, volunteer leadership position.
Cantor succeeds Dan Toscano, who served as board chair since 2019 and stepped down this week after 18 years of service on the UConn Board of Trustees and the UConn Foundation Board of Directors. Lamont said Toscano's leadership helped elevate UConn's reputation, contributing to a record-breaking surge in applications.
The UConn Board of Trustees is comprised of 21 members: twelve appointed by the governor, two elected by alumni, two elected by students, and five ex officio, including the governor, the UConn Health Board of Directors chair, and the commissioners of the state's agriculture, economic development and education departments. All members serve as unpaid volunteers.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Connecticut)
Source: Office of the Governor of Connecticut
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Photo: 图：位于康涅狄格州 Hartford 的康涅狄格州议会大厦。GSM 存量合规图，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, Connecticut. GSM archived licensed image, via Wikimedia Commons.
