Cabrini University announced the appointment of Helen Drinan, MBA, as Interim President on Friday, May 6. She will begin her appointment on Monday, May 23, following Cabrini’s 2022 Commencement.
Drinan’s robust experience and leadership in higher education and finance made her the perfect candidate to guide Cabrini for the foreseeable future as a national search is undertaken for a permanent president.
When told of her appointment, Drinan said, “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead Cabrini University while we search for the next president, and my husband David and I, along with our dog Kipper, are delighted to join the University's vibrant residential community.”
Drinan, President Emerita of Simmons University, a nationally ranked women’s college with 1,500 employees, served in that position for 12 years before her retirement in 2020. During her tenure, she established financial discipline as an essential organizational competency; introduced strategic planning as the basis for organizational redirection and resource allocation; and championed women’s education and empowerment.
Final interim president candidates were on campus for a two-day visit in late April, when they met with members of the Interim President Selection Committee, including committee chair Eric Tidwell (’96), as well as trustees, vice presidents, Cabinet, and select faculty, alumni, and students.
Drinan succeeds President Donald B. Taylor, who shared the news of his resignation on Tuesday, February 22, after eight years at Cabrini University. President Taylor will begin his term at University of Detroit Mercy this summer.