The board of directors of Sweet Briar College in Virginia has announced that it has unanimously selected Mary Pope Maybank Hutson as the college’s president. Serving as interim president since July, Hutson was chosen following a national search that began in March of this year. A member of the class of 1983, she is the college’s first alumna president.
Before being named interim president, Hutson served as Sweet Briar’s senior vice president for alumnae relations and development for eight years. Prior to her position at Sweet Briar, Hutson served as the executive vice president of the Land Trust Alliance (2002-2015), a national conservation organization that works to save and strengthen land conservation across America. Prior to her tenure at Land Trust Alliance, she was executive director of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust in South Carolina from 1998 to 2002. She also served as the director of educational programs for the Historic Charleston Foundation, managing the oldest heritage tourism program in the United States from 1993 to 1998.
“The gifts of my Sweet Briar education to my life have been pivotal in my career and in my ability to give back to my community and my college, and I know we all need to be part of educating and mentoring young people while ensuring the sustainability of Sweet Briar for the next century,” Hutson said.
I worked at SBC nearly 6 years before retiring from my career in The Security Team after my 26 years in policing in Maryland. I worked with many women in my earlier career. I can tell you the new president is incredibly supportive and I believe she may be exceptional in every facet of running the show.