An important leadership transition
Dear MIT faculty and staff,
I write to let you know that Greg Morgan, senior vice president and secretary of the MIT Corporation, will retire from MIT this coming December. Since I took office and long before, Greg has been among my closest and most trusted advisors. His vital work includes serving as chief of staff – coordinating the efforts of MIT’s senior leadership, the MIT Corporation, its Executive Committee and the overall administration, raising our sights and making us all more effective. To succeed him, I have chosen an outstanding colleague, Suzanne L. Glassburn.
R. Gregory Morgan
Greg joined MIT in January 2007 when MIT’s then-president, Susan Hockfield, asked him to become the Institute’s first general counsel. In March 2015, I asked Greg to take on his current role.
A remarkable part of his legacy is that the legal office he launched has become a trusted and sought-after resource for MIT. Starting in the Office of the General Counsel (OGC) and now reaching far beyond it, he has also left a wonderful imprint on MIT through the first-rate people he recruited, retained, developed and inspired.
He has served the MIT community with extraordinary dedication, working at the highest levels, often behind the scenes, and around the clock. From helping to respond to terrible crises like the Boston Marathon bombing and the tragic impact on our campus, to the essential work of MIT’s governance, over and over I have counted on his rare scope and sensitivity to get things right.
As we worked to shape the strategy for many of MIT’s boldest and most significant initiatives, Greg was typically at the epicenter, helping to launch and guide MITx, edX, Skoltech, the Campaign for a Better World, and more. The accomplishments of the past 12 years owe a great deal to his integrity, instinct for action and infectious confidence.
In the serious business of leading this institution and its distinctive community, Greg’s grounded judgment, brilliant problem-solving, California charm and self-effacing wit have been indispensable. Anyone who has been in a position of leadership knows the value of the steady, candid friend who comes to your door with no personal cause and whom you can trust with any challenge. I cannot begin to express how much he has meant to me and to the entire MIT administration, nor my gratitude for his wisdom and his friendship.
In addition to being a thought partner for two MIT presidents, Greg has also become a creative force here in his own right. As one example, when he saw that MIT student innovators and entrepreneurs could benefit tremendously from access to legal advice on subjects from IP to cyber law, he developed and launched two specialized law clinics, staffed by law students from Boston University and now held weekly here on campus. BU recently doubled the number of law students involved, in order to meet our students’ rising demand for this terrific service.
You can read more about Greg’s accomplishments here.
Although Greg will be leaving MIT, we’re delighted that he and his wife, Ginny Popper, will remain in the neighborhood, enjoying their next chapter from their home in Cambridge.
Suzanne L. Glassburn
Since joining MIT’s OGC in April 2008, Suzanne has played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of important Institute initiatives, including the launch of MITx and edX; the development of major institution-building collaborations such as the Singapore University of Technology and Design, Skoltech and Masdar; the establishment of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and the MIT Quest for Intelligence; and the structuring and organization of The Engine and the related investment fund. Beyond her expertise in transactions, policy and governance, Suzanne has a remarkable gift for building consensus. With her superb judgment, foresight, clarity and warmth, she has proven herself an enthusiastic collaborator and a highly effective advocate for MIT. I look forward to working with Suzanne as my chief of staff.
Suzanne is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Before joining MIT, she spent more than 17 years with the Boston firm of Nutter, McClennen & Fish, nine as a partner.
You can read more about Suzanne here.
* * *
On September 1st, Suzanne will conclude her role as a lawyer for MIT and assume her role as a member of the senior team, with the title of vice president. Throughout the fall semester, she and Greg will work in tandem to allow for a smooth transition. Pending a vote at the December 7th Corporation meeting, Suzanne will also become secretary of the MIT Corporation.
Please join me in thanking Greg for 12 years of exceptional service to MIT, and in welcoming Suzanne to her important new role.
Sincerely,
L. Rafael Reif