New trustees
Chris Groobey is an angel investor, former lawyer, and sailor who fell in love with the coast of Maine 35 years ago as a student at Hurricane Island Outward Bound School. A graduate of Hampshire College, he is familiar with the challenges and opportunities that a small, focused, and innovative college faces while providing a unique education that launches students into meaningful careers.
During a law career spanning 25 years, Groobey, a native of Washington, DC, specialized in renewable energy and clean technology. He worked on some of the earliest wind and solar projects in the US, eventually becoming a partner in a leading Silicon Valley law firm, where he represented clients in all aspects of the energy transition and climate tech. He continues to support entrepreneurs and their companies as an investor, and has served on the boards of a publicly-traded clean energy company and multiple private companies.
An avid sailor, Groobey has raced competitively for decades, including on Mount Desert Island’s Great Harbor as a member of the Northeast Harbor Fleet. He and his wife, Carolyn, have cruised more than 30,000 miles in their own boats, including transiting the Panama Canal and crossing the Atlantic Ocean. The pair now split their time between Southwest Harbor and Miami.
Andrew Griffiths served as College of the Atlantic’s Dean of Administration and Chief Financial Officer from 2004 to 2019. During this time he also served as interim president for one year while the position was vacant.
Griffiths started his career as an electrical engineer after graduating from Brown University in 1962. He worked until 1972 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Lab, when he left to help start a nonprofit in the Massachusetts criminal justice system, primarily developing jobs for ex-prison inmates. After holding financial positions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts government during the administration of Michael Dukakis then at the US Environmental Protection Agency, he settled down at WGBH in Boston. He served at this leader in public broadcasting as its treasurer and vice president for finance and administration for 25 years before joining COA.
Griffiths lives in retirement with his wife Susan at Birch Bay Village in Bar Harbor. Since retirement he has been active on several boards, including six local nonprofits and two mission driven for-profit corporations.
Leadership updates
Heather Albert-Knopp ’99 has been appointed Chief Operating Officer, a newly created role overseeing administrative operations across the college. With this transition, the former position of Dean of Admission has been eliminated; admission is now led by a Director of Admission, a non-cabinet role reporting to the COO.
Shawn Keeley ’00 has transitioned from Dean of Institutional Advancement to become the inaugural Executive Director of the COA Summer Institute, reflecting the college’s growing investment in the program.
Lynn Boulger has rejoined the college as Vice President for Institutional Advancement, succeeding Keeley. The title reflects President Sylvia Torti’s plan to align non-academic cabinet roles under vice president designations.
Ken Hill, who served for over two decades as Provost, has taken on a new role as Vice President of Academic Innovation and Global Partnerships.
Professor Kourtney Collum has been appointed Provost and Dean of Faculty.
Kara Daul ’99 has been named Chief of Staff to the president, a newly created role that replaces the former Executive Assistant position.
Dan Daigle has been named Chief Facilities and Safety Officer, a newly created role that replaces the former Director of Campus Planning, Buildings, and Public Safety.
Professor Dave Feldman has been named Dean of Academic Affairs.
