Sophie Zdatny Named Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges System

The Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees voted unanimously to appoint Sophie Zdatny to serve as the next chancellor of the state system. She has been serving as interim chancellor.

The Vermont State Colleges System includes Castleton University, Community College of Vermont, Northern Vermont University, and Vermont Technical College. Several of these colleges have satellite locations so that no resident of the state is further than 25 miles away from a system classroom.

“We have a lot of important work ahead in the months to come and I could not be more encouraged by the intelligence and commitment of those involved,” Zdatny said. “I want Vermonters to know we are already making good progress towards transformation. All of this effort is in service to our faculty, staff, students, and employers who are counting on us to be a strong and reliable partner.”

Zdatny is a practicing attorney who has been with the general counsel’s office of the state system since 2014. She has served as the system’s general counsel since January 2017. She previously practiced employment law with Allan Karlin & Associates in Morgantown, West Virginia, following a two-year federal clerkship with Judge Irene Keeley of the Northern District of West Virginia.

Chancellor Zdatny is a graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She earned a juris doctorate at the West Virginia University College of Law.