Tim Donovan

Before retiring, Tim served as the Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges (2009-2014), at the time a system of the five public colleges that, collectively, enrolled more than 12,000 students. During his time as Chancellor, Tim oversaw the expansion of the Dual Enrollment and Early College programs that provided access to college classes for high school students. Tim’s experience in higher education also included 24 years at the Community College of Vermont (CCV). He served as President of CCV from 2001 to 2009 when the institution’s enrollment nearly doubled to make it Vermont’s second-largest college. Donovan has been an active contributor in a wide variety of Vermont and New England regional organizations promoting increased access to transformational education and “blurring the lines” between education levels and institutions to benefit learners. These have included serving on the New England Board of Higher Education; the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of NEASC (2013-2014); and New England Secondary Schools Consortium. He is the founding chair of Vermont’s PreK-16 Council.

Sarah Latham

Sarah Latham joined Brown University as Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration in January 2022. As the senior member of the University’s executive team, she leads all administrative, business and financial operations including finance and treasury functions, human resources, facilities management, real estate, risk management, business operations, dining services, internal audit, and auxiliary services. Prior to her appointment at Brown, Latham served for ten years (2012-2022) as Vice Chancellor for Business and Administrative Services at the University of California Santa Cruz, and for the preceding ten years at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, as director of institutional research, assistant to the president and, ultimately, vice president for operations and planning. Latham also served as an instructor in the Department of Political Science, teaching courses on public policy that built on early-career experiences in the Florida state legislature and Florida Board of Regents.

Latham earned a Ph.D. in Public Administration and policy and a Master’s degree in Higher Education from Florida State University. She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Lynne Pantalena

Lynne Pantalena is managing director at Bank of America Private Bank. With more than 30 years of experience, she leads a team of wealth management advisers to high-net-worth clients in the areas of estate and financial planning, tax payments, business succession and philanthropy. Formerly an attorney in private practice, she is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Estate Planning Council and the Connecticut Bar Association. A nationally sought-after speaker, Pantalena is a member of the Lyric Opera Planned Giving Committee and is a former trustee of La Rabida Children’s Hospital.

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University) and a Master of Public Administration degree from New York University. She also holds a juris doctorate from Quinnipiac School of Law and a Master of Laws degree from Boston University.

Dwayne Smith

On June 1, 2023, Dr. Smith became Interim President of Southern Connecticut State University, a public institution of almost 9,000 students in New Haven, Connecticut. Before taking up his leadership role at Southern, Dr. Smith had served as Campus CEO of Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, Connecticut, since 2020. Prior to Housatonic, he served as Interim President of Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, MO., following his successful 13 years as the HBCU institution’s Provost. Dr. Smith has received numerous awards and honors for his service to the community, including being recognized as one of the Connecticut NAACP’s 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut in 2021 and 2024.

Smith holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration from Truman State University. He earned a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Missouri.