July 14, 2023
Dear Campus Community,
I am pleased to share with you our newly elected officers of the Board of Trustees:
- Lauren Wise Bright ’90, Chair | Bright is Chief Legal Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She was a member of the College’s Alumni Board of Directors from 2013 until 2020, when she became a member of the Board of Trustees. Bright is the first woman and first person of color to serve as Chair of the Board in Gettysburg College’s history.
At the Foundation, Bright leads its legal team, advising senior leadership and staff on all legal issues. Prior to this role, she served as the Foundation’s co-general counsel and director of its Washington, D.C. office, overseeing a broad range of domestic and international legal, regulatory, and policy matters.
- Jeffrey C. Oak ’81, Executive Vice Chair | Oak is Vistage Chair in Long Island, New York, where he leads peer advisory groups and provides executive coaching for CEOs and business owners. He also serves as Senior Advisor for the Ethics and Compliance Initiative, and Adjunct Professor at Fordham University School of Law. He previously served as Chief Enterprise Risk Officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health.
- Flora D. Darpino ’83, Vice Chair | Darpino is a retired Lieutenant General and the 39th Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army—the first woman to hold the position. Along with numerous leadership positions in her 30-plus years in the Army, Darpino deployed for two combat tours, including serving as the Senior Military Legal Advisor in Iraq. She served in command at the United States Army Legal Services Agency and The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. She also served as the Chief Judge on the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.
- Lindsay Musser Hough ’98, Vice Chair | Hough is Principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP. She serves as Vice Chair of its state, local, and higher education sector and has served as a trusted strategic advisor to many public sector clients for more than 20 years. With a passion for client service that supports publicly-funded health care and services for adults with disabilities, Hough also chairs the board of a human services agency.
- Troy Datcher ’90, Secretary | Datcher is Chairman of The Gold Flora Corporation. He previously served as The Clorox Company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, leading global sales that resulted in more than $6.7 billion in annual revenue. Datcher is a two-time Ebony Magazine Power 100 honoree and one of Savoy Magazine’s top 100 Black executives.
I am deeply grateful to these alumni for their leadership during this important moment for the College. Over the past four years, I have worked closely with each of our newly elected officers. Time and again, I’ve been inspired by their wisdom, integrity, and steadfast commitment to our mission and its endurance for generations to come.
Lastly, I want to express my thanks to Emeritus Trustee David Brennan ’75, P’00, who completed his third term on the Board this May. Brennan devoted 12 years of service to the Board, including the last five years as Chair. We have all benefitted from his thoughtful leadership and his passion for his alma mater.
Trustees set the fundamental direction of every institution. We are extremely fortunate to have on our Board such a remarkable group of people so deeply committed to the College.
Sincerely,
Bob Iuliano
President