Michael Dunn, a digital marketing and strategy consultant and retiree from Georgia Pacific where he was senior vice president and chief marketing officer was recently appointed as the new chair of the Manhattanville College Board of Trustees.
A 1977 graduate of Manhattanville in Purchase, Dunn has been on the board of the college since 2015, most recently serving as vice chair and a member of the executive committee. His appointment as board chair comes at a time of great opportunity as Manhattanville embarks on a new plan, continuing to evolve and expand strategic areas while embracing its roots as a liberal arts college.
“Manhattanville College is in its moment,”™”™ said Dunn. “The pandemic created challenges, but it also created opportunities for us to reinvent ourselves, keeping the best of our traditions while exploring new ways to attract students and expand our offerings. Our new School of Nursing and Health Sciences and our Center for Design Thinking are just two examples. I”™m excited to use my energy and my skills in management and marketing to lead us through this sea of change and promote all that we have to offer as a top liberal arts college.”™”™
Dunn has won awards for innovation in product development, including from the American Marketing Association, which awarded him its B2B Silver Effectiveness Award, called the “Effie,” for his innovation work. He retired from Georgia Pacific in 2019 and has since started the James Gate Group, advising companies on marketing, digital marketing, strategy and innovation development and execution.
In addition to Dunn, four new members, all graduates of Manhattanville, include John Calvao, Cathleen Collins, Stephanie Kloos Donoghue and June R. Wang. They bring decades of professional experience in nonprofit leadership, law, finance, telecommunications and marketing and communications.
Manhattanville has been recognized by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 1 private, nonprofit school in the Regional Universities North category for Top Performers of Social Mobility, enrolling and graduating large proportions of underserved students who go on to build careers with great earning potential. Manhattanville has also earned a designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, which has allowed it to recruit more Hispanic students and seek federal funding to support them.
