Katherine Bergeron, Ph.D., became the 11th president of Connecticut College on January 1, 2014. Over the past seven years, her work has focused on building the College’s reputation by building its academic, residential, community, and financial strength. Starting in 2014, Bergeron vigorously supported the faculty’s development of Connections, a bold new venture in interdisciplinary education, designed to prepare students for leadership in an interconnected world. During this same period, Connecticut College received some of the largest single gifts in its history to enhance financial aid, career education, academic support, athletics, and the arts. Capital projects completed during her tenure include the renovation of the Charles E. Shain Library and the creation of both the Walter Commons for Global Study and Engagement and the Hale Center for Career Development. The newest project, now underway, is the revitalization of the College’s historic art deco theater, Palmer Auditorium, into the Nancy Athey ’72 and Preston Athey Center for Performance and Research, slated to open in August 2021. 

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wesleyan University, Bergeron earned master’s and doctoral degrees in music history from Cornell University and wrote two prize-winning books on French music and culture. Before coming to Connecticut College, she was Dean of the College and Professor of Music at Brown University. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Council of Independent Colleges, on the Board of the American Academic Leadership Institute, on the Board of the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra. She hosts a podcast, Think.Do.Lead., about creativity and innovation and has co-taught with her husband, media artist Butch Rovan, a course on songwriting that has yielded two albums of original songs by Connecticut College students.