Five join Conn’s Board of Trustees
Five alumni recently joined Connecticut College’s Board of Trustees. The new trustees began their tenures on July 1.
Bellaluna Castellanos Palacios ’25, Young Alumni Trustee
Castellanos Palacios was elected by the Class of 2025 to serve as a Young Alumni Trustee. A Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and Alpha Kappa Delta member, Castellanos Palacios was a government and sociology double major, Chinese minor and scholar in the Holleran Center for Community Action and Public Policy at Conn. Castellanos Palacios is deeply committed to public service, educational equity and community engagement. For her outstanding contributions to scholarship and service, she received the Harriet Buescher Lawrence Prize and the Tracee Reiser Community Partnerships Award.
At Conn, Castellanos Palacios served in the Student Government Association (SGA) for three years, first as vice president as a sophomore and then as president during her junior and senior years. As a student fellow in the Holleran Center, she connected students with local organizations and partnerships throughout New London. As co-chair of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) during her sophomore year, she helped cultivate a strong sense of community and cultural pride for
Conn’s Latine students.
Beyond Conn, Castellanos Palacios extended her commitment to service through her work as an Enrich Student Coordinator and Mentor, partnering with a local New London middle school to provide mentorship and academic support. She also interned for Congressman Mike Thompson, handling constituent casework and supporting day-to-day administrative operations.
Sydney L. Lamb ’21
Lamb was elected by the Class of 2021 as their nominee for Young Alumni Trustee and was re-elected to the Board in 2025.
After graduation, Lamb worked as a producer for the Harlem Cultural Festival, a full-day music festival at the Apollo Theater in New York City. Subsequently, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she has worked for multiple members of the Connecticut delegation across both chambers of the United States Congress. She currently works as a legislative staffer for Senator Richard Blumenthal, focusing primarily on education, health, nutrition and product safety policy efforts.
At Conn, Lamb majored in American studies, minored in sociology, and achieved dean’s honors or high honors every semester. She received the Vera Snow Graduate Fellowship, the Class of 2003 Prize in American Studies and the Robert Hampton Award.
Lamb’s leadership experience includes serving as a representative on Honor Council for all four academic years, including as the Council’s chair. In the Office of Admission, she served as a senior admission fellow and conducted evaluative interviews with prospective students. She was also a member of the ConnArtists a cappella group, a thrower on the Track and Field team, and a creative director with the Connecticut College Empowerment Initiative.
Jennifer Lapan Mann ’94
Mann is an approved McDonald’s franchisee and currently serves as vice president of G&M Food Corporation. Professionally, she has held positions in program localization and development for global IT certification programs and product execution responsibilities within a healthcare analytics organization.
Mann served three terms as a trustee and secretary of the board of the Severn School, where she was a member of the Buildings and Grounds, Strategic Planning, and Development committees. She currently serves as an elected director on the M-Tech Board, representing McDonald’s owner/operators from Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. She is also an active volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House located in Baltimore and has served as co-chair of its largest annual fundraising gala for several years.
At Conn, Mann graduated cum laude with a degree in government. She served in various class leadership and SGA roles, as an admission tour guide and as Senior Pledge chair. A financial aid recipient, she worked at the Athletic Center and in Becker House. She was a member of the coed Sailing team and retains a deep affinity for the program.
A dedicated alumna, Mann has proudly served as a class gift officer, class vice president, reunion chair and admission representative, and currently serves as Alumni Association Board president.
Randall T. Suffolk ’90
Suffolk has been the director of the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, since 2015. In this role, he has championed a renewed commitment to community engagement by emphasizing collaboration, inclusivity and access. He has been recognized by The Observer as one of the art world’s most influential people. Additionally, he is recognized as one of the top 200 industry influencers of Georgia’s creative economy and as one of Atlanta’s 25 most influential people. Prior to joining the High, Rand served as director of the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and as the director of The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, New York.
Suffolk graduated from Conn in 1990 with a degree in English and earned an MA in higher education administration from Columbia University in 1991 and an MA in the history of art from Bryn Mawr College in 1995. While at Conn, Suffolk played club rugby and was a student adviser and housefellow.
Tamah N. Wiegand ’68
Wiegand taught English and American history for 31 years at the Brearley School in New York City, an independent school for girls in grades K-12. She was the head of the middle school from 1983 until she retired in 2000.
Since retiring, Wiegand has served as vice president of the Gardiner Library Board of Trustees. Currently, she serves as the honorary co-chair of the SUNY New Paltz capital campaign committee. She is the first woman to chair the SUNY New Paltz Foundation Board.
Wiegand majored in English at Conn and has served on the President’s Leadership Council since 2021. During her senior year at Conn, she was president of Katharine Blunt House.
