Three new members have been elected to join the Dartmouth Board of Trustees. David McKenna ’89, Shonda Rhimes ’91, and Todd Sisitsky ’93 will serve four-year terms, beginning in July.
“We are thrilled to have these remarkable leaders join the board. They have each ascended to the heights in their profession while remaining passionately committed to Dartmouth’s mission,” says board Chair Liz Cahill Lempres ’83, Thayer ’84.
“David McKenna’s work to ensure Dartmouth financial aid meets the needs of all our students and families has been transformative. Shonda Rhimes, a phenomenal creative talent, is committed to empowering students to bring their unique voice and perspective to the world. And Todd Sisitsky, who harnessed his financial and capital markets acumen to support medical and health research at Dartmouth, will help further the institution’s research and development mission,” Lempres says.
Lempres hailed the work of the four trustees who are cycling off the board, Daniel Black ’82; Beth Cogan Fascitelli ’80; Caroline Kerr ’05; and Carlos Rodriguez-Pastor, Tuck ’88.
“Their years on the board have seen remarkable developments at Dartmouth that have helped extend Dartmouth’s global reach while also making the institution more accessible to all students,” says Lempres. “We are profoundly grateful for the leadership, advice, and tireless energy they have devoted to their alma mater.”
She also said she’s glad that three board members—Connie Britton ’89, Jim Frank ’65, and Hilary Tompkins ’90—have been reelected to second terms on the board.
Meet the New Board Members
David McKenna ’89
McKenna was one of four co-chairs of the Presidential Commission on Financial Aid, established by President Philip J. Hanlon ’77 in May 2020 to support Dartmouth’s commitment to meeting each student’s full demonstrated need.
“Dartmouth is a remarkable endeavor of learning and discovery, propelled by its community, generosity, and optimism,” McKenna says. “I’m humbled and honored to serve the school, as we pull closer and reach higher together.”
McKenna was a managing partner at Advent International, a global private equity firm. He joined Advent as an analyst in 1992 and retired in 2022. During his time with the firm, he served on Advent’s executive committee and several of its investment committees. He co-led Advent’s North American team and oversaw Advent’s Asian investment operations. McKenna and his family lived in Hong Kong for two years.
He graduated cum laude with a BA in English and previously served as trustee and treasurer of the Middlesex School in Concord, Mass. McKenna and his wife, Julie McColl-McKenna ’89, who met on a first-year hiking trip, live in Sudbury, Mass., and have four children.
Shonda Rhimes ’91
“Dartmouth helped shape my future in extraordinary ways,” says Rhimes, an award-winning producer, television screenwriter, and author. “Sharing my voice, perspective, and efforts by serving on the board is one way I can help pay it forward to the next generation of students.”
Rhimes is the award-winning creator of Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal, and Inventing Anna as well as the upcoming series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. She is also the founder of Shondaland which has produced such hits as Bridgerton, How To Get Away With Murder, Station 19, and For The People.
For her collective works, Rhimes has received numerous honors including a Golden Globe and the Peabody Award, as well as lifetime achievement awards from the Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild, and Producers Guild and induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
She graduated with a BA in English, an MFA from the University of Southern California, and received an honorary doctor of arts from Dartmouth in 2014, when she delivered the Commencement address.
Todd Sisitsky ’93
Sisitsky is the current chair of the Geisel School of Medicine Board of Advisors and is one of five alumni and health care investors instrumental in the launch of the Dartmouth Innovations Accelerator for Cancer, which supports the most promising Dartmouth research for the benefit of cancer patients.
“Innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurialism are three qualities central to Dartmouth’s DNA that have also shaped my career as an investor,” says Sisitsky. “The College is a very special place for my family and me—no institution has ever had more of an impact on our lives, and I am honored to have the opportunity to serve this community on the Board of Trustees.”
Sisitsky is the president of the publicly traded alternative asset management firm TPG, and is a co‐managing partner of TPG Capital, TPG’s private equity business in the U.S. and Europe, where he co‐leads the firm’s investment activities in health care. He also serves on TPG’s board of directors, co‐chairs the firm’s management committee, and has played leadership roles in connection with a broad range of TPG investments.
Sisitsky graduated summa cum laude with a BA in government and received an MBA from Stanford. He is currently a board member of Grassroot Soccer in San Francisco, where he lives with his wife, Holly, and their three children. While not working, he enjoys skiing and mountain biking with his family.