J. Barry Griswell, a 1971 Berry alum, has been elected chair of the Berry College Board of Trustees with Rick Gilbert, a 1977 graduate, serving as vice chair.
Griswell succeeds Karen Holley Horrell while Gilbert fills the shoes of Cecil B. “Buster” Wright III. Both Horrell and Wright continue as trustees.
Griswell is retired chairman and CEO of Principal Financial Group, which grew under his leadership to become one of the largest and most respected corporations in the world. Among his many involvements is service on the national boards of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, United Way of America, Scholarship America, and Americans for the Arts. His honors include the Horatio Alger Distinguished American Award, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Daughters of the American Revolution National Society Medal of Honor and Berry Alumni Association Distinguished Achievement Award.
Griswell, a resident of Amelia Island, Fla., joined the Board of Trustees in 2003 and has served in many capacities, including chair of the Advancement and Investment committees and co-chair of LifeReady: The Berry College Campaign for Opportunity.
Gilbert, a resident of Rome, Ga., is an entrepreneurial investor in several businesses and a co-founder of Atlanticus Holdings Corp. He chairs the boards of the Georgia Goal Scholarship Program and the Georgia Community Foundation and is an active member of Rome’s First Presbyterian Church. A Berry trustee since 2008, Gilbert also serves on the board of Lavender Mountain Senior Living Inc. and the steering committee for the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.
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Written by Public Relations
