Brigadier General Timothy Trainor
appointed Mount President

Angela Smith
MSM Class of 2015
MSM MBA Class of 2017

(6/20) The Mount St. Mary’s Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Brigadier General Timothy Trainor as the interim President of the university on Monday, June 20th. The former dean of the Academic Board at the United States Military Academy at West Point will assume his new position at the university on August 15.

Trainor earned his Ph.D. in industrial engineering from North Carolina State University, an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and a B.S. from the U.S. Military Academy.

He brings some incredible leadership experience to the Mount. While at West Point, he led over 800 faculty and staff across 13 departments and 23 centers that provide a core curriculum and 40 different majors in engineering, basic sciences, math, humanities and social sciences to 4,400 students.

Trainor wanted to continue his career in higher education after retiring from his position at the U.S. Military Academy, and believes his strong support of Catholic values will work well at the Mount.

“I wanted to find a values-based institution like West Point, and as I looked around, it seemed like a Catholic institution was the place I wanted to be,” he stated. “I was very fortunate to find out about the opportunity at Mount St. Mary’s, an institution with a commitment to the liberal arts and a core curriculum. This university preps students for professional success in a variety of disciplines, and it seems like a really exciting experience to be a part of.”

In his role as chief academic officer at West Point, he was also responsible for governance and planning in regard to faculty, curriculum, accreditation, master planning board, athletics and class committees. He has published extensively on innovative leadership, systems engineering and operations and decision-making. He also has broad experience in strategic planning, outreach to alumni, and involvement with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education as an evaluation team chair.

Mary D. Kane, Chair of the Board of Trustees, stated that the board was “impressed by his leadership, his experience with and support of students, faculty, staff and alumni, and his strong interest in leading a Catholic liberal arts institution. He is interested in pursuing and expanding on our Mount 2.0 initiatives and positioning the university for the future.”

Trainor hopes to learn more about the Mount community and surrounding area when he moves to Emmitsburg.

“I’m looking forward to engaging with and getting to know students, faculty staff and all on campus. I want to learn from them and what their desires and goals are for the future and how I can help with that. I also want to engage with the constituents outside the Mount, like alumni and members of the community. I want to learn more deeply about the excitement and passion for the mission and how people are involved at the Mount.”

Trainor and his wife, Col. Donna Brazil (ret.), will be moving to Emmitsburg in August and will take up residence at the President’s House, down the road from the Mount’s main campus.

“Both my wife and I were just amazed by the beauty of the Mount’s surroundings,” he stated. “After we engaged with folks at the Mount during our visit, we went up to the grotto, which overlooked the campus and the valley beyond and it was just breathtaking. We are really looking forward to being in the area.”

Read other stories on Mt. St. Mary