By Sam Wroblewski 630wpro.com
The Rhode Island School of Design will be under new leadership after the Board of Trustees appointed Rosanne Somerson to be the school’s newest president.
Somerson had been serving as the school’s interim president since January of 2014 and served as the provost from 2012 to 2014.
“President Somerson is a gifted, inspiring leader with great integrity, humility and vision, and is the perfect fit for RISD,” said Board of Trustees Chair Michael Spalter in a statement.
The school had formed an 11-person committee nine months ago to determine who should become the school’s 17th president; ultimately looking at over 100 candidates before settling on Somerson.
“I’ve been in the role as interim president now for a little over a year so I was fully engaged in the work but there is something different about knowing that it’s a longer term investment in leadership here that is truly exciting,” said Somerson.
Somerson earned her Bachelors in Fine Arts from RISD in 1976 and returned as a faculty member teaching furniture design in 1985.
“Art and design education has a particular resonance right now, the fact that the world needs creative thinkers and leaders is something that helps us to really lead in the field of education in general,” said Somerson.
