Emmanuel College Names Mary K. Boyd, Ph.D., as Next President

Following a comprehensive nationwide search, Mary K. Boyd, Ph.D., has been named the 13th president of Emmanuel College.

BOSTON - June 28, 2022 – Following a comprehensive nationwide search, Mary K. Boyd, Ph.D., has been named the 13th president of Emmanuel College. The College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Boyd, who has decades of experience in academic leadership, including at Catholic and mission-driven institutions such as Berry College, St. Edward’s University, the University of San Diego and Loyola University Chicago.

“Mary Boyd is an exceptional leader who will build on the historic legacy of Sister Janet Eisner to further realize the immense promise of Emmanuel College,” said Margaret L. McKenna, Chair of the Board of Trustees and a 1983 graduate of Emmanuel. “Dr. Boyd brings a deep commitment to the College’s mission, a wealth of experience in Catholic higher education, and a demonstrated ability to adapt programs, teams, and technologies to what’s next. We look forward to collaborating with her to continue to form the ethical and effective leaders our society needs more than ever.”

Since 2017, Dr. Boyd has served as Provost at Berry College. Located in Mount Berry, GA, Berry is part of the Annapolis Group, a network of liberal arts colleges that includes Amherst College, Kenyon College, Pomona College, Vassar College and Williams College. During her time at Berry, Dr. Boyd has driven the process of strategically expanding academic programs and diversifying revenue streams. Dr. Boyd has overseen all aspects of academic services, faculty development, and experiential learning. Among her many accomplishments at Berry, she co-led an effort to dramatically increase student retention rates and developed new academic majors across several disciplines including nursing, business, the arts, technology and more.

A hallmark of Dr. Boyd’s career has been a commitment to student success and development through the creation and expansion of opportunities for research, internships, mentorship, study abroad and industry-standard certifications. Her commitment to the Catholic intellectual tradition and Catholic social teaching has fueled a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion. Dr. Boyd’s leadership in grant writing and fundraising has yielded millions of dollars to support these initiatives.

A chemist, Dr. Boyd served from 2008 to 2013 as the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of San Diego, a private Catholic university with more than 8,000 students. While at USD, she was principal investigator for a National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE grant to support the success of female faculty, particularly those of color, in STEM. Dr. Boyd also served as Chair of the Department of Chemistry at Georgia Southern University among other academic roles, and was a faculty fellow for the Center for Ethics and Social Justice at Loyola University Chicago.

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The mission of Emmanuel strongly resonates with me, and I embrace the opportunity to steward the College’s Catholic educational mission into the future. Emmanuel rests in the very heart of the great city of Boston, which affords its community, especially students, access to unparalleled opportunities. Emmanuel’s entrepreneurial spirit and the leadership of Sister Janet Eisner, SNDdeN, have led to transformative partnerships and initiatives, and I look forward to leading the College into this next phase of innovation and growth.

“Mary Boyd is the ideal leader for Emmanuel at this moment of possibility, both for the College and for our City and Commonwealth,” said Jack Connors, Jr., founding partner and chairman emeritus of Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc., and an Emmanuel College Trustee. “With her vibrant intellect, energy and ideas, she will create the conditions for Emmanuel students to grow as future difference-makers for our organizations, institutions and communities.”

Dr. Boyd, who will begin her presidency at the start of the Fall 2022 semester, joins Emmanuel at a time of significant momentum. Recently, the College completed its “Campaign for Our Second Century,” exceeding the $50 million fundraising goal. Additionally, the incoming first-year undergraduate class is one of the largest in the College’s history.

Emmanuel’s presidential search began in the fall of 2021, following the announcement by Sister Janet Eisner, SNDdeN, that she would conclude her tenure as president. Inaugurated in 1979, Sister Janet holds the distinction of being the longest-serving woman college president in the country. “Serving as president of Emmanuel College has been one of the greatest joys of my life,” said Sister Janet. “As I transition to President Emerita, I do so with great optimism for Emmanuel. I look forward now to welcoming Dr. Mary Boyd, who throughout her career has shown a clear and consistent commitment to educational excellence. I believe she will be an outstanding leader for Emmanuel College.”

“Dr. Boyd’s proven track record of collaborative leadership in dynamic liberal arts and sciences environments, combined with her laser focus on student success and experiential learning, make her an excellent fit to lead us further into our second century,” said Emmanuel College Chief Academic Officer and Professor of Biology Josef Kurtz. “I appreciate her keen awareness of the type of interdisciplinary learning that is part of the fabric of Emmanuel College. She has also demonstrated a strong commitment to engaging very directly with students not only in the academic environment, but in fun, genuine and creative ways outside the classroom.”

A native of Montreal, Canada, Dr. Boyd earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto. She served as a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is highly published across prestigious research publications in chemistry. Dr. Boyd and her spouse, John Quinn, have two adult children.

“In Mary Boyd, Emmanuel College has found a leader who is both principled and pragmatic, with a sharp eye for excellence,” said Berry College President Dr. Steve Briggs. “I have admired her thoughtful analysis of issues and her decisiveness, especially in the face of challenges and uncertainty. She is smart, inquisitive, engaging, and truly enjoys getting to know her community, from students to faculty to alumni. We will miss her leadership at Berry College, but I am thrilled for Mary as she devotes her talents to a thriving, mission-driven college in such a vibrant city.”

About Emmanuel College

Emmanuel College is a co-educational, residential institution with a 17-acre campus in the heart of Boston's educational, scientific, cultural and medical communities. Enrolling 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students, the College provides boundless opportunities for students to expand their worldview through rigorous coursework, significant internship and career opportunities throughout the Boston area and beyond, collaborations with distinguished and dedicated faculty, and participation in a dynamic campus community. Emmanuel's more than 70 programs in the sciences, liberal arts, business, nursing, and education foster spirited discourse and substantive learning experiences that honor the College's Catholic educational mission to educate the whole person and provide an ethical and relevant 21st-century education.