The Board of Trustees of Bennington College recently announced the appointment of Dr. R. Danielle Egan as the College’s 12th President. Dr. Egan was selected after a national search to succeed Interim President Elissa Tenny. Dr. Egan will take office in August 2026.
Dr. Egan is a prolific and widely recognized scholar whose research examines the social construction of sexuality, the cultural politics of gender, and the historical and institutional forces that shape norms of social and sexual acceptability. As Dean of the Faculty and Chief Academic Officer at Connecticut College, Dr. Egan has worked to realign curriculum in ways that create mission-centered and sustainable learning experiences; helped steward new processes for setting operational priorities, budgeting, and staffing; and met fundraising goals for a variety of projects from donors and foundations.
She also created a host of new professional development opportunities for faculty and staff. Dr. Egan is a highly strategic and data-informed professional who draws on a human-centered leadership approach in all of her work. She has provided comprehensive academic leadership for Connecticut College and its faculty and demonstrated the administrative vision and collaborative spirit that Bennington’s trustees sought in the College’s next leader.
“In Danielle Egan we have found a leader of uncommon depth,” said Nicholas A. Stephens ’77, Chair, Board of Trustees. “Dr. Egan is a scholar who has transformed the conversation in her field, an academic visionary who has earned the trust and respect of faculty and students alike, and a leader who brings both intellectual courage and genuine warmth to everything she does. Bennington’s next chapter is in exceptionally capable hands.”
“Danielle Egan is exactly the kind of president this moment calls for. She is a rigorous intellectual, a skilled academic administrator, and someone who understands deeply that education at its best is transformative. Her commitment to students, to faculty, and to the life of the mind aligns perfectly with Bennington’s founding mission. We are thrilled to welcome her,” said Elissa Tenny, Interim President, Bennington College.
Dr. Egan’s scholarly output spans three decades of influential work. Her first book, Dancing for Dollars and Paying for Love: The Relationships Between Exotic Dancers and their Regular Customers (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006), broke new ground in the sociology of the sex industry. Her co-authored Theorizing the Sexual Child in Modernity (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) and her solo monograph Becoming Sexual: A Critical Appraisal of Girls and Sexualization (Polity, 2013)—named Book of the Week by the Times Higher Education Supplement—have shaped debates in sociology, cultural studies, and feminist theory internationally. Her research has been discussed on BBC Radio 4 and NPR and has contributed to government reports on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dr. Egan holds both a PhD in sociology from Boston College and a PsyaD in clinical psychoanalysis from Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Goucher College. Dr. Egan is also a practicing psychoanalyst and a visual artist.
“For nearly a century, Bennington College has distinguished itself with an academic mission centered on creativity, interdisciplinarity, and self-direction. I find deep resonance with this mission, as it speaks to my life as a scholar, academic leader, psychoanalyst, and artist. Examining the various challenges our world is facing, I believe a Bennington education is needed now more than ever. I will work tirelessly to carry Bennington’s mission forward and to ensure its flourishing now and long into the future,” said Dr. Egan. “My first task will be to listen to students, faculty, staff, and alumni to build a shared vision of the future for the College. I am deeply honored to join this community, and I am excited for what we will create together.”
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