This year marks a decade that Joanne Berger-Sweeney has served as president of Hartford-based Trinity College.
In 2014, she became both the first woman and person of color to be named president in the liberal arts school’s 200-year history.
And she continues to build up her influence. Last June, Berger-Sweeney, a trained neurophysiologist who has contributed to more than 60 scientific publications, was appointed board chair of Hartford HealthCare, the second-largest healthcare system in the state.
She is also a board member of the Capital Region Development Authority, a quasi-public agency that has helped finance thousands of new apartments in downtown Hartford.
At Trinity, she is staying ahead of fast-moving advancements in technology and its effects on higher education. Last year, the school launched a pilot exploration program on the use of artificial intelligence across disciplines.
She is also overseeing environmental and sustainability efforts such as fossil fuel divestment, and has made diversity, equity and inclusion a key focus area.
In the coming years, Berger-Sweeney will oversee a $30 million, 37,000-square-foot addition to Trinity’s George M. Ferris Athletic Center.
Other accomplishments under her watch include expanding Trinity’s campus footprint into downtown Hartford by establishing an innovation center in Constitution Plaza and the Liberal Arts Action Lab, part of the Center for Hartford Engagement and Research. She also helped launch an exclusive liberal arts partnership with global technology firm Infosys.