ALUMNI COUNCILOR ELECTION

2026 ALUMNI COUNCILOR NOMINATIONS

The term of our current Alumni Councilor Matt Miller will end June 30, 2026. An election for a new Alumni Council Representative will take place online Apri 6-19, 2026.

What the role entails:

Serve as an ambassador for Dartmouth and a liaison between the College and alumni.
Solicit feedback and questions from constituents to share with College and Council leadership.
Be up to speed on Dartmouth news, happenings, and priorities and share what you know with your constituents.
Inspire alumni volunteerism and engagement with Dartmouth through committees.
Participate in meetings to keep informed and engaged with Alumni Council information.

Our representative on the Alumni Council should plan to attend two meetings each year (late October/early November and mid-May) during the next three years (Fall 2026 to Spring 2029). As of now, the fall meeting is held in-person in Hanover and the spring meeting is held virtually. Please note, Councilors are responsible for their own travel expenses. Successful Alumni Councilors have typically already developed an engaged leadership role within the Dartmouth ecosystem.

The name of the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes will be forwarded to the Alumni Council for approval at the spring meeting in May.

Brendan Doherty

Brendan Doherty began his service to the Class of 1996 early: During our first year on campus he served as our Class Vice President. For the final three years, he served at Class President. After graduation, he served as Class Vice President from 1996 to 2001. When newsletters were the cutting edge form of communication, he served as one of our class newsletter editors for an additional four years.

For the past 19 years, Brendan has been immersed in the world of higher education as a political science professor at the Naval Academy. He teaches courses on the presidency, campaigns and elections, Congress, and American politics and has focused his research on the intersection of campaigning and governing. He is the author of Fundraiser in Chief: Presidents and the Politics of Campaign Cash and The Rise of the President’s Permanent Campaign.

When not surrounded by midshipmen, Brendan has been juggling all the joys of parenting as well as spending time in recent year helping his parents work through the challenges of aging. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two teenagers.

Burns McKinney

For more than 20 years, Burns McKinney has been actively involved in Dartmouth alumni engagement, centering much of that work around his local regional association. He has been an active member of the DFW Dartmouth Club executive team, helping organize events and strengthen connections among alumni, including hosting visits from Dartmouth leadership. He has served as Dallas’ District Enrollment Director for the past 15 years. In that role, he has coordinated alumni interviewing, recruited and supported volunteers, organized admitted student events and send-offs, and represented Dartmouth at college fairs.

He also represented his region on the Alumni Council from 2019 to 2022. While on the Council, he was a member of the Admissions and Enrollment Committee, working closely with the admissions office and helping bring alumni perspectives and questions into conversation.

Burns has spent his career in the financial services industry and currently serves as Senior Portfolio Manager at NFJ Investment Group, a global value equity manager in Dallas, where he's been for the last two decades. With two nearly-grown children, he and his wife are soon-to-be empty nesters but stay busy traveling and attending live sporting events and concerts.

Betsy Miller

For over 25 years, Betsy Miller has been involved in class governance activities, as well as wider engagement efforts on behalf of the College. Since 2001, she has served on the Class of 1996 Executive Committee, as a regional mini-reunion chair, and has been an integral member of the reunion committees for our 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and upcoming 30th reunions — handling souvenirs, meal planning, and our class memorial service.

Active in the DC area since arriving there after Harvard Law School, Betsy has served as an alumni interviewer through the Dartmouth Club of Washington. She has also engaged with many Dartmouth programs as a keynote speaker, notably the Tuck School of Business Women’s Leadership conference and the Dartmouth Bridges to Impact program. She also has remained connected to Dartmouth College Women’s Soccer through serving as an alumni career panelist.

After a 25-year career practicing law, most recently as Chair of Cohen Milstein’s’ attorney general practice, Betsy is now a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, where she teaches leadership and negotiations. Betsy also serves as strategic advisor to Fortune 500 companies and family foundations. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, son, and disobedient dog.

Online voting closes April 19.

All members of the Class of 1996 are eligible to vote in this online election.
Check your email for the correct link to vote.