IBM¿s Linda Sanford Joins SUNY Board of Trustees

Albany – The state Senate yesterday confirmed Governor Eliot Spitzer’s nomination of Linda Sanford to the State University of New York Board of Trustees. Sanford’s confirmation follows the Oct. 2007 confirmations of Chairman Carl T. Hayden and H. Carl McCall to the SUNY Board.

“I thank the Senate for their confirmation of Linda Sanford,” said Spitzer. “These are exciting times for SUNY and Trustee Sanford brings an important business perspective to the Board of Trustees. I congratulate her on joining the Board and I am confident she will play a strong role in furthering our goal of making SUNY the strongest system of public higher education in the nation.”

“Linda Sanford is a wonderful addition to the SUNY Board of Trustees,” said Hayden. “From the Commission on Higher Education’s preliminary report and the search for a new chancellor, to oversight of the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the nation, Trustee Sanford’s private-sector experience will be a great benefit to the Board in all that we must do to ensure SUNY becomes the best.”

"I am honored and energized by the opportunity given to me by Governor Spitzer and the state Senate,” Sanford said. “SUNY has the potential to have a great impact on not only the state but the national economy through education, research, and innovation. I look forward to playing a part in this important effort.”

Trustee Linda Sanford
Sanford is senior vice president for On Demand Transformation and Information Technology at IBM. Previously, she was senior vice president and group executive in charge of IBM Storage Systems Group, headed IBM Global Industries and served as General Manager of IBM's S/390 Division. Sanford is a co-chair of the Business Council of New York State and serves on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for New York City, ITT Corporation, and is a trustee of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and St. John's University. Sanford earned a bachelor's in mathematics from St. John's University and an M.S. in Operations Research from Rensselaer.

One of the highest-ranking women at IBM, Sanford is a member of the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame and the National Association of Engineers. She has been named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in Business by Fortune Magazine, one of the Top Ten Innovators in the Technology Industry by Information Week Magazine and one of the Ten Most Influential Women in Technology by Working Woman Magazine. She is also the author of Let Go To Grow, published in 2006 by Pearson Publishing Prentice Hall.

Sanford replaces Trustee Father John J. Cremins whose term has expired.

Hayden praised Cremins’ service. “I deeply appreciate his work as chair of the Board’s Academic Standards Committee. SUNY provides a better education for its students and a stronger more vibrant intellectual environment for our faculty thanks in good measure to John’s dedication and hard work. We wish him all the best.”

Background - The State University of New York Board of Trustees
The SUNY Board of Trustees is charged with oversight of the SUNY system. The Board is comprised of 17 members, 15 of which are appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the state Senate, the president of the SUNY Student Assembly, and the president of the SUNY Faculty Senate, who is a non-voting member. All members of the Board serve on a voluntary basis and do not receive salaries for their services.

About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive university system in the United States, educating more than 427,000 students in 7,669 degree and certificate programs on 64 campuses. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit www.suny.edu

-30-