Sweet Briar College names interim president

James F. Jones Jr., the retiring president of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., has been named the interim president of Sweet Briar College.

He succeeds Jo Ellen Parker, who announced in April that she was leaving the college to become president of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

Jones’ first day on the job at Sweet Briar will be Aug. 15.

During his 10-year presidency at Trinity College, Jones led a college-wide strategic planning process, with input from hundreds of faculty, staff, students and the Trinity Board of Trustees. The resulting 2005 Cornerstone Plan was instrumental in establishing an ongoing process for annual planning at the college.

In addition, the Cornerstone Plan helped Trinity develop the goals of its six-year Cornerstone and Legacy Campaigns, which concluded in 2012 after raising $369 million in contributions and donor commitments — more than double the amount of Trinity’s previous fundraising campaign.

During Jones’ decade as president, Trinity saw more than 30 percent growth in its overall college endowment and achieved significant annual fund growth. Today, annual fund contributions represent between 8 and 9 percent of the college’s operating budget — almost double the contribution 10 years ago.