At its May meeting, the Ithaca College Board of Trustees elected wine industry consultant Kathleen Keltos Newlands ’89 to a four-year term and named retiring longtime board secretary Nancy Pringle as an honorary trustee.
Newlands — who earned her undergraduate degree in marketing from the School of Business — has spent her professional career in wine sales and marketing. She joined E. & J. Gallo Winery in 1989 as a sales rep in Southern California and worked in 11 different positions within Gallo over 10 years, including the areas of sales, marketing and human resources. In 1994 she became the company’s national director of college recruiting. During her tenure there she took a leave of absence to pursue her graduate degree at Harvard Business School, earning her MBA in 1997. She went on to serve as vice president of marketing for St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery in Napa, California, and since 2004 has been an independent marketing consultant.
As a student, Newlands competed on the IC track and cross-country teams, was a member of the American Marketing Association club, and was elected to the Delta Mu Delta business honor society. She also worked at Egbert Union as it transitioned to what is now known as the Campus Center. She has participated in a variety of college and School of Business alumni activities over the years and has served on various other boards in her community. Her husband, Bill, is president and CEO of Constellation Brands, and her late father-in-law, William Newlands, earned his degree in physical education from the college in 1950.
Currently serving as executive vice president and senior advisor to the president, Nancy Pringle is retiring after a 25-year career at the college. She was recognized by the board with honorary trustee status for her extraordinary contributions and being a respected colleague who has provided “intellect, creativity, civility and stability” while serving four presidents, six board chairs and hundreds of board members as well as untold faculty, administrators, students and staff.
Three trustees were also elected to an additional three-year term: James Nolan ’77 — who is currently serving as the board’s vice chair — David Bachrach ’70 and Doug Weisman ’78. Attending her first board meeting since being elected in April was fashion industry executive Jan Singer ’86.
In April, the board had also amended its bylaws so that the staff and faculty trustees will serve four-year terms instead of three-year terms, which went into effect immediately. Current staff trustee Sybil Conrad, director of the Campus Center; and faculty trustee Julie Dorsey ’01, M.S. ’03, associate professor of occupational therapy, each have one year remaining on their respective terms.
The change was made in consultation with Staff Council and Faculty Council so as to give the staff and faculty trustee positions a term length that will provide a greater opportunity to become more fully immersed in their roles and provide more effective representation. In consultation with Student Governance Council, the student trustee position will remain a two-year term and is up for election next year.