The UVM Board of Trustees recently filled one of two self-perpetuating vacancies, reappointed an existing member and named a new student trustee to terms starting March 1.

Robert P. Brennan, Jr. '83, senior managing director of Guggenheim Partners in New York City, was selected to fill one of the vacancies created by John Hilton Jr. and Ian Boyce, both of whom complete their six-year terms at the end of February. Lisa M. Ventriss ‘77, G’91, who was elected in October of 2011 to fill an unexpired term, was re-elected to a six-year term. Dennis Mahoney, a business major scheduled to graduate in 2014, was named to a two-year term as a student trustee.

Prior to joining Guggenheim Partners, where he heads the Commercial Real Estate Finance Group, Brennan served as managing director of Credit Suisse and ran its Global Commercial Real Estate Finance Business. He joined Credit Suisse in 2000 as a result of its acquisition of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, where he was a managing director and ran the Commercial Mortgage Trading Business. Brennan previously held senior positions at UBS and LF Rothschild and began his career in investment banking at EF Hutton in 1983.

Brennan serves on a number of boards including the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Commercial Real Estate Finance Council, and on the board of the H.G.I. Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that serves under-privileged children throughout the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Following his graduation from UVM, Brennan earned an MBA from New York University. He is married to Carolyn Brennan, UVM Class of 1982, and has three children, Robbie, Katherine and Corey.

Ventriss has been president of the Vermont Business Roundtable since 2002. She previously served as president of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association (1997-2002) and as director of government affairs for the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce (1993-1997). She currently serves on the boards of Champlain College; Mercy Connections (chair); Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation; Maine Mutual Group; and Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies. She was also former president at United Way of Chittenden County; chair at the Lund Family Center; and chair of People’s United Bank (formerly Chittenden Bank).

A Middlebury native, Ventriss was the recipient of the 2011 Youth Development Award presented by Greater Burlington YMCA. She was also awarded the 2010 Achieve Award presented by KeyBank; the 2007 Marshall E. Dimock Alumni Award given by the UVM-MPA Program; the 2002 Community Excellence Award; and the 1991 UVM Public Service Award. She is married to Curtis Ventriss, professor in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and has three sons, Finn, Ian '10 and Alex.

Mahoney, a graduate of Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pa., was appointed by the Associated Directors for the Appointment of Student Trustees to succeed Brian Sozanky. He is a peer adviser in the School of Business Administration, where he’s focusing on finance; serves as an Advocat; is a leader in Serve Burlington; and is a founding member of a homework help program for Somalian refugees in the Riverside Apartment Complex.