Yale announces new alumni fellow trustee and two new successor trustees

On July 1, three new trustees — leaders in non-profit work, business, and the public sector — will join the Yale Corporation, as the Yale Board of Trustees is formally known.

Maryana Iskander ’03 J.D., the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, was elected as an alumni fellow in a worldwide balloting of university graduates. Gina Rosselli Boswell ’89 M.B.A., CEO of Bath & Body Works, Inc., and Neal Steven Wolin ’83,’88 J.D., CEO of Brunswick Group, were both appointed successor trustees.

As members of the board of trustees, the university’s principal governing body, they will act as fiduciaries for the university — ensuring that Yale is guided by sound policies and practices and equipped with adequate resources to further its mission. In doing so, the board balances the needs of today’s faculty, students, alumni, and staff with those of generations to come.

“Maryana, Gina, and Neal have extensive experience leading complex organizations and a deep commitment to improving the world,” said Yale President Peter Salovey. “Their dedication to Yale and its mission is evident in their long record of service to the university, their vital contributions to their professions, and their tireless work to create meaningful change in society. I look forward welcoming them to the board.”

A new alumni fellow

As CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, Maryana Iskander oversees one of the top 10 websites in the world — Wikipedia, an online, collaborative encyclopedia built on the idea that knowledge should be neutral, free, and widely accessible.

The desire to promote collective solutions and to build access for all has animated Iskander’s career — from helming the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator, a social enterprise in South Africa and Rwanda, to her role as chief operating officer of Planned Parenthood, to acting as an advisor to the president of Rice University.

“If I think about all the jobs that I’ve had,” Iskander has said, “the overarching question has been: What do you devote your time and talents to that will make the world a fairer and better place for others?”

Yale alumni vote each year to elect one new alumni fellow to the university’s board of trustees. Candidates are selected from nominations submitted by alumni from around the world to the Alumni Fellow Nominating Committee, a standing committee of the Yale Alumni Association. The committee is composed of alumni from across the university’s schools and departments, the secretary of the university, and the vice president for alumni affairs and development.

Lauren Tyler ’84, the head of human resources for assets and wealth management at JPMorgan Chase & Co., was the other candidate for alumni fellow this year. “Maryana and Lauren are distinguished individuals who have contributed greatly to Yale,” said Salovey. “I thank them both for their willingness to be considered for this role.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree at Rice University, Iskander attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. After working for a time as a strategy consultant for McKinsey & Company, she arrived in New Haven to pursue her law degree at Yale, through the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. In 2018, she was awarded the Yale Law Women Alumni Achievement Award.

Iskander’s service to Yale includes membership on the President’s Council on International Activities, during which she worked to expand access to a Yale education for students across the African continent.

She has also served on several non-profit boards, including Co-Impact, a global philanthropic collaborative; World Education Services; and The Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital. She is also a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Iskander splits her time between the United States, where the Wikimedia Foundation is based, and South Africa.

Two new successor trustees

Gina Rosselli Boswell has distinguished herself as an executive at major global retail and beauty brands — in her current position as CEO and member of the board of directors of Bath & Body Works, Inc. and in her previous roles at Unilever, Alberto-Culver, and The Estée Lauder Companies. Wherever her career has taken her, she’s cultivated a lifelong connection to her hometown and to Yale.

“Having been born and raised in New Haven, I have known all my life the special magic of the Yale community,” Boswell has said.

Her record of service to the university is exemplary: from 2012 to 2021 she served on the University Council, with six of those years as its president. In that role, she helped guide the group through the transition of the Yale presidency and through significant moments of change for the university.

She also was supportive of the launch of the shared interest group 1stGenYale, which aims to increase equity and access for promising students and alumni of all backgrounds.

In 2022, Boswell was recognized for these efforts — as well as her volunteer roles at the Yale School of Management and the Yale Alumni Schools Committee — with the Yale Medal, the Yale Alumni Association’s highest honor.

Boswell also has extensive public, private, and non-profit board experience and was recently recognized as one of the 25 Most Inspirational Women Leaders by Women’s Wear Daily.

Boswell currently lives in Columbus, Ohio.

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Throughout his varied career, Neal Wolin has focused on navigating complex financial, regulatory, and public policy issues: as deputy secretary (and acting secretary) of the U.S. Department of Treasury; at the National Security Council and the White House Counsel’s Office; as the president and chief operating officer of the insurance companies of The Hartford; and now as CEO at Brunswick Group, the global advisory firm.

Wolin’s breadth of experience and expertise — spanning both the public and private sectors and encompassing law, economic and foreign affairs, and communications — has made him adept at finding solutions to complex challenges. Following his work helping the U.S. and global economies recover from the financial and economic crises of 2008-09, President Barack Obama praised his “deep knowledge and excellent judgment.”

He has offered his leadership to Yale as well, serving on the University Council, the Yale Alumni Schools Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Yale Law School Association. He has also remained connected to both his undergraduate and law school classes by serving on gift committees for milestone reunions.

In addition to his volunteer work for Yale, Wolin serves on several private company boards and on the boards of the non-profits the Atlantic Council, the Partnership for Public Service, and Results for America. He has also been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations since 1993.

Wolin lives in Washington D.C.

Outgoing trustees

As Iskander, Boswell, and Wolin prepare to join the board, three trustees will conclude their service. The outgoing alumni fellow Kate Walsh ’77, ’79 M.P.H., the secretary of health and human services for the state of Massachusetts, has completed six years on the board. The two departing successor trustees, Charles W. Goodyear IV ’80, the president of Goodyear Capital Corporation and Goodyear Investment Company, and E. John Rice Jr. ’88, the founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, each have served for 12 years. 

“John, Chip, and Kate have offered steadfast and wise counsel over the years,” Salovey said. “They helped the university navigate the challenges of a global pandemic, become a more diverse and accessible institution, and further the breadth and excellence of its teaching and research programs.

“Their commitment to the well-being of Yale for now and years to come has been exemplary, and I am grateful for the service and leadership they have provided.”