Joanne Berger-Sweeney served as the 22nd president of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, from 2014 to 2025. During her tenure, she was responsible for developing and implementing a strategic vision for the preeminent urban New England liberal arts college. As the first African American and first woman to serve as president of Trinity, she oversaw innovative initiatives and partnerships, including the college’s strategic plan, which guided Trinity toward its bicentennial in 2023; the creation of a mentoring program for first-year students; the launch of a campus initiative promoting inclusiveness and respect; and the development of a new innovation campus in downtown Hartford.
Dr. Berger-Sweeney serves on the board for the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, which she previously chaired, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a private institution that has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education worldwide, and Hartford Health Care, where she served as chair of the nominating and governance committee. She also serves as the principal investigator on a grant funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to create a network of Women of Color leaders, along with Dr. Mariko Silver and Dr. Johnnetta Cole, president emerita of Spelman and Bennett Colleges.
Dr. Berger-Sweeney earned her undergraduate degree in psychobiology from Wellesley College and an M.P.H. in environmental health sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Ph.D. in neurotoxicology from the Johns Hopkins (Bloomberg) School of Public Health.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
