From President Daniels: Election of the next trustee chair

Dear Colleagues,

The university’s board of trustees has chosen its next leader, and chosen wisely.

The board voted at its recent meeting to elect Jeffrey H. Aronson as chair-designate. He will succeed Pamela P. Flaherty when she completes her six-year term as chair on June 30.

Mr. Aronson has been a university trustee since 2006, is a member of the board’s Executive Committee, and chairs its Campaign Executive Committee. He also serves as a trustee of Johns Hopkins Medicine and is a member of that board’s Executive Committee.

An attorney by training, he was co-founder in 2005 and is managing principal of Centerbridge Partners L.P., a private investment firm in New York City and London that manages $20 billion in capital.

I count Jeff as an extraordinarily valued friend and colleague. His service and commitment to Johns Hopkins is unquestioned. His love of the university runs deep, and he has devoted countless hours advancing the institution -- as an alumnus, parent of two Johns Hopkins students, Krieger School Advisory Council member, philanthropist and trustee. The university will be the great beneficiary of Jeff’s ascension to the board chair on July 1.

Though she remains the board’s leader for the rest of this academic year and has many more contributions to make in her role as chair and, for several more years to come, as a trustee, I nevertheless do want to take a moment now to recognize Pam Flaherty’s exemplary leadership during her term.

She masterfully guided the university’s trustees through transformative change in governance that has only enhanced the board’s effectiveness. I will always be indebted to her for her wise counsel and her consummate interpersonal skills, for welcoming me so warmly as the 14th president of the university and for being my indispensable partner during the first four years of my presidency.

The board has done itself and the university a great service in undertaking a thoughtful planning process and identifying the next board chair some months in advance. I will work closely with both Pam and Jeff between now and July to ensure a seamless transition in trustee leadership.

More information about Jeff Aronson is available in a story on The Hub.

Sincerely,
Ronald J. Daniels