A chorus of congratulatory messages and well wishes greeted the November announcement that the Berry Board of Trustees had unanimously approved Dr. Sandeep Mazumder’s selection as the college’s ninth president, with alumni, faculty, staff and parents taking to social media to welcome the internationally respected economist, who will take office July 1, 2025.
The board’s vote concluded a rigorous national search initiated last spring after Dr. Steve Briggs made public his intention to retire at the close of the 2024-25 academic year. His final essay as Berry president begins on page 8, followed by a retrospective on his exemplary tenure.
Mazumder most recently served as dean of the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, he studied at the University of Cambridge before moving to the United States to continue his education. Prior to his work at Baylor, Mazumder spent four years as chair of economics at Wake Forest University, where his teaching career began in 2009.
The new president has expressed a deep sense of calling in regard to the opportunity he sees at Berry, citing appreciation for the college’s mission of educating the head, heart and hands of future leaders who will nurture thriving communities.
“It is an honor to be selected to serve as the next president of Berry College,” he stated. “I would like to thank the search committee and Board of Trustees for putting their faith in me. I adore Martha Berry’s philosophy of teaching students ‘not to be ministered unto, but to minister’ and intend to continue to champion that sentiment, as well as continuing to share Berry’s unique distinctives for the nation to see.”
Mazumder’s academic credentials include a B.A. and M.A. in economics from Cambridge and an M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Johns Hopkins University. His considerable expertise in macroeconomics has been exhibited in more than 30 scholarly articles, with much of his research focusing on U.S. inflation dynamics.
While his education and experience are impressive, it was Mazumder’s character, leadership, vision and shared values that earned enthusiastic support from the Presidential Search Committee and the Board of Trustees.
“Dr. Mazumder is an inspiring leader with vision, integrity and humility who will champion 21st-century growth and innovation while honoring Berry’s legacy, entrepreneurial spirit and deep commitment to the community,” said John Coleman (04C), the Berry trustee who chaired the search committee.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Mazumder to Berry College,” added fellow committee member Rick Gilbert (77c), who currently chairs the Board of Trustees. “He embodies a profound personal alignment with Berry and understands the challenge of balancing business-mindedness, healthy academic debate, international understanding, technological innovation and a good neighbor mindset. It takes a special person to lead a residential college, and we believe Mazumder will immerse himself fully into the flourishing of our community.”
Mazumder is equally confident that Berry will be an ideal place for his family to flourish. He will relocate to the campus this summer with wife Gretchen, who grew up on a farm in southern Pennsylvania, and the couple’s three school-aged children.
Visit berry.edu/presidential-announcement for more on Dr. Mazumder’s appointment, including a Q&A with the new president led by search committee Chair John Coleman (04C).
The search process
The intensive national search leading to Dr. Sandeep Mazumder’s selection as Berry’s ninth president was guided by a committee comprised of alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and student representatives, with assistance from the CarterBaldwin executive search firm. Leadership was provided by two Berry trustees: Chair John Coleman (04C) and Vice Chair Sarah Hawkins Warren, a Georgia Supreme Court justice.
Together, the group spent eight months crafting the role, defining the characteristics of the next president, promoting the position, evaluating applications and interviewing candidates. Input was sought from a cross-section of Berry constituencies, resulting in feedback from hundreds of students, faculty, staff, alumni and interested community members.
More than 175 candidates were reviewed including more than 20 sitting college presidents – a testament to the continuing resonance of Martha Berry’s vision, the strength of the Berry community and the college’s growing stature as a place of distinction in higher education.
Berry offers heartfelt thanks to all who had a hand in the search, including the following individuals who joined Coleman and Warren on the search committee:
Mairo Akpose-Simpson (97C)
Dr. Sheila Allen
Dr. Brad Bushnell
Angie Wilkey Lewis (89C)
Brent Ragsdale (88C)
Bert Clark (82C)
Rick Gilbert (77c)
Brian Erb (FS)
Dr. Michael Papazian (FS)
Grace Harmon (25c)
