Dear Faculty and Staff,

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Trenten Klingerman as our next Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel. Trent’s appointment is the excellent result of a highly competitive national search that began earlier this summer, following Sharon Reich Paulsen’s announcement of her departure.

Trent brings more than two decades of legal experience to UVM, including 10 years at a top Indiana law firm where he reached the level of partner representing higher education institutions, healthcare organizations, and other interests in state and federal courts. For the past ten years, Trent has served Purdue University in key legal and leadership roles, including as Vice President for Human Resources and, since 2016, as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer.

I am confident that the broad scope of Trent’s legal experience, combined with his deep understanding of higher education, will be valuable assets to UVM as we continue our trajectory to be recognized among the leading public research universities in the nation. In addition, Trent has shown consistent high regard for education, serving as an elementary teacher prior to attending law school and as a professor of practice and lecturer at Purdue, where he teaches mass media law and labor and employment law. Trent earned his bachelor’s degree at Purdue and his J.D. at Indiana University, where he was managing editor of the Indiana Law Journal.

As Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, Trent will report directly to me and serve as a member of senior leadership. He will direct the Office of the General Counsel and serve as assistant secretary of the board of trustees. Trent will begin later next month, allowing time for the transition of his professional obligations and legal responsibilities in his current role.

I extend my sincere gratitude to Jonathan D’Amore for chairing this important search. The search committee included Simeon Ananou, Noma Anderson, Erica Caloiero, Wendy Koenig, Jeff Schulman, and Joel Seligman. The committee reviewed a strong set of candidates from a variety of legal roles in higher education, government, and elsewhere.

I am also grateful to the staff of the Office of the General Counsel and commend their consistency and professionalism during this period of transition.

Please join me in welcoming Trent to campus next month. 

Sincerely,

Suresh Garimella

President