On Friday, April 19, Choate’s Board of Trustees selected Mr. George F. Colony ’72 as the next chair. Mr. Colony will assume his new role on July 1, succeeding Mr. Michael Carr, who has served as Chair of Board of Trustees for eight years.
In addition to having served as a Trustee on the Board since 2013, Mr. Colony was also the 2005 recipient of the Choate Alumni Seal Prize. He has made significant contributions to the School, one of which is reflected by the ongoing construction of Colony Hall, which is named after him. Outside of Choate, Mr. Colony is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Forrester Research Inc., a market research company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
In order to select a new Board Chair, Mr. Carr worked with a group of trustees to consider each of the current Board members and make the ultimate decision. Head of School Dr. Alex Curtis said, “It’s not really a process of applying and voting — it doesn’t work like that. The Board establishes what the characteristics and skills they need for the next Board Chair are. Then, there’s a lot of conversation, and an unanimous decision is made because it was done by conversation.”
Throughout the process of discussion and selection, the Board considered who would best represent the Board, receive input, run meetings effectively, and work well with the Head of School. Regarding other important qualities of a Board Chair, Dr. Curtis said, “Experience in leadership is very important. Mr. Colony is the C.E.O. of Forrester Research, so he’s run a significant firm. Also, there needs to be a willingness to give up time — it’s quite a time-intensive job on top of a full regular job.”
As the Board Chair, Mr. Colony will have several new roles and responsibilities. Although the Head of School and administration run Choate on a daily basis, the Board is responsible for long-term, strategic planning. The Board Chair sees to it that the Board stays on task, sets long-term goals for the School, and ensures Choate’s financial sustainability.
Mr. Colony will work closely with Dr. Curtis to form a bridge between the Board and the School. Dr. Curtis said, “The Board is the ultimate oversight for the School, so, though they give me responsibility of the day-to-day running of the School, they also have responsibility to make sure we’re doing it correctly. [The Board Chair] is my single most important adviser. He is the person I am checking in with and discussing what we’re doing.”
Although he was not directly involved in the selection process, Dr. Curtis was able to provide some input based on what he believed to be best for the School. “It was very important to me,” he said, “that we would have someone that was supportive of the direction the School is heading, the kind of students we are trying to attract at the School, the faculty and staff that we think can support those students best, the kind of learning that we are doing.”
Dr. Curtis said that Mr. Colony has “been a very supportive and strong voice on the Board and passionate about the work we’re trying to do to make this school the best it can possibly be.”
