Colby College is pleased to announce the election of six new members to its Board of Trustees. The six individuals bring a broad range of expertise and insight in education, human relations, finance, and global business and development.
Individually and collectively, they will help the College continue its commitment to providing an increasingly diverse student body with a world-class education and a range of skills and tools to impact communities in positive ways.
Joining the board are Christian “Chris” Brunet ’01, global head of human resources for Brown Brothers Harriman & Co; Jacklyn “Jackie” Dao Dinneen ’05, deputy chief of staff for the Peace Corps; Sarah Eustis ’96, strategic partnership director for InsideTrack; Tionna Haynes ’15, director of special education for Urban Preparatory Charter Bronzeville High School, Chicago; Joerose Tharakan ’08, director of partner development and strategic global partnerships for Microsoft; and Joshua “Josh” Woodfork ’97, executive director of the Office of the President and Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity at Skidmore College.
“This is an incredible group,” said President David A. Greene. “Their combination of noteworthy professional experience and exceptional service to the College makes them particularly well positioned to lead on the Board of Trustees at this time of tremendous progress. We are so thankful to them for their willingness to be part of the board at this critical moment in Colby’s history.”
In addition to the new board members, Jane Powers ’86 is the new chair of the board, moving into the role from her previous position as vice chair. She is Colby’s first female board chair, replacing Eric S. Rosengren ’79, P’12, who will remain on the board as a member. The new board vice chairs are Susan Boland ’83 and Jack O’Neil ’77.
Christian Brunet ’01 joined private financial services firm Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. of Boston in 2006 and currently serves as a managing director and as global head of human resources. Previously, he served as chief operating and financial officer for the firm’s private banking and wealth management divisions and as chair of the firm’s strategic planning committee. Over the course of his career at Brown Brothers Harriman, he has worked on the investment side of the business, co-leading manager research and due diligence for the private wealth management group. He earned his B.A. in anthropology at Colby and his M.B.A. from Yale University. He is married to Whitney Dayton Brunet ’01, a member of the Colby College Museum of Art’s Board of Governors.
Jacklyn Dao Dinneen ’05 of Duxbury, Mass., was named deputy chief of staff of the Peace Corps in 2021, and prior to that she held fundraising and marketing positions with The Partnership Inc., where she helped recruit, retain, and develop professionals of color. She served in both administrations of President Barack Obama, as deputy White House liaison in the Department of Homeland Security, then as White House liaison in the Peace Corps, as associate policy director in the Office of the First Lady, and as director of gifts and grants management within the Office of Public Engagement for the Peace Corps. At Colby, she was a government major, captain of the women’s rugby club, and a mentor for girls through Hardy Girls Healthy Women.
Sarah Eustis ’96 of Portland, Ore., is the director of program operations at InsideTrack, Inc., an Oregon-based company that works with colleges and universities to improve student and institutional success. The company was recently named one of the 10 most innovative education companies in the world. In her current role, she manages more than 10 university partnerships, offering consulting on industry best practices and improvements to student services. She also oversees projects requiring technology integration. She earned her B.A. in American studies at Colby and an M.A.T. in secondary education from Brown University. She was raised in Waterville and was a four-year member of the soccer team at Colby. Her Colby connections run deep. The Eustis Administration Building was named after her grandfather Arthur Galen Eustis, Class of 1923, and other members of her family attending Colby include her grandfather Harold Joseph ’44, aunt Nancy Eustis Huprich ’54, mother Paula Joseph Eustis ’69, father Jon Eustis ’69, and aunt Tenley Joseph Baxter ’79.
Tionna Haynes ’15 was a Posse Scholar at Colby, and she currently serves as director of special education at Urban Preparatory Charter High School’s Bronzeville campus, one of three open-enrollment public charter high schools in high-need communities in Chicago. Her previous roles include teaching at Perspectives Charter Schools, Young Women’s Leadership Charter School in Chicago, and Noble Street Charter School Network. At Colby, Haynes studied African-American history and was known for her activism and leadership. She received the 2015 Drum Major for Justice Award and was president of the Students Organized for Black and Hispanic Unity, now known as Students Organized for Black and Latinx Unity, or SOBLU. She worked at the Pugh Center nearly her entire time at Colby and held various leadership positions in the Student Government Association. She received her M.A. in special education and teaching from Dominican University and a master’s of education in public school building leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Joerose Tharakan ’08 is director of partner development and strategic global partnerships for Microsoft, where she has worked since earning her M.B.A. from Yale in 2012. In her role, she is responsible for managing Microsoft’s relationship with the global information technology consulting company Cognizant. Prior to that, she held positions in London with Lehman Brothers and Nomura, and in New York with Goldman Sachs. She lives in New York and is on the board of Ivy International, which promotes mindfulness education. She was a Davis United World College Scholar at Colby, active in theater, and involved with Colby Cares About Kids, Colby Dancers, the Emerging Leaders Program, the International Club, the Colby Echo, student government, and other groups. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee, she studied abroad at the London School of Economics. She served on Colby’s board from 2013 to 2019 and has been active with the College since.
Joshua Woodfork ’97 is the executive director of the Office of the President and Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., as well as vice president for strategic planning and institutional diversity. Before joining the senior leadership team, he was an assistant professor at Skidmore and at American University, and director of the Consortium on High Achievement and Success, which works to enhance the success of historically underrepresented students. A Condon Medal winner at Colby, he was active with Students of Color United for Change, the Trustee Commission on Multicultural and Special Interest Housing, and what is now known as Students Organized for Black and Latinx Unity, or SOBLU. He was a student representative to the Board of Trustees twice and previously served as a trustee from 2009 to 2013. He also has served Colby as a visitor from 2001 to 2009. He received the Colby Brick Award in 2012. At Skidmore, in addition to receiving the President’s Award in 2008, he has been recognized with an Emerging Scholar Award by Franklin & Marshall’s Center for Liberal Arts and Society and with a Community Service Award from the Saratoga county branch of the NAACP.
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