MONTPELIER — The Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) Board of Trustees on Monday voted unanimously to appoint interim Chancellor Sophie Zdatny to serve as the next chancellor. Zdatny, a six- year veteran of the organization, has been leading VSCS since late April, when Chancellor Jeb Spaulding announced his resignation.
Trustees offered Zdatny a renewable one-year contract.
“Sophie stepped up to lead at a time when the organization needed a steady hand to guide it forward,” said Board of Trustees Chairman J. Churchill Hindes. “She has exceeded our expectations as a leader by bringing stakeholders together through thoughtful collaboration and openness. We know this is precisely the leadership style we need at this critical juncture. We are so pleased she has agreed to stay on and continue the work she has started.”
Zdatny is a practicing attorney who has been with the General Counsel’s office since 2014 and has served as the system’s general counsel since January 2017. Since assuming the role of interim chancellor, Zdatny has prioritized outreach to stakeholders across the VSCS and across the state in an effort to create an inclusive and well- informed process for charting a path to viability for the organization, the state college’s system said.

Zdatny thanked the board for its support.
“We have a lot of important work ahead in the months to come and I could not be more encouraged by the intelligence and commitment of those involved,” she said. “I want Vermonters to know we are already making good progress toward transformation. All of this effort is in service to our faculty, staff, students and employers who are counting on us to be a strong and reliable partner.”