Karen Francis, a graduate of the Class of 1984, was recently elected to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees -- becoming both the newest and youngest member of the Board.
Francis, who is currently Managing Director of an Internet Company and resides in San Fransisco, began her term as a Charter Trustee on June 11, succeeding Kate Stith-Cabranes '73, who leaves after eleven years.
Chairman of the Board William H. King, Jr. '63 said Francis will bring a new perspective from the graduating classes of the mid 1980s to the Board -- a perspective otherwise not represented by a member of the Board. He did add, however, that age is not a factor in the decision making process for appointments to the Board.
"What we look for is qualifications and perspectives and the talents that people would bring to the Board, and we felt at this point in Dartmouth's history [Francis] would be an excellent addition."
Among her activities at the College, Francis was the founding President of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. King said, however, that her Greek affiliation had no bearing on the election process and will not affect the Board's future decision making.
During the Board's election of a Charter Trustee -- different from an Alumni Trustee who is nominated by the alumni and elected by the Board -- a candidate's entire background is evaluated, and fraternity or sorority affiliation is not singled out for consideration.
"What is important is someone who will have the ultimate long-term best interest of the College in mind, and will not be a proponent or opponent of any single issue on campus," King said, adding that the role of a Trustee is not single-issue advocacy.
King said Francis brings a superb background to the College, and that he expects her to be an active participant in Board deliberations.
Francis is currently Managing Director and Chief Marketing Officer for Internet Capital Group, an Internet company that invests in business-to-business e-commerce companies. In this capacity she is charged with overseeing all aspects of marketing.
Francis' previous occupations include General Manager of Oldsmobile for General Motors, Vice President of Marketing at Empire Berol Corp., a consultant at Bain & Co., and Assistant Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble Co.
King said he looks forward to having Francis on the Board because she will bring perspective and the diverse elements of her background to meetings.
"We know she will be a very participatory member of the Board and will share with us the very difficult decisions that we will make," King said.
Francis earned her bachelor's degree in economics at Dartmouth and her master's degree in business administration at Harvard University.
In another unrelated appointment, Robert Donin will assume the post of General Counsel of the College starting this August. Donin will provide advice for legal issues concerning the College to the Board of Trustees, the President, other administrative officers and the faculty.
Since 1984, Donin has carried out legal work for Harvard, serving as Deputy General Counsel since 1997. Among his duties, Donin supervised the Office of the General Counsel and worked on cases involving affirmative action, intellectual property and student affairs.
From 1993 to 1997 he acted as University Attorney and Administrative Coordinator in the Office of the General Counsel, and up until 1993 he was University Attorney.
Donin graduated from Colgate University in 1971, obtained his J.D. in 1974 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and four years later earned an L.L.M. from the University of London.
