Berger-Sweeney, Kennedy Named Presidents-In-Residence

The Harvard Graduate School of Education has announced that Joanne Berger-Sweeney, former president of Trinity College, and Ellen Kennedy, outgoing president of Berkshire Community College, have been named the Judith Block McLaughlin Presidents-in-Residence for the 2026–27 academic year. 

Berger-Sweeney and Kennedy will teach and mentor students in HGSE’s Higher Education Concentration, as well as students in the Online Master's in Education (OEL) higher education pathway, contributing to courses and providing valuable insight based on their long careers as university presidents. 

“Dr. Berger-Sweeney and Dr. Kennedy will bring extraordinary breadth and depth of presidential leadership to the Presidents-in-Residence Program,” says Senior Lecturer Francesca Purcell, faculty co-chair of the Online Master's in Education’s higher education pathway. “At Trinity College, Joanne was a national voice for the value of the liberal arts and advancing academic excellence while leading ambitious efforts to promote equity, inclusion, and community engagement. Ellen Kennedy’s long tenure at Berkshire Community College reflects a deep commitment to access, student success, and regional economic development, demonstrating the transformative power of community colleges. Together, they will offer our students vital perspectives on leading across very different institutional contexts and on keeping mission, values, and students at the center of complex decision-making.”

Berger-Sweeney was first African American and first woman to serve as president of the Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. During her tenure, Trinity completed an ambitious strategic plan, which included attracting and enrolling strong students and providing outstanding experiences for those students academically and beyond. She oversaw several student-centered initiatives, including the creation of the Bantam Network mentoring program for first-year students and the Career and Life Design Center, as well as the introduction of Trinity Plus, an innovative liberal arts curriculum for the 21st century. 

As president, Berger-Sweeney centered sustainability, approving Trinity’s first sustainability coordinator and overseeing numerous important campus improvements. Further, the college increased financial aid for undergraduate students by 50%, increased student retention rates to 91%, and increased postgraduation success rates to 96%. After implementing special opportunity hiring and staff hiring initiatives, Trinity increased substantially the number of tenure-track faculty and staff of color. 

"Serving as President-in-Residence at the Harvard Graduate School of Education is a genuine privilege,” says Berger-Sweeney. “What excites me most is the chance to be in the room with the next generation of education leaders — the bright, committed minds who will shape how we teach and who we reach.”

As the seventh president of Berkshire Community College (BCC), the first community college in Massachusetts, Kennedy led a major renovation that included improvements to BCC’s main classroom buildings, walkways, and roadways; installation of the environmentally minded Gene Dellea Community Turf Field; and construction of the One Stop Enrollment Center. She developed and implemented a five-year strategic plan and garnered nearly $21 million in grant funding, including a $1.9 million Title III Strengthening Institutions and renewals of TRiO Grants from the U.S. Department of Education. 

Under Kennedy's leadership, BCC expanded its academic offerings, launching certificates in human services, addiction and recovery, and the cannabis industry; re-launching the hospitality and culinary programs to address the workforce needs of Berkshire County; and re-aligning the Workforce and Community Education program. During her tenure, BCC enlarged its Teaching and Learning Innovation Center and introduced a Writing Center, as well as partnering with Greenfield Community College on shared faculty positions. 

“After 14 years leading a community college, I’m eager to reflect, connect, and engage with the next generation of higher education leaders,” says Kennedy, “especially those committed to equity and access for students who need us most.” 

Presidents-in-Residence attend classes alongside HGSE students, meet with them for one-on-one office hours, and advise them on academic and career designs. They also lead higher education students — both in person and online — in discussions about and reflections on leadership and the contemporary challenges in the field.

Berger-Sweeney and Kennedy join an illustrious list of 30 higher education institution leaders who participated in the Presidents-in-Residence program since it began in 2001. In 2023, it was permanently endowed and named for Senior Lecturer Judith Block McLaughlin, the program’s founder and longtime faculty director.