Hanover
“This is not the first time I’ve been a first,” said Richie, a 1981 graduate who last November stepped down as president of the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Richie, who grew up in Ohio and now lives in New York City, was chosen on Saturday to succeed Bill Helman, the current Dartmouth trustees chairman.
Richie’s background is in marketing, having spent 24 years with the advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather; she is the former chief marketing officer of the Girl Scouts of the USA, and also serves on the board of Synchrony Financial, formerly GE Capital Retail Finance Corporation, which was spun off by General Electric. Synchrony provides a range of financial services, such as branded credits cards for companies including Amazon, Walmart and Lowe’s.
She said that her leadership would be informed by her four years as a policy studies major at Dartmouth who spent all of her free time participating in the campus theater community.
“The first and most important piece would be my love of Dartmouth,” Richie said. “I’m so grateful and appreciative of my experience there for four years.”
Richie, 57, will assume board leadership at a time of big changes for the institution; last month, college administrators announced that an $80 million gift from oil magnate Arthur Irving would be used to fund a new energy research institute, a move that has supporters excited about the research opportunities, but detractors saying the relationship between Dartmouth and the fossil fuels industry would be improper.
Richie said she was in the excited camp, and that she had confidence in the college’s ability to safeguard against undue influence.
“I know I speak for the board in saying that academic freedom is paramount to Dartmouth,” she said. “It always has been and it always will be.”
Dartmouth announced last week that, over the next four years, it will reallocate $25 million from its non-academic spending, a broad category that includes items like administrative salaries, student financial aid and sponsored research, to direct academic costs like faculty salaries. The shift could result in the loss of some jobs on campus, said Dartmouth Executive Vice President Rick Mills in a press release.
Richie said she supported the move.
“My hope is that we will continue to focus our strategies and our energy and our resources on the core business of Dartmouth, which is the education of these amazing young students delivered by a world class faculty of scholar teachers,” she said.
Richie said she was conscious that her gender and race increase the chance she will be seen as a role model by young people.
“It’s something that I don’t take for granted. … I welcome the opportunity to be a role model,” she said. “It’s not something I shy away from and if that inspires someone to be their best or to view someone who is different than they are in a different light, I’m very proud of that.”
In a press release announcing the leadership change, Helman and Dartmouth President Phil Hanlon both praised Richie, who is currently vice chairwoman of the Board of Trustees.
“Laurel is one of Dartmouth’s most loyal alumni and committed ambassadors. She brings strategic thinking, creativity and deep insight into how the board can best serve the entire Dartmouth community,” said Hanlon.
“Laurel’s contributions to Dartmouth have been tremendous. … The board could not be in better hands,” said Helman.
Matt Hongoltz-Hetling can be reached at mhonghet@vnews.com or 603-727-3211.