RIT Appoints Secretary of the Institute

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A. Sue Weisler

Karen Barrows

Karen Barrows, chief of staff to Rochester Institute of Technology President Bill Destler, has been named secretary of the institute, Destler announced recently.

A Henrietta resident, Barrows began at RIT as a word processing clerk at the National Institute for the Deaf in 1989, before accepting positions with the NITD Strategic Planning Committee and in the Office of the Dean of NTID, where she served as assistant to the dean. She moved to the Office of the President, as assistant to former RIT President Albert Simone, in 1998. She was appointed chief of staff under Destler in 2008.

“Over the past year and a half, Karen has been serving as my liaison to the Board of Trustees and providing administrative support to the various core and subcommittees of the board,” Destler says. “Since Karen has been performing the duties and responsibilities of the secretary’s role, it is fitting she have the title that go along with those responsibilities. I know that Karen will serve as a strong ambassador and liaison to the Board of Trustees.”

In her role as secretary of the institute, Barrows will provide administrative support to the board, including identifying new members, facilitating communication, developing trustee understanding and enthusiasm for RIT, and supporting the president and chairman.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve RIT and its trustees in this capacity,” Barrows says. “I feel especially grateful for the mentoring I have received from the professionals I work with on a daily basis and the supervisors I have been privileged to work with.”

Barrows, a native of Longmeadow, Mass., will continue in her role as chief of staff.