During the May 2022 Board meeting, the St. Lawrence University Board of Trustees elected their leadership for the 2022-23 year.
Michael Ranger '80, P'17
Michael Ranger '80, P'17 was elected as chair of the Board of Trustees for the final year of his five-year term. Ranger served as a term trustee from 1993-2004, including as vice chair from 2002-03. He returned to the Board in 2012 and became vice chair and chair-elect for 2017-18 before being elected chair in 2018.
Ranger served as co-chair of the Campaign for Every Laurentian during the leadership phase of the largest and most ambitious fundraising effort in the school's history. The campaign concluded successfully in June of 2021, raising a record $232 million. Eight of the ten largest gifts in the University's history were made during the Campaign with his leadership.
The University endowment has grown significantly during his tenure as chair of the Board. It has increased by more than 25%, topping $400 million in 2021.
He also oversaw the search for a new leader of the University in 2021-2022, helping to recruit and hire Kathryn A. Morris as the 19th President of St Lawrence.
Ranger retired as co-founder and senior managing director of Diamond Castle Holdings in 2020. He is on the Board of Directors at Consolidated Edison, Inc. (New York City), served on the Board of Directors of Covanta Holding Corporation from 2016 until 2020 and then as CEO until 2021. He has also served as past chairman of the Seeing Eye, Inc., past president of the Board of Trustees at Morristown-Beard School and a trustee at LifeCamp, Inc.
"The Laurentian community owes Mike Ranger a debt of gratitude for his steadfast leadership during the past five years," said St. Lawrence University President Kathryn A. Morris. "His leadership was essential as he guided the university through the pandemic, a successful capital campaign, and presidential transition."
Jennifer Curley Reichert '90
Jennifer Curley Reichert '90 was re-elected as vice chair of the board for her fifth year. In addition, she became chair-elect and in June 2023 will become the first woman chair of the Board of Trustees. Curley Reichert has served as a term trustee since 2010 and as a McCurdy-Sprague trustee from 1999-2003. McCurdy-Sprague trustees are alumni who graduated within the past ten years.
Curley Reichert is a founder of the SLU Connect program, an innovative week-long program that provides St. Lawrence students an immersive hands-on career experience including site visits, career and industry roundtables, and small group discussions, hosted by St. Lawrence alumni and parents. The SLU Connect program started in Washington D.C. and has expanded to Albany and New York, NY, Boston, MA, Bozeman and Big Sky, MT, Burlington, VT and San Francisco, CA. Curley Reichert's leadership and vision were crucial to the program's initial success, and she has remained a strong supporter.
In addition, she has served on the Presidential Search Committee, the Experience St. Lawrence Task Force and has been a member of the Alumni Executive Council and Leadership Gifts Committee. She has been a career mentor to countless Laurentians and has hired 22 Laurentians as either interns or full-time staff members at her company.
Curley Reichert is Founder and CEO of Curley Company, a strategic communications firm based in Washington, D.C. She is a business strategist and entrepreneur who advises Fortune 100 companies, large trade associations and nonprofits on thought leadership, reputation management and risk mitigation. In 2020, she was named Woman of the Year by Washington Women in Public Relations and she serves as a board member and chair of the governance committee for the Global Women’s Innovation Network (GlobalWIN) in Washington, D.C.
"Jennifer is an astute strategic thinker. With 16 years on the board, five of which as vice chair, she is well prepared to lead the Board of Trustees," said Ranger. "She has a deep love for our alma mater, and I look forward to working with her to ensure a smooth transition."
Curley Reichert will be joining an elite group of women. According to a 2020 report by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, only about 25% of independent universities and colleges have a female board chair.
Jeff Killeen '75
Jeff Killeen '75 was elected as vice chair-elect and will become vice chair in June 2023. Killeen has served as a term trustee since 2019. As an alumnus, he has served as a career advisor and Reunion planning chair and currently serves as a North Country Public Radio Executive Council member. He was instrumental as a member of the recent Experience St. Lawrence Task Force lending his considerable strategic planning expertise.
Killeen's professional career spans 40 years as an entrepreneur, corporate operating executive, CEO, board chair, and board member in the information services, media, and internet industries. Most recently, he was chairman and CEO of GlobalSpec, the leading digital content provider to the global design engineering community. In addition, Killeen has served on three public company boards and numerous private company boards and was board chair for several major nonprofit corporations.
Currently, Killeen is past chair of the Center for Disability Services, Chairman of Life Quality Solutions Incubator, and board chair for the Lake George Association. He is also a Partner in the Jefferson Project, which focuses on applying best-in-class science and technology to guide the protection of freshwater resources in New York State, nationally, and globally.
