January 31, 2023 – Washington, DC
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) announces the election of five new members to its Board of Directors. The election was held during the annual board meeting prior to the start of the 2023 Presidents Institute that took place January 4–7 in San Francisco.
CIC is the only national higher education association that focuses solely on providing services and a broad range of initiatives directly to independent colleges and universities to help improve education quality and strengthen institutional resources. The Board of Directors includes college presidents from CIC institutions and other leaders in higher education.
The three presidents of CIC member institutions newly elected to the CIC Board of Directors are:
Robin E. Baker, president of George Fox University in Newberg, OR
Baker became president of George Fox in 2007, and since then George Fox has grown to become the largest private university in Oregon. He previously served eight years as the university’s provost. Under his leadership, the university has expanded academic programs in professional fields, including undergraduate engineering and nursing and graduate health science programs such as physical therapy and physician assistant. Previously, Baker was a history professor at Wheaton College and served at universities in the south and southwest. He completed a PhD in Civil War and American political history with honors at Texas A&M University in 1989.
L. Song Richardson, president of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO
Richardson is an award-winning educator, legal scholar, and lawyer. She became Colorado College’s president in July 2021. As a Black and Korean leader, she is the first woman of color to be president at Colorado College. She was previously the dean and chancellor’s professor of law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. In recognition of her accomplishments, the Thurgood Marshall Bar Association created the L. Song Richardson Legacy Award to honor individuals whose contributions make a lasting impact on the legal profession. She earned her BA from Harvard College and her JD from Yale Law School.
Lori S. White, president of DePauw University in Greencastle, IN
White was appointed president of DePauw University in 2020 and holds the rank of professor of education. She is the first woman and the first person of color to serve as DePauw’s president. Previously, she was the vice chancellor for student affairs and a professor of practice at Washington University in St. Louis. She also served as the vice president for student affairs and clinical professor of education at Southern Methodist University and worked at the University of Southern California; Stanford; Georgetown and San Diego State universities; and the University of California, Irvine. White earned her undergraduate degree in psychology and English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD from Stanford University in education administration and policy analysis, with emphasis in higher education.
Baker, Richardson, and White will serve on the board until their terms end in January 2026, along with the following new members:
Paul Dimitruk, co-founder and senior partner, Partners Capital in Boston, MA
Dimitruk co-founded Partners Capital Investment Group, a leading international outsourced investment office. The firm manages more than $40 billion in assets for endowments, foundations, pensions, investment professionals, and high-net-worth families in Europe, North America, and Asia. Since co-founding the firm in 2001, Dimitruk has contributed to its success in multiple ways, including 10 years as executive chairman. He began his career in 1974 as a lawyer, ultimately becoming the managing partner of a global law firm’s European practice. He entered the finance sector in 1985 when he became a partner of a global private equity firm. Dimitruk has founded multiple companies in the investment sector. Dimitruk was made a life trustee of Denison University in Ohio in 2017. He holds a JD from the New York University School of Law.
Treva Haugaard, executive director of the Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation in Omaha, NE
Haugaard was appointed executive director in May 2019 of the Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation (CINCF), which represents 13 of Nebraska’s private colleges and universities. The member schools educate nearly 35,000 students annually. The mission of CINCF is to make excellent higher education accessible to students from diverse backgrounds. Haugaard is a committed and passionate nonprofit leader with more than 20 years of experience in areas such as child welfare, nonprofit management, and higher education. She earned a BA in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska Lincoln and a master’s degree in public administration and social work from the University of Nebraska Omaha.
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more than 700 nonprofit independent colleges and universities, state-based councils of independent colleges, and other higher education affiliates, that works to support college and university leadership, advance institutional excellence, and enhance public understanding of independent higher education’s contributions to society. CIC is the major national organization that focuses on services to leaders of independent colleges and universities and state-based councils. Founded in 1956, CIC is headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC.