The Babson College Board of Trustees voted in Jeffery S. Perry ’87, P’23 as the new Chair. The current Chair, Marla Capozzi MBA ’96, is stepping down from her position effective June 30, 2021. For the past 11 years, Capozzi has served as a Trustee, chairing the Academic Excellence Committee, serving on the Governance Committee and serving as vice chair before becoming the first woman in the College’s history to ever hold the position of board chair in 2017.
“Marla has been dedicated to the Babson community for more than two decades, and as Chair, helped position the College for success in its second century,” says Babson President Stephen Spinelli Jr. MBA ’92, PhD. “Under Jeff’s leadership, Babson will continue to revolutionize entrepreneurship education and capitalize on the accelerating need for knowledge and learning. I look forward to partnering with Jeff and extend my deepest gratitude to both Jeff and Marla for their work to support Babson College.”
As Board Chair, Capozzi worked to shape Governance to align more directly to the College’s priorities and prepare for the future. This work resulted in the College’s first Board committees on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Student Experience, as well as successfully repositioning the Academic Affairs Committee into the Academic Excellence Committee.
Capozzi has provided thoughtful and essential leadership to the Board through some of the College’s most important endeavors, including:
- An unforgettable year-long Babson Centennial, which was topped off with a record $91.1 million in gifts to the College raised during the historic celebrations
- A seamless presidential transition to begin the College’s new century
- Development of an institutional strategic plan that engages the entire College community to prepare Babson to thrive in a changing environment
- The successful navigation of the pandemic
Capozzi says, “Four years ago, as a new Chair, a priority was to prepare Babson College for its next century, and, today, I am proud to say that we are thriving in a world that needs our leadership more than ever. Year-over-year, we continue to admit more diverse, talented, and passionate students and graduate the leaders of tomorrow.” She adds, “I am exceptionally proud that I’ll be handing off this position to Jeff, at a time when the College is focused on intentional, meaningful and sustainable change.”
Perry was elected for his intentional, purposeful, and authentic commitment to Babson College. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2016, most recently leading the Academic Excellence Committee. Perry has significant corporate and non-profit board governance experience including as Board Director at Fortune Brands, Board Chair at Chicago Children’s Museum, and Former Board Chair at INROADS Inc. He is dedicated to advancing the entrepreneurial leadership message. With his appointment, Perry will be the first Black Board of Trustees Chair, an important milestone for the College.
“I am grateful for Marla’s commitment to advance the entrepreneurial mission of the College. I look forward to continuing to work with her in the future,” says Perry. He continued, “Now more than ever, the world needs entrepreneurial leaders and Babson is uniquely positioned to empower them globally. I look forward to helping Babson accelerate its strategy to advance entrepreneurial leadership in ecosystems everywhere.”
Perry is Founder and CEO of Lead Mandates LLC, a business and leadership advisory firm. He recently retired as Global Client Service Partner at Ernst & Young (EY) and is a former Vice President at Kearney. In addition to his Babson undergraduate degree, Perry earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is married to his wife Dena and they have three children, one of whom just completed his sophomore year at Babson.
