Continuing Bryant University’s long legacy of highly accomplished Board of Trustees members, Bryant has added four new members to the Board. As previously announced, on October 1, visionary entrepreneur David M. Beirne ’85 succeeded William J. Conaty ’67 as Chair.
One of Bryant’s most philanthropic alumni, Dave Beirne joined the Board in 2001 and has had notable service on the Executive and Finance Committees, and as Chair of the Nominating Committee and Vice Chair of the Compensation Committee. A leading force in the information technology arena for more than 30 years, he is currently General Partner and Co-Founder of X10 Capital, LLC, a pioneering private equity fund. Prior to X10, he was one of the five original General Partners at Benchmark Capital, LLC, helping to establish the firm as one of the leading venture capital firms in information technology. Before joining Benchmark, Beirne co-founded Ramsey/Beirne Associates, nationally recognized as the leader in high impact executive search in information technology.
After nearly a decade of extraordinary service as Board Chair, and as Vice Chair, Secretary of the Executive Committee, and member of the University Board of Trustees since 2008, Bill Conaty will continue his service as a member of the Board. As Senior Vice President (retired), Corporate Human Resources at General Electric Company, he was the human resources leader for over 300,000 GE employees worldwide. Conaty was widely acclaimed for his track record of innovation and was the architect behind many of GE's HR practices in the areas of workforce differentiation and succession planning. He is among Bryant’s most accomplished alumni and he and his wife, Sue, are among the top five most generous donors in Bryant history.
New Trustees join Board
Bryant’s four new Trustees are Ann-Marie Harrington ’86; Beverly Ledbetter, J.D., ’18H; Angelique Perrone ’20, Recent Alumni Trustee; and Steven Richard ’00MBA.
Recognized as a national expert on technology, corporate growth, and marketing in a dynamic environment driven by today’s rapidly changing culture, Harrington has been a Partner/Advisor for Scribo, a cybersecurity messaging transmission in Watertown, MA, since 2019. In 1998 she founded Embolden, a leading digital communications and marketing firm specializing in high growth sectors. She is a former member of the National Alumni Council and current member of the Bryant Leadership Council, the College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council and Alumni Ambassador Program.
Highly regarded as a national expert in higher education law, Beverly Ledbetter served as Vice President and General Counsel at Brown University for 40 years, retiring in 2018 while continuing to collaborate on special initiatives. The first general counsel at Brown, she was also the first African American female general counsel for an Ivy League school. She lectures frequently on higher education topics including employment, civil rights, sexual and racial harassment, and federal regulatory compliance. Ledbetter is a member of the Bryant Leadership Council and previously served as a Bryant Trustee from 1998 through 2007.
Recent Alumni Trustee Angie Perrone is currently employed in the Marketing Leadership Development Program at Cigna Corporation, a global health services company. She earned her Bryant degree with a major in Business Administration and double concentrations in Marketing and Applied Analytics, with a minor in Communication. On campus she gained real-world experience through her roles as an Admission Student Ambassador, Director of Marketing for the Recreation Department within Athletics, and Head Resident Assistant within Student Affairs.
Steven Richard, J.D., is a partner at Nixon Peabody, a global law firm with major practice areas across the U.S., Europe and Asia. He is a trial and appellate attorney admitted in federal and state courts in Rhode Island as well as Connecticut and Massachusetts. His practice areas include higher education law, employment law, government law and business litigation, and he is recognized as an expert on electronic discovery and risk management issues. Consistently cited as one of The Best Lawyers in America, he serves as a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys.
Machtley named President Emeritus
During the Board of Trustees October 2 meeting, the Board passed a resolution to name Ronald K. Machtley President Emeritus. His formal president’s portrait, commissioned of acclaimed artist Burt Silverman, is installed in the Unistructure Administration Hall gallery of portraits, which now includes all of the eight presidents in Bryant history preceding President Ross Gittell, Ph.D.
