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October 9, 2002
Christendom Announces New Chairman of the Board

After serving as Christendom College's Chairman of the Board of Directors for nearly fourteen years, J. Laurence McCarty recently resigned his position. "I have been here [at Christendom] when we were broke and bankrupt; when there seemed to be no hope of survival; when we didn't know from where the next dollar was coming. I have seen us build a beautiful campus and stand at the threshold of completing it fully. We have a growing endowment fund and more students applying than we can accommodate. We have nearly finished our Long-Range Plan and our first ever Capital Campaign. It is a good time to depart."

Replacing McCarty is long-time friend of Christendom College, Donna Fitzpatrick Bethell. Bethell is president and CEO of Radiance Services Co., a director and vice president of Cauldron, and a director of Stone & Webster, Inc. Between 1984 and 1990, Bethell held several U.S. Department of Energy posts, including Assistant Secretary for Conservation and Renewable Energy, Assistant Secretary for Management and Administration, and Under Secretary. Before her government service, she practiced law as an associate attorney at O'Connor & Hannan in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Bethell has been on the Board of Directors of Christendom College since 1998.

"It is a privilege to serve as chairman of the board of directors for Christendom College. As we approach our 25th Anniversary on September 13, 2002, we remain an independent Roman Catholic college dedicated to educating our students in conformity with the Catholic Magisterium. The growing demand for a liberal arts education informed by the Faith is a confirmation of the College's mission. With the support of our many friends, new and old, we look forward to completing our Capital Campaign and continuing to expand our undergraduate and graduate enrollments."

Also joining the Board of Directors is Mark Ryland, President of AMDG Systems, a standards consulting firm which he established in 2000 after working for Microsoft Corporation for a number of years, most recently as its first Director of Standards Strategy. He has a background in law, business, and technology, as well as a strong interest in and commitment to education at every level. Ryland serves on the board of a number of organizations, including the Board of Trustees of the International Theological Institute in Gaming, Austria, and the Board of Regents of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

"I am honored and blessed by this opportunity to serve the community of Christendom College," says Ryland. "Christendom is leading the movement within higher education to reclaim and implement an authentic Catholic vision of liberal learning. I look forward to serving Christendom as it serves the larger community by building up young men and women in knowledge and virtue."
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