Chair Emerita Mary Kane , President Tim Trainor and Chair Gracelyn McDermott, pictured together in 2017.
The Mount St. Mary’s Board of Trustees elected Gracelyn Ashby McDermott, C’93, to serve as chair of the board and Richard P. Miller, C’74, as vice chair. McDermott is the second woman and first African American to lead the 31-member board of the 212-year-old university. Four of the trustees are newly elected.
McDermott, who succeeds Mary D. Kane, C’84, is executive director of account management at Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States. Her overall professional career includes sales, operations and information technology leadership in the health care field. Prior to joining Kaiser, McDermott served as vice president of accrediting and client services at URAC, an independent health care accrediting organization, and director, specimen administration for Ameritox, LLC., formerly a leader in pain medication monitoring.
“I am honored that the Board has entrusted leadership to me,” McDermott said. “My goal is to provide Dr. Trainor with full support while we continue to successfully manage through the pandemic and to forge initiatives that will solidify the Mount as a premier university for years to come—building on all the previous efforts initiated under Mary Kane’s leadership.”
A member of Leadership Maryland’s Class of 2018, an eight-month hands-on learning program for senior executives dedicated to building a better Maryland, McDermott is also a certified project management professional (PMP). She is vice chair for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce and a member of the boards of the nonprofit organizations Vehicles for Change and Excellence in Education Foundation for PGCPS, Inc.
After graduating from the Mount with an undergraduate degree in international studies and Spanish, McDermott earned a MBA from Johns Hopkins University. A member of the Mount’s Board of Trustees since 2013, she previously served as vice chair and secretary. She gives generously of her time and talent to the university, including participation in the inaugural Alumni of Color Panel dinner in 2019 and a webinar for alumni on health care. She received the Academic Circle of Excellence Award, which recognizes distinguished Mount alumni who are leaders in their communities or in their chosen profession, in 2017. McDermott lives in Mount Airy, Maryland, with her husband and two daughters.
Rich Miller, who previously served as secretary of the board, is the retired president and CEO of Virtua Health. He delivered the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate in humane letters in 2017. Miller has long demonstrated his commitment to his university and local communities and has served on the boards of several community health organizations, including the New Jersey Hospital Association, the American Heart Association and the March of Dimes of Southern New Jersey. He has served as a trustee for five years. Miller lives in Philadelphia with his wife; they have two adult daughters.
“I am excited to continue working with Gracelyn and Rich in their new leadership roles on the university’s opportunities to spread our goodness. They are accomplished business leaders, proud alumni and deeply devoted supporters of the Mount’s mission and our students,” said President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. “All of our current and newly appointed trustees bring diverse and valuable perspectives, experiences and expertise to help move us into the future with confidence, strength and vision.”
Mary Kane, who has served as chair for nearly five years, will leave the board after the June 2021 meeting, having completed nine years of service. The Board of Trustees honored her with the title chair emerita. Kane led the board through a presidential transition and the creation of a five-year strategic plan for the university as well as reimagined the board and its structure. “I want to thank Mary Kane for her tremendous leadership and service to the university as chair and for her ongoing support as a proud Mountaineer,” Trainor said.
David P. Conaghan, C’81, executive director of CIBC Capital Markets, will step into the role of board secretary previously held by Miller. Richard M. Folio, C’88, MBA-98, executive vice president and CFO of Midwest Railcar Corporation, is the new treasurer of the board.
Four new trustees with begin three-year terms:
The new trustees will attend their first meeting in January 2021.