乐播传媒

At its February meeting, the 乐播传媒 College Board of Trustees elected John D. Gillespie 鈥�80 as the next chair of the board, succeeding Michael W. Bonney 鈥�80, who retires from the board on June 30 after 17 years as a trustee and nine years as chair.

鈥淚 am thrilled that John will be the next chair of the 乐播传媒 Board,鈥� said President Clayton Spencer. 鈥淗e is one of the most experienced of our current trustees, bringing to the role critical expertise in finance, management, and investment, as well as a track record of effective leadership in a wide range of roles on the board. Most important, John brings a deep commitment to 乐播传媒 that began in his undergraduate years and has deepened over time through his own engagement and the experience of two of his children as recent students and graduates.鈥�

鈥淚 am honored by this opportunity to give back to 乐播传媒, which has provided so much for my family and me, in such a meaningful way. I take very seriously the trust that has been placed in me by fellow trustees and the broader 乐播传媒 community,鈥� Gillespie said.

鈥淭he knowledge, skills, and habits of mind taught in the liberal arts are increasingly important for the rapidly changing world of work, the stewardship of a healthy democracy, and life in a globally interconnected world. Our job as a board, working with the leadership of the college, is to make sure that the quality and relevance of the 乐播传媒 education are strengthened in the present and maintained for generations to come.鈥�

Founder and managing partner at Prospector Partners LLC and respected as one of 乐播传媒鈥� most hard-working and effective trustees, Gillespie joined the board in 2004 and has chaired or served on 10 of the board鈥檚 12 standing committees. In 2013, as chair of the Investment Committee, he led 乐播传媒鈥� transition to a professional endowment manager. Gillespie also served as a member of the Institutional Planning Trustee Subcommittee in 2016, and he has provided guidance and stability during a dynamic four-year period in which more than a third of the current trustees have joined the board.

As a trustee leader, Gillespie is 鈥渁mbitious for the college and always prepared to ask the difficult questions that help us move the college forward in a way that is faithful to our mission and designed to ensure a sustainable future for the college,鈥� Spencer said. 鈥淚 am deeply grateful for John鈥檚 willingness to take on this new responsibility on behalf of 乐播传媒.鈥�

With Bonney and fellow trustee Geraldine FitzGerald 鈥�75, Gillespie is one of three co-chairs of the current $300 million 乐播传媒 Campaign, which passed the $202 million mark in January. He is a philanthropic leader within the 乐播传媒 community, focusing his generosity on building endowed financial aid to ensure that a 乐播传媒 education is accessible to all qualified students, regardless of their families鈥� financial circumstances. A champion for educational opportunity, his leadership has inspired many other alumni and parents to also contribute to this key priority of the college.

Gillespie was elected as chair by the 乐播传媒 Board of Trustees following a highly structured process of consultation with the board and a broad range of college constituencies. Secretary of the Corporation and Trustee Lisa Barry 鈥�77, who led the chair succession subcommittee, described the process as 鈥渁 nine-month listening tour,鈥� involving students, faculty, staff, alumni, fellow trustees, and former trustees.

鈥淭heir insights were invaluable as we developed our recommendation for the next 乐播传媒 Board chair. While John Gillespie emerged as the leading candidate as an experienced and knowledgeable leader, we were particularly impressed with his commitment to access and inclusion, which was an issue raised by all of the college鈥檚 key stakeholders.鈥�

Joining Barry on the succession subcommittee were FitzGerald, Andrea Conklin Bueschel 鈥�90, Richard Smith P鈥�12, and William Sweat 鈥�79.

Graduating cum laude from 乐播传媒 in 1980, Gillespie majored in economics and earned honors in the field, writing a thesis titled 鈥淎n Empirical Analysis of the U.S. Import Demand Function.鈥� He was a varsity golfer and was inducted into the College Key as a senior. After 乐播传媒, he earned a master鈥檚 in business administration in 1986 from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

The father of three children, including two recent 乐播传媒 alumni, Bradford Casey Gillespie 鈥�13 and Lucas Gillespie 鈥�18, Gillespie has demonstrated his dedication to his alma mater through a long history of active alumni service. As an alumni volunteer, he has served on Reunion gift committees, hosted dialogue dinners, delivered keynote addresses to alumni and parent gatherings, and counseled students as a career adviser. As a co-chair of the 乐播传媒 Campaign, he has participated in all aspects of advancement programming with alumni, parents, and friends of the college.

In 1997, Gillespie founded Prospector Partners LLC, an equity investment advisory business for corporations, foundations, endowments, and individuals. He is also the president of Prospector Funds Inc., a mutual fund firm affiliated with Prospector Partners.

Before forming Prospector, Gillespie was a vice president at T. Rowe Price Associates and served as president of the T. Rowe Price Growth Stock Fund and of the New Age Media Fund. Previously he was a senior financial analyst at GEICO Corporation.

Gillespie鈥檚 board service outside 乐播传媒 includes time as deputy chairman of White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd., and directorships at such firms as Montpelier Re, Esurance, OneBeacon Insurance, and Symetra. He served as a trustee of Pomfret School from 2010 to 2015 and was treasurer there from 2013 to 2015.