President’s Office

Vision & Values

Mission:

It is the Mission of St. Michael’s College to contribute through higher education to the enhancement of the human person and the advancement of human culture in light of the Catholic faith.

Vision:

Board of Trustees

Saint Michael’s Board of Trustees

Chair of the Board

Mr. Robert T. Noonan ’82
Partner/Accountant
KPMG LLP
Boston, Massachusetts

Vice Chair(s) of the Board

Mr. Philip F. McGovern, Esq. ’80
Partner
Connell Foley LLP
Jersey City, New Jersey

Ms. Elaine Stokes ’87
Vice President, Portfolio Manager (retired)
Loomis Sayles & Company
Boston, Massachusetts

Members

Ansel Augustine, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Washington, District of Columbia

Mr. Jay A. Bellissimo ’87
Chief Operating Officer
Vonage
Naples, Florida

Rev. Msgr. Bernard W. Bourgeois
Pastor, Christ the King and
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
Rutland, Vermont
Pastor, St. Patrick’s Parish
Wallingford, Vermont

Patrick N. Brown, Ph.D.  M’85
Executive Director, Greater Burlington Multicultural Resource Center
Burlington, Vermont

Gregory Brucato, MD, FACS ’82
Brucato Plastic Surgery Center
Ridgefield, Connecticut

Ms. Patricia A. Casey
Educational Consultant (retired)
Newton, Massachusetts

Mr. Garrett B. Clark ’12
FSO Assurance Senior Manager
Ernst & Young
Boston, Massachusetts

Mr. Rick Coté ’89
Owner/Associate Publisher
Twin Ponds Publishing/Williston Observer
Williston, Vermont

Very Rev. David G. Cray, SSE. ’68
Superior General
Society of St. Edmund
Colchester, Vermont

Mr. Mark S. Dalton ’72
Publishing Executive (retired)
Londonderry, New Hampshire

Rev. Stanley M. Deresienski, SSE ’75
Society of St. Edmund
Bonita Springs, Florida

Mr. Timothy E. Ford ’83
President and CEO, Center Street Brewing Company
Wallingford, Connecticut
Managing Director, NFP Property and Casualty Services
South Burlington, Vermont

Mr. William H. Gallagher H’19
CEO
Atlantic Data Services, Inc.
Braintree, Massachusetts

Rev. Thomas F. X. Hoar, SSE ’73
President
Saint Edmund’s Retreat
Mystic, Connecticut

Mr. George C. Keady III ’79
Managing Director, Wealth Management (retired)
UBS Financial Services Inc.
Springfield, Massachusetts

Mr. Brian G. Lacey ’72
President
Lacey Entertainment
New York, New York

Ms. Suzanne M. Leous ’86
Director of Government Relations
American Society of Hematology
Arlington, Virginia

Mr. Chad D. McEachern ’91
Executive Director and CEO
Edmundite Southern Missions
Selma, Alabama

Robert H. Minetti, Ph.D. ’69
Vice President Emeritus
Bentley University
Natick, Massachusetts

Rev. Richard M. Myhalyk, SSE ’66
Saint Edmund’s Retreat
Enders Island, Connecticut

Mr. James F. Phalen ’67
Principal and Consultant
James F. Phalen & Associates
Williston, Vermont

Richard Plumb, Ph.D.
President
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, Vermont

Rev. Marcel R. Rainville, SSE ’67
Campus Minister
Saint Michael’s College
Colchester, Vermont

Tracy A. Romano, Ph.D.  ’86
Vice President of Research and Chief Scientist
Mystic Aquarium
Mystic, Connecticut

George E. Sherman, Jr. ’83
Chief Executive Officer (retired)
Game Stop
Isle of Palms, South Carolina

Emeritus Member of the Board

Mr. Gary N. Farrell ’63, H’99

Jen Porrier
Board Operations Director

Jen Porrier joined Saint Michael’s College in July 2024, coming from the Chancellor’s Office of Vermont State Colleges as the Administrative Director.  Prior to that Jen worked at IBM for 20 years with her last assignment being in Business Operations.  Jen brings a wealth of experience working with boards and executing complex projects and stream-lining operations.

Jen earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont and her Master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada, Reno.

In her spare time Jen works with the Hunger Mountain Co-op and is a Certified Adaptive Ski instructor. She is also an avid paddle boarder and skier. Jen lives in Montpelier with her husband and her dog.

Cabinet

President’s Cabinet

Matt Akins
Executive Director of Athletics

Matt Akins was promoted to Executive Director of Athletics on July 1, 2024, following his three years as the Associate Director of Athletics at Saint Michael’s College during which Matt was responsible for NCAA Compliance along with providing sport over-site. Matt has an impressive background in athletics administration and a deep commitment to student-athlete development. Matt is a member of the NE10 Sports Administration Council and the NCAA Division II National Baseball Committee. He also served as director of the 2024 NCAA Division II East Regional Men’s Basketball Championship. Prior to his time at Saint Michael’s, Matt oversaw compliance and supervised staff and coaches at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York.

Matt has a 14-year Collegiate men’s soccer coaching career, earned his undergraduate degree from LeMoyne College and later received a master’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Kentucky. Matt’s wife Bridgette is the Coordinator of Wellness Outreach and Education for the Bergeron Wellness Center at Saint Michael’s, and they have two children, Jack and Evangeline.

Dr. Dawn M. Ellinwood
Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students

Dawn Ellinwood joined the Saint Michael’s community in July of 2012 as Vice President for Student Affairs. Dawn came to Saint Michael’s after serving as Dean of Students at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Dawn has worked at a variety of higher education institutions in Student Affairs over the past 37 years. In her 12 years at the College, Dawn has demonstrated great insight into student needs, which she has addressed with endless enthusiasm and rare energy.
Dawn earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from Northeastern University in 1987; a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern in 1989; a Master of Education degree from Northeastern in 1989; and a Doctor of Education degree from the University Massachusetts Amherst in Campus Curriculum/Educational Leadership in 2003.

Dawn currently serves on the Board of Directors for Mercy Ecology in Benson, Vermont.  Additionally, she serves on the Saint Michael’s Fire and Rescue Board of Directors.  Dawn served 6 years on the board of Mercy Connections in Burlington, Vermont, and in July 2018 became the chairperson of this board.

Dawn is married to Peter Ferguson, and they have a daughter, Grace.

Gretchen Galbraith
Vice President for Academic Affairs

Gretchen Galbraith joined Saint Michael’s College in 2022 as Dean of the Faculty and was promoted to Vice President for Academic Affairs in January 2024. Gretchen came to Saint Michael’s from SUNY Potsdam, where she was Dean of Arts and Sciences from 2019 to 2022. Before that, she was Associate Dean for Faculty, Resources, and Scheduling in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, from 2014 to 2019. There, she earlier served as chair of the History Department, was interim director of the Honors College, and a professor of History.

Gretchen holds a doctorate from Rutgers University in European and Women’s History, and she has a Bachelor’s degree in History from Connecticut College. She is the author of the book Reading Lives: Reconstructing British Childhoods 1860-1914 (St. Martin’s Press), along with several articles and book chapters. Her most recent scholarly work is on Constance Maynard, a pioneer of women’s education in Britain, and a co-authored project with the Reacting to the Past Consortium, The Enlightenment in Crisis: Diderot’s Encyclopédie in a Parisian Salon.

Working at Saint Michael’s has brought Gretchen back to her birthplace; as her spouse likes to note, her relatives have been in Vermont at least seven generations.

Ellen Kane
Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Ellen Kane joined Saint Michael’s in April, 2024 as Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Ellen brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in advancement, fundraising and strategic planning, in addition to a deep commitment to the Edmundite Catholic heritage of Saint Michael’s. Prior to her position at Saint Michael’s, Ellen served as the Executive Director of the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. Ellen also has experience fundraising and serving on boards for nonprofit organizations throughout Vermont, including the Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS), United Way of Northwest Vermont, and the Fanny Allen Foundation. She has more than 25 years of experience fundraising for education, social services, and health care organizations.

Ellen began her career as a “Teach Chicago” scholarship recipient through which she received a Master of Arts in Teaching while teaching high school in the inner-city of Chicago. She has a BA from Loyola University of Chicago and was a Cross Country and Track scholarship athlete.

Ellen has lived in Vermont since 2005, along with her husband. They have two grown sons and a dog, Paris. Ellen enjoys hiking in all the Vermont seasons with her family and dog.

Brigid Lawler
Vice President for Enrollment Management 

Brigid Lawler joined Saint Michael’s as Vice President for Enrollment Management in July 2024. Brigid previously worked at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Connecticut College, Maine College of Arts, and Marlboro College. Brigid brings with her 30 years of career experience in Admissions, mostly in higher education. She has extensive experience in holistic recruitment strategies and creating innovative scholarship initiatives and campus visit opportunities. She has many creative ideas for the Enrollment Division including, plans for increasing diversity in recruitment.

Brigid graduated from SUNY Oneonta, and she also graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) Pastry and Baking Arts Program.

In what little spare time Brigid has, she enjoys cooking, baking, developing new recipes and getting to the beach whenever possible.

Mr. Robert S. Robinson ‘91
Vice President of Finance

Rob Robinson joined the Saint Michael’s College Finance team in September 2007, and since his arrival on campus has worked on all aspects of the College’s financial and auxiliary services operations, before adding human resources, informational technology, and facilities to his responsibilities.

Rob is the President of Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium, the consortia formed in 2013 as a collaborative partnership between Champlain, Middlebury, and Saint Michael’s colleges.  GMHEC’s mission is to create and foster collaborative opportunities for economic and educational initiatives that bring value to all members to increase the quality of services, and to lower administrative costs.

Rob is a 1991 graduate of Saint Michael’s College with a degree in Accounting, and he was a four year member of the lacrosse team. Upon graduation, Rob worked at Banknorth Group for nearly a decade in a variety of finance and financial business intelligence roles before spending a year as a consultant with Dynamic Business Solutions. While with DBS, Rob helped implement a financial reporting solution for the College. From 2000 until 2007 Rob worked at IBM as a financial business intelligence analyst.

Rob met his wife Stephanie as students at Saint Michael’s and they are the proud parents of three sons, Alec, Sam, and Owen.

Millie Rossman
Executive Director for Marketing and Communications

Millie Rossman joined the Saint Michael’s community in July 2024 as Executive Director for Marketing and Communications. Millie came to Saint Michael’s from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and she previously worked in both marketing and alumni offices at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Millie has spent more than two decades in creative marketing and brand development, and she began working in higher education in 2012. She brings a wide range of skills and expertise in strategic communications including, building and leading integrated teams, brand stewardship, messaging and positioning, data-informed content strategy, alumni relations and fundraising communications, magazine production, and executive brand development through thought leadership and authentic storytelling.

Millie earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York, New York and started her career in the publishing industry prior to moving to upstate with her family and founding a boutique branding agency in the Hudson Valley. She has three grown children, Theo, Charley, and Nate, and she enjoys running, cycling, and hiking with her dog.

Heidi St. Peter
Executive Director of the Student Success Center

Heidi St. Peter ’96 is currently the Executive Director of the Student Success Center. She has served in many capacities at Saint Michael’s College, including posts in the Associate Dean’s office, Academic Support, and MOVE/Campus Ministry. Earlier in her career, Heidi also worked within Residence Life and Institutional Advancement at the College. Beyond Saint Michael’s, she had the opportunity to work alongside and learn from the Edmundites in Selma, Alabama, and Burlington, Vermont.

Heidi earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Saint Michael’s, a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Vermont (Higher Ed and Student Affairs Administration) and a post-grad certificate from Saint Michael’s in pastoral ministry. She has worked part-time at area colleges and has volunteered with and served on the boards of a number of community organizations. Heidi and her husband Hollis live in Hinesburg with their three children, Olivia, Jack and Theo.

David Theroux, S.S.E. ‘70
Vice President for Edmundite Mission

Fr. David Theroux is serving as the inaugural Vice President of the newest division at Saint Michael’s, the Division for Edmundite Mission. Fr. David has had an extensive career in both ministry and education, having served Edmundite parishes and schools from England to Louisiana. In 2024, Fr. David celebrated the 50^th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. As Vice President for Edmundite Mission, Fr. David oversees Campus Ministry, Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE), the Institute for Equity and Justice, and the two Edmundite centers for Faith and Culture and for Peace and Justice.

Following the completion of his A.B. undergraduate degree from Saint Michael’s College, Fr. David went on to earn his Masters of Divinity, at the University of Saint Michael’s College, which is housed at the University of Toronto; a Masters degree in Religious Studies at Loyola University of New Orleans, Louisiana; and Doctor of Education from the University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.

Past Presidents

Very Reverend Amand Prével, SSE 1904 – 1907
First President

The Saint Michael’s Corporation (the predecessor of the Board of Trustees) declared Amand Prével, a native of France, first President of the College in January 1904. Prével had been involved in higher education in France, both at the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception in Laval and at Collège St-Michel in Château-Gontier, which he founded. He was also instrumental in setting up a secondary school named Saint Michael’s College in Hichin, England. This experience proved useful while setting up Saint Michael’s College in Vermont. His tenure was quite short, however, as he was soon elected Superior General of the Society of Saint Edmund and returned to France in 1907.

Very Reverend Ernest M. Salmon, SSE 1907 – 1913
Second President

The Saint Michael’s Corporation elected Rev. Ernest Salmon President of the College following the 1907 General Chapter. Salmon had been at Saint Michael’s since its inception and was an easy choice to take over from Prével. During his term in office he oversaw the incorporation of the College by a special act of the Vermont legislature. This act gave the College the right to grant degrees (rather than simply giving diplomas). He served as Superior of the house until 1913, when he became the novice master and pastor of the parish in Swanton as well as Provincial of the Edmundites in America. He did, however, continue to serve as the head of the Board of Trustees of the Saint Michael’s Institute and as the President of the Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees.

Very Reverend Edmund M. Total, SSE 1913 – 1919
Third President

In September 1913, Superior General Jules Garnier named Fr. Edmund Total Superior of the Saint Michael’s College house. With this position, Fr. Total effectively took over the daily administration of the College. However, the Board of Trustees never elected Total President of the College. Fr. Ernest Salmon, as American Provincial, retained his position as President of Saint Michael’s Institute and was also elected President of the Board of Trustees of Saint Michael’s College, officially making him ex officio President of the college. It is clear Fr. Total did take on most of the rights and responsibilities of the college president, however, and he is treated as one by the tradition of the College. During his term the College continued to run a high school and to slowly grow.

Very Reverend William Jeanmarie, SSE 1919 – 1931
Fourth President

In July 1919, Fr. Total moved to Swanton and Fr. Salmon, citing too many responsibilities elsewhere, resigned his position as President of Saint Michael’s Institute and President of the Board of Trustees of Saint Michael’s College. He recommended that Fr. William Jeanmarie become President, and the Board concurred. Fr. Jeanmarie, a native of Swanton Vermont, was one of the first Americans to become a member of the Society. He was at Saint Michael’s at its founding and spent only a few years away from the College before returning in 1912. During Jeanmarie’s term, the College underwent a period of growth. In 1920, he began to raise funds for a new building on campus, and in 1923 New Hall, later named Jeanmarie Hall, opened. He also oversaw the purchase of Prével Hall, and the Seguin property, which included St Joseph’s and Senior Halls along with farm property. The College ended the high school program during his tenure and gained its first accreditations (by the New York State of Regents, Catholic University, and Montreal University.) Jeanmarie was also quite successful in maintaining the College and providing leadership for the local house while the Society of Saint Edmund itself dissolved and then petitioned the Vatican for restoration. Following his 12 years as President, he returned to Swanton in 1931, where he remained until his death.

Very Reverend Eugene Alliot, SSE 1931 – 1934
Fifth President

Rev. Eugene Alliot, a native of France, became president of Saint Michael’s College after serving in various roles since 1907. His term of office was for the most part unremarkable, although he was President at the start of the Great Depression, a very difficult time for the College.

Very Reverend Leon E. Gosselin, SSE 1934 – 1940
Sixth President

Rev. Leon Gosselin was the first graduate of Saint Michael’s College to serve as President of the College. He was born in Rutland; and grew up in Springfield, Vermont. Much of his presidency was marked by planning for the future of the College. He set up both the Friends of SMC, an organization of lay people who raised the first substantial endowment for the College, and the Associate Trustees of the College as a way of promoting the college in local community and among alumni. He worked with the Vermont State Legislature to establish a scholarship program funded by the state ($1800 for 15 scholarships). The first alumni magazine was published during his term as well. In 1939, the College was officially accredited by NEASC following many years of formal association with the American Association of Colleges. Gosselin was also instrumental in establishing Fire District Number 1 in the town of Colchester, the water district that supplies water to Winooski Park, including SMC, Fanny Allen Hospital and Fort Ethan Allen.

Very Reverend James H. Petty, SSE 1940 – 1946
Seventh President

Fr. James Petty, who was born in Portland, Maine and came to Vermont at the age of 16. He attended Saint Anne’s Academy, the Society’s secondary school in Swanton and lived with the community during his time there. He then attended Saint Michael’s. After his ordination, he returned to SMC and held many different positions. He also worked in Swanton and in Putney before returning to Saint Michael’s as president. Soon after Petty began as president, on the eve of World War II, all the men on campus between the ages of 21 and 35 registered for the draft. Students joined the military in huge numbers following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enrollment went down significantly. In an effort to remain solvent and meet the needs of the students, the College accelerated all courses so that graduation was pushed forward by a few months for the class of 1942 to almost a year for the class of 1944. All students remained in class for the summer. By 1943, both returning and new students were scarce, although again the president and administration attempted to fill the classroom with nurses from Fanny Allen Hospital nursing program. The nurses not only took classes but also lived on campus, although separated from male students by Route 15. Fr. Petty’s term ended in 1946, after he successfully maneuvered the College through the extremely difficult war period and began to prepare for the return of the veterans to campus. One of his last acts as president was to put procedures in motion for the purchase of the surplus army buildings that were to populate campus for the next decades.

Very Reverend Daniel P. Lyons, SSE ’26, H’60 1946 – 1952
Eighth President

Fr. Danny Lyons became president following the General Chapter of 1946. Lyons, a native Vermonter, had been at Saint Michael’s since 1930 in a variety of capacities. He was president during a time of extraordinary growth for the College. Veterans returned to campus in such large numbers that the College was absolutely transformed by them. The AFROTC program was added during his term, and he helped institute a retirement plan for employees. During his term as President, the College finalized the purchase of the surplus army buildings that became known as Miketown, purchased some land at Fort Ethan Allen and built Cheray Hall, the first new building in over 20 years. Fr. Lyons also oversaw the building of Ryan Hall, the first of the quad dorms. In 1947, the School of Drama, later to become Saint Michael’s Playhouse, first came to campus.

Very Reverend Francis E. Moriarty, SSE ’40, H’88 1952 – 1958, 1974 – 1976
Ninth President and Twelfth President

Father Moriarty was appointed to the position of President of Saint Michael’s College in 1952. He became the last president to serve also as Superior of the local SSE house. Moriarty had attended Saint Michael’s and returned within a couple of years of his graduation. He then went to become principal of the newly established SSE apostolate Cardinal Mindszenty High School in Dunkirk, NY. After gaining valuable administrative skills at CMHS, he returned to Saint Michael’s as president. He took over as the school was about to launch the innovative Saint Michael’s Plan of liberal education. He was at the helm as the school expanded to include an international component with the Center for International Programs and Teaching English as A Second Language programs. The campus itself expanded under his leadership, with new quad dorms added to house an ever-increasing number of men.

In 1974, upon the resignation of Bernard Boutin, Rev. Francis Moriarty once again became President of the College. He managed to keep the College on an even keel while the trustees engaged in a formal search for another lay president.

Very Reverend Gerald E. Dupont, SSE ’35 1958 – 1969
Tenth President

In August 1958 Superior General Jeremiah Purtill wrote a memo outlining the roles of the President of Saint Michael’s College and the Superior of the Saint Michael’s House. The memo noted that the role of the president had grown too complex and that religious living in the SMC House needed to have the same governance and oversight offered in other SSE houses. Therefore, he split the roles of Superior of the House and office of the President. The role of the president then became to run the College in temporal and all other ways, the role of the Superior was to administer the house and the religious assigned to it in spiritual and other matters. Superior General Purtill then appointed Father Vincent Maloney Superior of the house and Fr. Gerald Dupont took over as President of the College. Although he was originally from Rhode Island, he attended Saint Michael’s and spent all of his priestly life at Saint Michael’s after attending graduate school in Toronto and Montreal. His ten-year term of office is marked by the continued growth of the College. Dupont oversaw the continued construction of buildings on campus, including Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel, Durick Library, Alliot Hall, and the final two quad residence halls. Students continued to attend at record rates. Student life changed as the makeup of the student body changed from returning GI’s to primarily 18-22 year old students. Financial growth did not follow the other trends however, and fiscal problems grew throughout his term. Of most importance however, was the groundwork he laid for the eventual switch to lay leadership. Dupont was not unaware of the impact such a change was likely to have and there is some evidence that he planned significantly for something he saw as inevitable.

Bernard Louis Boutin ’45, H’63 1969 – 1974
Eleventh President

President Bernard Boutin became the first lay president of the College in 1969. Boutin had served on the Board of Trustees since its inception in 1967; making him well prepared to head up the school. He was a graduate of the College and had been quite involved in the College since leaving. He had also been involved in politics, serving as mayor of Laconia New Hampshire and working for the Kennedy administration. As the leader of the school during the major transition from religious to lay leadership, he had a tough job ahead of him. Boutin is best remembered for bringing women to Saint Michael’s, an act that succeeded not only in opening up the campus to women, but also to pulling the College out of a crippling debt. In 1970, 22 women enrolled at Saint Michael’s, and it remains coeducational. Despite the relatively short tenure of his term, Boutin was also quite successful in fundraising, raising funds for the building of Ross Sports Center and McCarthy Arts Center, two significant buildings that contributed significantly to student life on campus.

Edward L. Henry, Ph.D. H’87 1976 – 1985
Thirteenth President

The Board of Trustees elected Edward Henry president of Saint Michael’s College on October 3, 1975. He began work in April 1976. Prior to arriving at Saint Michael’s he had been vice president for development at St. Johns University after serving as president of St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind. and mayor of St. Cloud, MN. President Henry oversaw the College through a period of mild growth and the establishment of the College as a coeducational liberal arts college ready to enter a new phase in its history. One of his early actions as president was meeting with major stakeholders and producing a statement that called for a “liberal education in the light of the Catholic faith.” (The phrase “in the light of the Catholic faith” eventually became part of the mission of the college.) He led the College as it developed a new core curriculum, placed a premium on on-campus living and on campus life. He also made tough choices to increase tuition and hold down enrollment at a time when many Catholic colleges were closing. During his term, the College made an effort to include the community in events and expanded its continuing education offerings. He announced his intention to leave in 1983, but remained in office until June 30 1985, when Dr. Paul Reiss began as president.

Paul J. Reiss, Ph.D. H’05 1985 – 1996
Fourteenth President

Dr. Paul Reiss was inaugurated as president of Saint Michael’s College on the Feast of St. Edmund, September 29, 1985. A native of Lake Placid, New York, he earned his B.S. at Holy Cross, M.A. at Fordham University, and Ph.D. at Harvard University. Reiss served on the faculty at Marquette University and then at Fordham University, where he also served as academic and then executive vice-president. President Reiss led the College in strengthening its commitment to its Edmundite Catholic mission and led the College through eleven years of increased enrollment, expanded curricular offerings, the establishment of the honors program, institutionalization of continuing education, the development of international programs, with Japan and China, and in the initiation of the student Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts (MOVE) program. He instituted a major campus development program and fund-raising campaign which resulted in St. Edmund’s Hall, a major addition to the library, the international commons, and the Tarrant Recreation Center as well as major renovations to Jeanmarie Hall, Cheray Science Hall, Alliot Student Center and other campus buildings. Dr. Reiss contributed the funds for the construction of the President’s house which the College later named for him. He retired effective June 1996 and returned to his “hometown” where he continues to administer educational summer camp programs for inner-city youth. He also serves as the founding president of Mercy Care for the Adirondacks with a mission to extend mercy and justice to elders living in the community.

Marc A. VanderHeyden, Ph.D. 1996 – 2007
Fifteenth President

Marc VanderHeyden, a native of Belgium, became president of Saint Michael’s in 1996 after serving as provost at Marist College and working at Rider College and Cedar Crest College. He took over after a very successful Reiss presidency and so, unlike most of his predecessors, was not mired in crises from the outset. He spent a year listening and learning on campus before beginning to implement changes or his own vision. In contrast to Reiss before him, he focused very much on the undergraduate liberal educational experience, eventually closing the Prevel School to devote more energy to the undergraduate curriculum. He also renewed interest in North campus properties at Fort Ethan Allen and encouraged students’ staff and faculty, as well as the Society of Saint Edmund, to renew interest in their own history. He started the Pontigny Heritage Trips encouraging travel to France and England in an effort to understand the Society of Saint Edmund and their patron saint. He oversaw an expansive capital campaign that raised the College endowment significantly. The College finally achieved its goal of 100 percent residency on campus with the addition of three new dormitories during his tenure. His “Vision 2010” plan included the following institutional strategies – a foundation and future in faith, academic excellence, centrality of students, strength in community and fiscal responsibility through resource acquisition and accountability. During his term the College also became a member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He formally announced his retirement in May 2006.

John J. Neuhauser, Ph.D. 2007- 2018
Sixteenth President

Dr. John J. Neuhauser was named president of Saint Michael’s College in 2007 after serving as University Professor of Boston College. Professor Neuhauser was academic vice president and dean of faculties at Boston College from 1999 to 2005 and, before that, dean and professor of Boston College’s Carroll School of Management from 1977 to 1999.

A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Neuhauser earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Manhattan College in 1964, a master’s in operations research and statistics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965, and a doctorate in operations research and statistics: mathematics, also from Rensselaer, in 1968. He has an impressive record of publications in creative computing and business.

During Dr. Neuhauser’s tenure at Saint Michael’s, the campus has undergone significant improvements and been able to reduce its carbon footprint. The Dion Student Family Center, the Quad Residence Halls and the Pomerleau Alumni Center were all built to improve the student and alumni experience with minimal environmental impact. President Neuhauser has led the College successfully through the 2008 recession and has been noted in higher education media outlets for his plan of “shrinking strategically” in response to fewer high school graduates in the Northeast. In 2012 Saint Michael’s became a founding member of the Green Mountain Higher Education Consortium, a collaborative of Colleges created to reduce costs and improve services to its members.
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Through Dr. Neuhauser’s support and leadership, the College also has made great strides in linking the lifelong benefits of a liberal arts education with applied, experiential learning through initiatives like mentored summer research that offers students in all majors opportunities to learn alongside faculty doing projects more typical for graduate-level students. In recent years the College also made a concerted effort to help make its exceptional education affordable for disadvantaged, promising students. Saint Michael’s became a member of the American Talent Initiative and the Coalition for Access Affordability and Success, two important national initiatives. The College also created Saint Michael’s Accelerated Summer College, which provides students a way to lower their cost of attendance by taking courses outside of the regular semester schedule.
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Dr. Neuhauser has been a member of the Saint Michael’s College Board of Trustees since 2001. He is the father of three grown children and grandfather of seven. He has completed the Boston Marathon seven times.

Lorraine Sterritt, Ph.D. 2018- 2023
Seventeenth President

Dr. Lorraine Sterritt served as 17th president of Saint Michael’s College from 2018-2023. Dr. Sterritt was the first woman to hold the position in the College’s history.

Born and raised in Ireland, Dr. Sterritt moved to the United States in 1985 after receiving her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French at The Queen’s University of Belfast, Ireland. She received her second master’s and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Dr. Sterritt spent her entire career in education. After completing her degrees at Princeton University, where she also served as Assistant Master of Wilson College, she served as associate dean of freshmen at Harvard University before moving to the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as dean of freshmen and director of academic advising. She then served as an administrator with teaching roles at Stanford University, and as associate dean for Graduate and Undergraduate Studies for the School of Humanities and Sciences. From there she moved to Harvard, where she was a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University and dean for administration at Harvard College. Sterritt served as president of Salem Academy and College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for four years before coming to Vermont to serve as Saint Michael’s College’s 17th president.

Staff

Linda Murphy
Executive Assistant to the President
802.654.2701
lmurphy3@smcvt.edu

Linda serves as the interface between the President and all internal and external constituencies at and beyond Saint Michael’s College. She provides high-level support across a broad range of administrative responsibilities. In previous roles, Linda has served as assistant to the President’s office to five presidents and two interim presidents. She most recently served as administrative assistant to the Mayor of Burlington. Linda holds an MA in Student Personnel Administration and an MBA. She loves hiking, walking, reading and the Buffalo Bills.

Jen Porrier
Board Operations Director
jporrier@smcvt.edu

Jen Porrier joined Saint Michael’s College in July 2024, coming from the Chancellor’s Office of Vermont State Colleges as the Administrative Director.  Prior to that Jen worked at IBM for 20 years with her last assignment being in Business Operations.  Jen brings a wealth of experience working with boards and executing complex projects and stream-lining operations.

Jen earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont and her Master’s in Elementary Education from the University of Nevada, Reno.

In her spare time Jen works with the Hunger Mountain Co-op and is a Certified Adaptive Ski instructor. She is also an avid paddle boarder and skier. Jen lives in Montpelier with her husband and her dog.