Lamont Names Shari Cantor UConn Board Chair
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont selected West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor to lead the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees after Daniel Toscano stepped down.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in People
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont announced Friday that West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor will chair the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees. The selection came one day after Daniel Toscano resigned as board chair, and the reason for his resignation has not been disclosed.
Why it matters
The appointment places a longtime board member and UConn alumna at the head of the state's flagship university governing body during a leadership transition. Lamont cited Cantor's UConn experience and her connections to Connecticut's business community as reasons for the choice.
Toscano served 18 years on the board before stepping down as chair, while Cantor has served as a trustee since 2014. Cantor graduated from the UConn School of Business in 1981 and was inducted into the UConn Business Hall of Fame in 2017; the circumstances behind Toscano's departure remain unexplained.
The players
Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont is the Governor of Connecticut, who appoints the chair of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees.
Shari Cantor
Shari Cantor is the mayor of West Hartford, Connecticut, and a UConn School of Business graduate who has served on the university's board since 2014.
Daniel Toscano
Daniel Toscano is a former chair of the University of Connecticut Board of Trustees who spent 18 years on the board before resigning.
The details
Lamont announced the selection on Friday, pointing to Cantor's education at the UConn School of Business and her ties to the state's business community. Toscano resigned as chair one day before the announcement.
Timeline
1981: Cantor graduates from the UConn School of Business.
2014: Cantor joins the UConn Board of Trustees.
2017: Cantor is inducted into the UConn Business Hall of Fame.
Nov. 12, 2026: Daniel Toscano resigns as board chair.
Nov. 13, 2026: Lamont announces Cantor as the new board chair.
Leadership Pipeline
Under Connecticut law, the governor selects the chair of the UConn Board of Trustees, so this appointment follows the same process used for successive chairs of the state's flagship university. Cantor's move from a municipal post and long board service mirrors a pattern in which experienced trustees with alumni and business ties are elevated to lead the board.
For UConn students, alumni and Connecticut taxpayers, the chair sets the agenda for the board that oversees tuition, budgets and university policy. A change in leadership can shift how those decisions are prioritized over the coming years.
The takeaway
Leadership changes on public university boards can quickly affect budgets, tuition and policy, so following board decisions after a transition is worthwhile for anyone with a stake in UConn.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage tied to Connecticut's public institutions and their leadership.
