Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed bank executive Sandy Pierce to the Michigan State University Board of Trustees, her office announced Tuesday, Dec. 27.
Pierce’s appointment comes following the resignation in November of former board member Pat O’Keefe, who, amid turmoil, expressed concern about the board’s lack of transparency.
Whitmer, an MSU alum, said in a statement university students, staff, faculty and alumni “deserve leadership who will put them first and do the right thing no matter what.”
“Sandy is the right person for the job because she leads with her values and has decades of experience to back it up,” Whitmer said. “She is a trusted professional and a tested, proven leader. I know Sandy will be an asset to Michigan State and work hard to ensure the continued success and growth of the university.”
Pierce is the senior executive vice president of Huntington National Bank. Previously, she was vice chairman of FirstMerit Corporation and worked in senior roles at RBS Citizens and JPMorgan Chase. She served on many boards, including as chair of the Henry Ford Health system board.
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder previously appointed Pierce chair of the Detroit Financial Advisory Board. She has been recognized for her work in Crain’s Detroit Business, Michigan Roundtable for Diversity & Inclusion and Harvard Business School and was awarded the 2018 Michigan State University Honorary Alumni Award, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
She earned her bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration at Wayne State University.
Pierce said in a statement that she’s thrilled to have the opportunity to now serve on the MSU board.
“I’ve dedicated my career to economic development in the state of Michigan and its world class institutions,” Pierce said. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to continue to help advance the school’s mission and provide relevant guidance on its strategic goals and objectives. Access to a good education is the bedrock of our success and is a part of securing the future for this great state.”
Pierce joins the board after a string of incidents related to former MSU College of Business Dean Sanjay Gupta’s departure brought about conflict between former President Samuel Stanley and the MSU Board of Trustees.
Gupta was asked to resign following concerns from then-Provost Teresa Woodruff, now the university’s interim president, that he had “failed in his mandatory reporting responsibility.”
The subsequent disagreement about the certification of Title IX reports between Stanley and the board eventually ended with Stanley’s resignation in October.
O’Keefe, Pierce’s predecessor, stepped down from his role shortly after Stanley due to what he believed to be the board opaqueness surrounding what he called Gupta’s “termination”.
“My belief is that the shadows of the university’s past will continue to linger if true change remains aspirational and the Board does not practice the transparency it seeks to promote,” he then wrote.
According to the governor’s office, the Whitmer administration met with MSU students, alumni and faculty prior to making the new appointment.
Pierce’s term begins Tuesday and expires Jan. 1, 2029.
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Source: news.google.com
