On Saturday, June 7, 2008, the Scripps College Board of Trustees voted unanimously to elect Linda Davis Taylor its next chair, effective July 1, 2009.
In making the announcement to the Scripps community, Roxanne Wilson, current board chair, said: “With her background in education, development, and business, Linda has the skills to be a strong chair. She has direct experience working in Claremont, something that will be invaluable to our next president. She also has the personal characteristics to be an effective leader of our Board.”
Taylor has been a highly regarded member of The Claremont Colleges community for many years. She first came to Claremont in 1982 as vice president, dean of admission and financial aid at Claremont McKenna College. After a stint at Amherst College as dean of admission and financial aid, Linda returned to Claremont in 1989 to serve as director of alumni relations and special gifts at Claremont McKenna College. She then moved to Scripps College, where from 1992–1999 she served as vice president for development and college relations. During her tenure at Scripps, she was one of the main architects of the Campaign for the Scripps Woman, the most successful capital campaign in the College’s history.
Taylor left the world of higher education in 1999 to become vice president of Philip V. Swan Associates LLC, Investment Counsel, an affiliate of Convergent Capital Management and City National Bank. After serving as president of Swan Associates from 2002-2007, Linda participated in the opening of the Los Angeles office of Convergent Wealth Advisors, a $9 billion wealth management firm. She is currently developing a model for additional family wealth and philanthropic services for the combined City National/Convergent Capital Management Enterprise, where she serves as managing director.
Although Taylor left Scripps in a professional capacity in 1999, since 2001 she has given countless hours of volunteer service to Scripps College as a member of the Board of Trustees. She has served on a number of Board committees, including Finance, Educational Policy, Executive, Institutional Advancement, Investment, and Nominations and Governance, which she has co-chaired since 2004.
Wilson added: “This is wonderful news for Scripps and for our Board, as I know Linda will do an outstanding job. My special thanks go to the Ad Hoc Committee on Board Chair Selection—Mark Herron (chair), Jean Smith, Hugh Ralston, and Trish Jackson—for their diligence and foresight in identifying the next leader of our Board.”