December 3, 2024: Announcing the 23rd President of Trinity College

December 3, 2024

Dear Members of the Trinity Community,

On behalf of the Presidential Search Committee and the Board of Trustees, I write with great joy and pride to announce the appointment of Daniel G. Lugo as Trinity College’s 23rd president. Dan, currently president of Queens University of Charlotte, will assume his new role on July 1, 2025. He brings with him a wealth of expertise and years of academic leadership that will serve Trinity well as we enter our third century.

Selecting the next president is the Board of Trustees’ most important responsibility. Leading any institution of higher education today requires a unique combination of skills. Among them are a deep familiarity with an academic environment, institutional and financial management expertise, emotional intelligence, an openness to innovation, an ease of being an inspiring public figure, and a keen intellect capable of distilling and fulfilling strategic priorities that advance the academic mission.

The search committee was impressed immediately by Dan, who stood out above a highly competitive pool for his track record of accomplishments and for his deep commitment to the value of a liberal arts education and to fostering a sense of belonging on campus. He clearly possesses all the desired qualities that we identified during the search process. We particularly noted Dan’s ability to steer institutions toward enduring financial strength while amplifying their brand and deepening campus pride. He presents a warm, humble, and thoughtful leadership style that has facilitated great success with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the local community. The feedback we collected clearly showed that he cares deeply about shared governance and forming solid partnerships with faculty and the academic affairs office. We also found it promising to hear how people spoke of Dan’s approachable and caring presence on campus, often engaging with students throughout the day. The Board of Trustees has enthusiastically voted to accept the search committee’s recommendation and to entrust Dan with the responsibility of leading the College’s future.

Under Dan’s presidency since 2019, Queens University of Charlotte developed an ambitious strategic framework with goals to deepen its connection with the local community of Charlotte, to reshape and develop new multidisciplinary academic programs, to support the holistic wellness and well-being of the university community, and to create an integrated approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion that begins on campus and extends into the surrounding community. Most notably, he led efforts to strengthen Queens’ branding and enrollment efforts, which have yielded a 50 percent increase in undergraduate applications; to execute a $25 million capital improvement plan to address areas of deferred maintenance; and to reclassify the university’s 25 NCAA sports to Division I competition. He was nominated by Queens employees and selected in 2021 as one of Charlotte’s “Most Admired CEOs” by the Charlotte Business Journal.

Prior to his time at Queens, Dan served at three liberal arts colleges: as vice president of college advancement at Colby College, as vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid at Franklin & Marshall College, and as associate dean of admissions at Carleton. Most notably, Dan planned and orchestrated Colby’s historic $750 million “Dare Northward” fundraising campaign, the largest of its kind for any liberal arts college in history. He enthusiastically looks forward to a return to the NESCAC.

Dan earned a B.A. in political science from Carleton and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. He received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the Carleton College Alumni Association in 2021. I invite you to read more about him on the Presidential Search website. I also warmly invite you to watch his introduction video. (LINK TK).

This is a historic moment for Trinity. We now begin the process of passing the baton from President Joanne Berger-Sweeney, who will complete a remarkably distinguished 11-year tenure in June. Thank you to the many community members who provided feedback in the search process, throughout which we heard from so many who expressed their hopes for the future and desired qualifications for the next president. We want you to know that your participation is deeply appreciated and that your voice has been heard.

Thank you as well to the members of our search committee, who worked tirelessly to ensure that the right person was selected. Please join me in welcoming Dan; his wife, TinaMarie; and their adult children, Michael and Amanda, to the Trinity community.

The future promises to shine even brighter for Trinity in our third century.

Sincerely,

Lisa Bisaccia ’78
Chair of the Presidential Search Committee
Chair of the Board of Trustees