What has been the most important role in your past service to the University and how has it prepared you to serve on the Board of Trustees?
I have experienced several roles in my past service to the University, but perhaps the most rewarding one and the one that best prepared me for serving on the Board of Trustees occurred in my capacity of assisting the University to secure a supplemental source of drinking water for the Storrs campus.

For many years, the University struggled to meet peak water demands, particularly when students first returned in the late summer, often during times of low precipitation or drought conditions, high temperatures, and high volumes of visitors, with parents and siblings joining to assist in the move back to college.

UConn is unique in that it serves as its own water utility. At the time, its supply of water came exclusively from the Fenton and Willimantic River wellfields, which draw upon the stratified drift aquifers associated with the adjacent rivers. In 2005, following a prolonged drought coupled with high water demands at the University, the Fenton River near the UConn wellfield completely dried up. This was an extreme operational and political challenge for the University and drew a great deal of public criticism. As a result, pumping at the Fenton River wellfield was significantly curtailed and even shut down when river flows reached specific trigger levels, placing an even greater burden on the University’s water supply system.

In 2006, the University retained my firm to evaluate its water and wastewater needs, culminating in a 50-year Water and Wastewater Master Plan that was published in 2007. I served as the project manager, working with a team of engineers and scientists within my organization and within the UConn Facilities group and senior leadership. As I had done throughout my career, when we had the opportunity to work with the University, I would make it a point to become personally involved because to me, it was personal. And while the volume of work associated with UConn was small in comparison to our annual workload, these were intensely important projects. Practicing my field in the very place where I trained to be an engineer was extremely rewarding.

In 2008 to 2010, my firm undertook comprehensive analysis of the Willimantic River to determine its capacity to thrive alongside the UConn wellfield. In that same timeframe, we assisted with the evaluation, permitting, and design of the reclaimed water facility. In 2011, my team completed the University’s 50-year comprehensive Water Supply Plan, and in 2012 and 2013, we conducted an Environmental Impact Evaluation under the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act to determine the best course of action to provide a long-term, safe, reliable drinking water supply to the Storrs campus. Finally, in 2014, we assisted UConn in procuring the necessary regulatory permits to construct and operate a water supply interconnection to serve the University’s drinking water needs for many decades into the future and enable the planned growth associated with NextGen. Today the pipes are physically in the ground, and service is in place. The journey of working from crisis to final success was transformative.

I chose this as my most important role in my past service to the University because it allowed me to personally practice my trade and apply my education and experience toward the future growth and success of UConn. The elements of this role that served as preparation to serve on the Board of Trustees include the following:

Financial Realities – The financial realities of a public university are ever present in the approach to fixing engineering problems as they are in most facets of operating a large, diverse, public institution like the University of Connecticut. The financial elements of the water system solution required consideration of multiple alternatives to meet the fiscal responsibility burden and develop sustainable, cost-effective solutions.

Community and Political Climate – The citizenry of the Town of Mansfield is highly engaged, at times great supporters and at times at odds with the goals and mission of the University. Through many public informational sessions, informal communications, and formal public hearings, I gained an understanding and appreciation of the local climate surrounding the UConn main campus and at the Avery Point, West Hartford, Hartford (Law), and the UConn Health Center campuses.

Regulatory Climate – While the University is not subject to local regulations, meeting the burden of state and federal requirements is a critical element of many major facilities improvements and expansions, particularly when they affect ecological resources, watercourses, or involve public health. My work in procuring regulatory permits on behalf of the University provided insight that has benefitted other similar endeavors that have come before the Board of Trustees and has guided my role on the Building, Grounds, and Environment Committee since becoming a Trustee.

Contractual Climate – Having worked alongside University architects, design teams, and program managers, I have gained an understanding and appreciation for the contractual climate as well as important ethical obligations that must be carried out with integrity, transparency, and attention to proper process and detail.

Since joining the UConn Board, I have stepped back from any professional involvement with the University such that I could fully embrace my role and responsibilities as a Trustee. However, my role in assisting the University to solve a compelling and decades-long problem, working through technical, financial, political, contractual, and regulatory challenges, provided an important context and understanding that has helped me serve the Board of Trustees. I never imagined when I was taking classes in physics, calculus, and fluid mechanics that one day I would be in a position to apply that knowledge at the very place where I learned these fundamental lessons.

In your view, what are the most pressing issues that the University of Connecticut faces?

In the current economic state of Connecticut, the financial devastation of many during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the rising costs and competition for excellent faculty and excellent students, one of the most pressing issues facing the University in my view is financial challenge. Maintaining competitive costs for students and families while excelling in academics, athletics, and physical infrastructure is critically important.

Competitive compensation plays a major role in attracting and retaining high-quality faculty and staff, particularly when the competition includes private, well-endowed institutions that pay top dollar for sought-after talent. It does not help that Connecticut is a tax-rich, expensive state in which to live. My experience coming from a price-competitive service industry, however, is that money is not everything to all people. For many, culture, pride in work, and the knowledge that one is making a difference in others’ lives outweigh the bottom line of a salary. These cultural attributes do not occur in an organization without attention, purposeful action, and tenacity. Part of the challenge and the solution is finding the right fit and effectively conveying the University’s mission to prospective faculty.

Finances dictate viable education choices for many prospective students. Maintaining competitive tuition rates must be balanced with budgetary realities and constraints. Neither of my children selected the least expensive option for college. I am blessed with hard-working, conscientious children who have made good choices, including choosing to apply themselves academically. Having experienced the college selection process with two very different teenagers – different genders, intended majors, and polar-opposite personalities – I know that there are a great many factors that come into play in selecting a college, cost being one of them. UConn, like all other institutions, conveys its own unique personality to prospective students. The energy of the current student population, the news coverage locally and nationally, the academic accolades, the course offerings, and the physical environment matter to a 17- or 18-year-old, and they matter to their parents. Cost is important, but notwithstanding real-life constraints, there are opportunities for UConn to stand out and garner excellent students. Doing so while maintaining competitive tuition rates will continue to be a challenge.

Finally, finances play a crucial role in building and maintaining an interesting, functional, beautiful campus environment. Substantial capital investments in UConn over the past two decades provided extensive funding that has helped build a brand through architecture, style, and massing. Maintaining that momentum to continue to build exceptional facilities through the completion of UConn NextGen and beyond is both an opportunity and a challenge.

There is a focus in the news, in high schools, and at the dinner table on the growing student loan debt, putting the value of higher education on trial. Growing and changing with a changing society will continue to be a challenge for UConn, as will developing policies, strategies, and creative solutions to ensure that UConn students outpace other universities in their ability to not only enter the workforce but to excel within it.

Finally, in this digital age, staying current, convenient, and relevant in the marketplace poses challenges. In the 1980s, a UConn student in need of a computer walked to the Computer Center. Today on-line programs and digital degrees are the norm, having grown in number, recognition, and quality at UConn. Finding the balance between quality education and keeping ahead of the technological curve will likely be one of the challenges facing UConn into the future.

Likewise, in your view, what are the biggest opportunities for the University of Connecticut?

As a graduate, a parent, and a business owner, I believe with all my heart that UConn is a remarkable institution. It is competitive; technologically superior; well respected across many industries; diverse; rigorous; affordable; led by dedicated individuals; and a place to grow, thrive, and launch lifetime careers. In a climate of intense academic and athletic competition, rising tuition costs, and record levels of college-bound high school grads, the opportunities for the University to grow in size, stature, and respect are tremendous.

UConn is a place where professors care; where they know their students by name; where they help those who are struggling, inspire students to work hard and stay determined, push and challenge students to grow and stretch, and celebrate successes. UConn is a place where extended families are formed.

The widespread recognition of UConn, in part due to its phenomenal basketball fame and due to its rise academically among the top public universities provides an incredible opportunity to capture the attention of exceptional students, faculty, and staff. Add the quintessential New England setting of the main campus, the accessible urban campuses in Stamford, Hartford, and Waterbury, and the beautiful Avery Point campus, there is a tremendous upside even for those who don’t watch basketball or subscribe to U.S. News & World Report. In my view, some of the brightest opportunities for the University of Connecticut include the following:

Innovation – Finding new and creative ways to attract, retain, educate, and engage with students in a manner that is innovative.

Research – Building upon the strong research-based education that UConn has fostered over decades to expand research opportunities and research funding.

Sustainability – Being a leader in the area of sustainability and carbon neutrality. UConn consistently gets high marks for its commitment to sustainability. This is extremely important to today’s student base and is also good business practice.

Student Quality – UConn has the attention of extraordinarily high-caliber students. Continuing to break barriers and achieve national rankings will be reflected in the quality of UConn students.

Diversity – Achieving diversity of students and faculty at UConn is an opportunity to attract greater talent across all backgrounds.

Technology – Staying on the cutting edge of technology within and outside of the STEM fields will be essential to capturing the best minds.

Investment in Career Success – Investment in UConn students after graduation. Their success is everyone’s success.

What has been the most important role in your past service to the University and how has it prepared you to serve on the Board of Trustees?

In my role as a site supervisor and mentor to UConn teacher and administrator candidates, I have been able to share knowledge, experiences, and wisdom to help this next generation of educators give back to their communities, which I have loved. I have gained passion and a renewed sense of hope in what these students are bringing to the field through educational programs founded on coaching, equity, and collaboration. I have also been able to collaborate with the professors and leaders within the UConn Programs and in the work they are doing including the Wallace Foundation efforts with UCAPP. I feel the same passions from the direction the university is taking in leading change in their program values and approach. I see UConn, through these roles, as actualizing the values of embracing differences, the pursuit of equity, and building/sustaining coaching relationships that are supportive, educative, and driven by self-reflection and social problem solving.

The role of coaching/supervising future candidates for education and leadership has prepared me to serve on the Board of Trustees because I can see vision of the graduate in action and I can see the connections of Program Visions, Faculty Support, and Student Outcomes in my day to work. By experiencing this clear linking I have a unique perspective of understanding the theory, seeing the practice, and seeing the outcomes, which will allow me to make informed decisions for the University and its students.

This in conjunction with my leadership on the CAS Board of Directors has prepared me to serve on the Board of Trustees. I have a vision of the graduate and educational Board experience.

In your view, what are the most pressing issues that the University of Connecticut faces?

The University of Connecticut, like our nation at large, is faced with how to improve the social climate. The challenge remains how do we ensure that every person in the university community embraced for the differences they bring across the spectrum of race, ethnicity, gender, and ability status. Making the pursuit of equity, in terms of both academic outcomes and social experiences, is essential to UConn’s success. For this to truly happen, UConn must be invested in understanding and breaking down the power structures that have perpetuated inequities in institutions across the nation. Further they must be ready to provide a model for deconstructing power dynamics that have allowed hatred, racism, and ableism to flourish.

More specific to UConn, we have the pressing issue of beginning a strategic planning process that will guide the future. This process must ensure alignment and coherence within the university and the state of CT so that we remain the flagship university in the northeast, and ideally beyond. When it comes to the strategic planning process, it must be inclusive and representative of all stakeholders at UConn and it must be laser focused on clear priorities. In this vein, I see the most pressing goal as how do we ensure that all curriculum are combined with authentic and real world problem solving so that graduates not only have the knowledge within their chosen fields, but also the skills, dispositions, and experiences to flexibly approach problems of practice. Further, I know from my experience in education, and field research, that some of the best learning comes from having a supportive coach or mentor. The university needs to plan for how coaching and mentorship will build into student experiences in all fields.

Likewise, in your view, what are the biggest opportunities for the University of Connecticut?

UConn has invested over the past decade in attracting amazing faculty, coaches, and students to the university and in doing so has resulted in more research and funding for projects and centers across the university. Students and faculty have also been more representative of a diverse culture and have led to opportunities for growth in the social dilemma I mentioned above. We are poised to take on some of these challenges like addressing the achievement gap, deconstructing racism, and ensuring equity of opportunity…our students and faculty are the greatest resources in this area.

UConn also has an opportunity to continue to develop the regional campuses, Health Center, and Law School so that they can continue to expand UConn’s impact in the state and beyond.

An example of great success that has potential for other programs within the university is Neag’s UCAPP partnership with New Haven, Hartford, and Meriden Public Schools, where they are becoming teaching labs for prospective teachers and leaders. And ultimately students and communities are being uplifted by the presence of UConn and they are being inspired by the power of education in improving outcomes.

Lastly, as a die-hard Husky fan, I see the UConn athletics program as poised to continue its success on the fields and courts as well as off them. Athletes and coaches are taking opportunity to be social justice advocates and their leverage and impact only increases as their athletic successes increase. It remains a wonderful opportunity to continue to attract these university ambassadors as way to inspire others for social change, and also in the value and opportunity of education.