Tufts University Alumni Association (TUAA) on April 14 announced that Alison "Sunny" Breed (J '66, G '72) and David Rone (LA '84) had been elected as the newest alumni trustees and will sit on the Board of Trustees for a five-year term.
Breed and Rone beat out two other candidates — Michael Fung (A '79) and Kathleen O'Loughlin (D '81) — in the election that took place between Feb. 16 and March 29.
There are 10 alumni trustees on the Board of Trustees and approximately 30 charter trustees. The board holds an annual election to fill two alumni trustee seats, while charter trustee spots are filled by invitation.
All alumni could vote online or through a paper ballot in the winter issue of Tufts Magazine.
Mini Jaikumar, associate director of alumni relations, said that Breed has the necessary experience to prepare her to serve as a trustee.
"Sunny has worked on nonprofit organizations in leadership positions for a number of years, but also has been on the board of several nonprofit organizations for a number of years," Jaikumar said. "She's been very involved with the alumni association and with the university in a number of roles for a number of years."
Breed from July 2006 through June 2008 served as president of TUAA. She also participated in attaining the Alumni Council's pledge of raising a gift of $20 million for the Beyond Boundaries capital campaign and served in the Los Angeles Tufts Alliance, according to Executive Director of Alumni Relations Timothy Brooks.
"She's had a lot of experience," Brooks said. "I think a lot of people knew her ... She was someone who was a good candidate and a popular candidate."
Breed is a recipient of the university's Distinguished Service Award and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Service Award recognizing her continuing involvement with Tufts. She noted her strong commitment to Tufts.
"Tufts' trustees are expected to make the university their top priority for both time and financial commitments," Breed said in a statement released to alumni. "Through serving and contributing to the fullest of my ability, I have demonstrated that Tufts has been my top priority for some time."
David Rone is the current chairman of the Board of Overseers for the School of Arts and Sciences and has guest lectured at Tufts. He established a challenge grant to establish the Gerald R. Gill Fund, honoring the memory of the Tufts history professor.
He is the co-head of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Sports, the sports division of the talent agency CAA. Rone has previously been executive vice president of Fox Sports Network and general manager of Fox College Sports.
Rone highlighted what he believes to be the strengths and the successes of the university.
"I've been able to witness first-hand the results of Tufts' attempts to distinguish itself as the institution for creating graduates who are leaders for our global society, armed with a superior academic foundation and a commitment to active citizenship," Rone said in a statement released to alumni.
Jaikumar noted that Rone has been actively involved with the university as an alumnus, which she credited for his successful election.
"I think that David's involvement with Tufts has certainly been a very big part of his being elected to become a trustee," Jaikumar said. "He has been involved quite a bit with Tufts University."
TUAA's nominating committee last October began short-listing candidates for the election and invited all alumni to submit nominations. The committee selected four of 44 possible candidates to stand for election, according to Jaikumar.
"One of the big functions of the nominating committee is to nominate qualified and good candidates to support elections," she said.
Secretary of the Corporation Paul Tringale said that it is useful to the board to have trustees who come from a number of different fields of expertise.
"In the aggregate, all of their experiences together makes for great governance and great governing of the university," Tringale said. "Making the connections is really an important aspect of what they can bring to the university."
Jaikumar said the role of alumni trustee has existed since the early 1900s.
"I think at that point, the university wanted to give the alumni a voice in electing the leadership of the university," she said. "The alumni wanted a voice in electing these people who were going to be leading the university."
Jaikumar said that alumni trustees and charter trustees hold the same responsibilities. "It's a pretty significant thing, and I think that there are several universities that give alumni this privilege," she said. "Certainly, Tufts is one of them," she said.
Tringale applauded the dedication and commitment of the trustees.
"They are very involved in the decision-making of the university," Tringale said. "They're giving a lot of time to Tufts, and I have to say I'm humbled by the amount of time they put in."
