Lamont appoints new chair, more new trustees

After a four-month search, Gov. Ned Lamont appointed a new chairman to the University of Connecticut’s Board of Trustees on Thursday, Aug. 29. 

Lamont’s choice of chairman is Dan Toscano, a UConn alum from the class of 1987 and current financier in Darien, Connecticut.

In addition to being a longtime donor, Toscano has had extensive involvement with the university: He was previously head of the UConn Foundation Board of Directors, was inducted into the UConn School of Business Hall of Fame in 2006 and was a commencement speaker for the school in 2013, according to UConn Today.

In a statement about his appointment, Toscano said he was “humbled and excited,” according to the Connecticut Mirror.  

“UConn has the opportunity to play a pivotal role in the economic recovery of Connecticut,” Toscano said. “UConn produces high-caliber graduates at all levels and is capable of attracting research funding that drives considerable economic development on its campuses.”  

Toscano is currently co-head of Global Leveraged and Acquisition Finance at Morgan Stanley Co., Inc, according to the UConn School of Business website.

Lamont is also appointing Scott S. Cowen as a Board of Trustees member and re-appointing four previous members to continue their roles on the board. 

Cowen graduated in 1968 from UConn and was a member of the school’s football team. Currently, he serves as president emeritus and distinguished university chair of Tulane University in New Orleans, where he served as president of the university for 16 years.  

The re-appointed members include: Charles F. Bunnell, chief of staff for external and governmental affairs to the Mohegan Tribal Nation, Shari Cantor, West Hartford Mayor and Andrea B. Dennis-LaVigne, veterinarian and founder and owner of the Bloomfield Animal Hospital. 

Grace Burns is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached at grace.burns@uconn.edu.