GW announced Saturday that the Board of Trustees elected Vice Chair Mark Chichester as its next chair, succeeding longtime leader Grace Speights as the University navigates strategic planning and financial strains.
Chichester, co-founder of healthcare consulting firm Atlas Research, has served as vice chair since May 2022 and will lead the University’s top governing body for three years beginning June 1 as GW implements University President Ellen Granberg’s strategic framework, works to reverse the structural deficit and grapples with Trump-era policies reshaping higher education. The Board also elected Trustee Todd Klein to a three-year term as vice chair and reappointed Secretary Jeffrey Flaks — who began serving in the role last June — to a three-year term.
The Board voted last March to extend Speights’ and Chichesters’ terms for an additional year — made possible by a 2024 bylaw amendment that permits trustees to extend an officer’s term for a year under extraordinary circumstances. Before the amendment, bylaws mandated that Board officers could not serve more than six years in the same position…