The Hamilton College Board of Trustees unanimously elected real estate entrepreneur Stuart L. Scott of Chicago, Ill., as its next chairman and investor Chester A. Siuda of New Vernon, N.J., as its next vice chairman.
The election came following the board's regular meeting March 2 in Clinton. Scott, who replaces Kevin W. Kennedy, and Siuda, who succeeds Gerald V. Dirvin, will assume their new posts on July 1. Kennedy and Dirvin were elected life trustees, also effective July 1.
"In many ways, Hamilton has been transformed during the past eight years under the leadership of Kevin Kennedy and Jerry Dirvin," said College President Eugene M. Tobin, "Stuart Scott and Chet Siuda have the same strength of character, vision, boldness and drive to lead Hamilton through the new challenges of our time. They lead by example, and they possess the high standards we seek to instill in all of our graduates. Hamilton is extraordinarily fortunate to have such trustee leadership at this important time in our history."
Scott, a 1961 Hamilton graduate, is chairman of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc., the world's leading real estate services and investment management firm with approximately 6,700 employees based in more than 100 key markets on five continents. Throughout his nearly 30-year tenure with the firm, Scott has held numerous executive positions. He served as chief executive officer of LaSalle Partners from 1992-1999 and was the first chairman and chief executive officer of Jones Lang LaSalle from 1999-2001. In 1999, he received the "Real Estate Executive of the Year" award during the Commercial Property World real estate conference in New York.
Before starting his career with the firm in 1973, Scott worked with Arthur Rubloff & Company and served on its Board of Directors. He began his career as an attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 1966.
In addition to his Hamilton degree, Scott earned a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law. He serves on the board of the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and as a director of Hartmarx Corporation and LaSalle Hotel Properties.
Scott was first elected to the Hamilton board as an alumni trustee in 1985 and became a charter trustee in 1989. In addition to serving as chairman of the Campaign for the '90s, Scott was president of the Alumni Association of Chicago and, from 1984-1986, chairman of the Annual Fund. As chairman of the Trustee Committee on Residential Life, he skillfully forged a consensus resolution that has significantly strengthened Hamilton.
A 1970 Hamilton graduate, Siuda is currently chairman and chief executive officer of Lighthouse Capital Inc. and managing general partner of Lighthouse Capital, L.P., an investment management firm in Morristown, N.J. Following graduation from Hamilton with a degree in economics, Siuda went on active duty with the U.S. Coast Guard and remained in uniform as a lieutenant until 1975. A year later, he acquired his M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Siuda became vice president of Citibank's Institutional Investment Division, co-managing its special equity fund until 1981 when he co-founded Crown Advisors Ltd. and became a general partner in Crown Associates. He founded Lighthouse Capital in 1996, and currently serves as director of Ab Initio Software Corporation, Severn Healthcare Inc., and Netideas Inc.
Siuda first joined the Hamilton's Board of Trustees in 1987 as an alumni trustee and has served as a charter trustee since 1992. Over that time, he has been a member of virtually every trustee committee, but most particularly the Committee on Admission, which he has chaired since 1994. His leadership and strategic thinking have contributed significantly to the steady improvement in Hamilton's admission profile.
Scott and Siuda will serve two-year, renewable terms as chairman and vice chairman.
Hamilton College was chartered in 1812 as the third oldest college in New York State. With an enrollment of 1,700 students and a student-faculty ratio of 10:1, it is generally considered to be one of the nation's top 25 liberal arts colleges.
