Encyclopedia Trinitiana

This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong.
{{tag>people presidents}}
====== Joanne E. Berger-Sweeney ======

[{{::berger-sweeney.png?250 |President Berger-Sweeney. Photo credit: Julie Bidwell}}]

Joanne Berger-Sweeney was the 22nd [[presidents|president]] of Trinity College. She is the first woman as well as person of color to serve as College President, and was inaugurated on October 26, 2014.

Berger-Sweeney received her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley College and her M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. While working on her Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Berger-Sweeney did the proof of concept work on Razadyne, which went on to be the second-most-used Alzheimer’s drug in the world. She completed her postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Health (INSERM) in Paris, France. 

Berger-Sweeney was a member of the Wellesley College faculty, which she joined in 1991 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, and rose through the ranks to become the Allene Lummis Russell Professor in Neuroscience. Her teaching and research career at Wellesley spanned 13 years prior to being named associate dean in 2004. She also served as dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts University from 2010 to 2014. 

During her presidency, Berger-Sweeney oversaw many major initiatives, including the completion of the College’s strategic plan, [[https://summit.trincoll.edu/|Summit]], the creation of the [[bantam_network|Bantam Network]] (a mentoring program for first-year students), the Career and Life Design Center and [[entrepreneurship_center|Center for Entrepreneurship]]; the introduction of Trinity's new curriculum, Trinity Plus; the launch of the Campaign for Community; the expansion of Trinity’s footprint to [[constitution_plaza|Constitution Plaza]] in downtown [[hartford|Hartford]]; and the founding of the [[center_for_caribbean_studies|Center for Caribbean Studies]]. She also saw the College through the COVID-19 Pandemic and College Bicentennial, including the All-In campaign, and oversaw the construction of several new buildings: the [[gruss_music_center|Gruss Music Center]], the [[crescent_center_for_arts_and_neuroscience_ccan|Crescent Center for Arts and Neuroscience (CCAN)]], and [[ferris_athletic_center|Ferris Athletic Center addition.]] She has also served on many boards in the Hartford region and beyond.

On April 14, 2024, President Berger-Sweeney [[https://www.trincoll.edu/news/trinity-college-president-announces-plan-to-retire/|announced her intention to retire]] at the end of the 2024-2025 academic year.

===== Preceded By =====

[[jones_james_f._jr|James F. Jones, Jr. H’14]]


----
===== Sources =====

[[https://www.trincoll.edu/president/about-president-berger-sweeney/|About President Berger-Sweeney]]

[<>]