Montclair State Board Adds Two New Trustees; Honors Longtime Member as Trustee Emeritus

The Montclair State University Board of Trustees on Friday, April 16, added two new trustees and honored a longtime trustee, who has concluded 32 years of service to the University.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently appointed, with advice and consent of the state Senate, Sreeni Kutam, an executive at ADP, and Tracy Higgins, a law professor at Fordham University, to the Board, which represents the public interest in governance, policies and development of the University.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome these two very accomplished individuals to the Board. They are both deeply committed to the mission of the University, and I very much appreciate their willingness to serve as trustees,” says University President Susan A. Cole.

Board Chair Francis M. Cuss adds that the Board looks forward to working with Higgins and Kutam. “Their wealth of experience in areas as diverse as human resources, law and human rights will be an added resource for the board and the University,” Cuss says.

George Hiltzik, who began his service on the Board in 1989 and served two terms as Chair, was honored for his 32 years of service to the Board and to the University and was designated as a Trustee Emeritus.

“George has been a consistently enthusiastic and loyal supporter of, and advocate for, the University and its mission, and he has been a valued advisor to me,” says Cole. “We extend our deepest gratitude for his decades of excellent service, careful deliberations, generosity, keen insight, warm spirit, unfailing good humor, and countless contributions to Montclair State University.”

Tracy Higgins

Tracy Higgins is a professor of law at Fordham Law School where she teaches international human rights and constitutional law. She researches and writes about the way that law intersects with, reinforces, and sometimes challenges systems of racial and gender hierarchy, both in the United States and internationally. She is also the founder and faculty director of the Leitner Center for International Law and Justice, which trains students to work in international human rights advocacy by engaging them in research projects and creating opportunities for field work.
Higgins and her family have lived in Montclair for over two decades, where she has served for many years on the board of trustees of the Montclair Kimberley Academy, and, along with her husband, chaired the recent capital campaign for the Montclair Film Festival. She is a long-time supporter of the Montclair Art Museum where her husband, Jim Leitner, is a trustee.

She received her bachelor’s degree in economics from Princeton and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees of Montclair State University,” says Higgins. “I have been a longtime admirer of the University and am deeply committed to its mission to serve the state of New Jersey and the nation by providing a top-quality education to its talented, energetic, and diverse student body.”

Sreeni Kutam

Sreeni Kutam is the Chief Human Resources Officer at ADP, which has its headquarters in Roseland, New Jersey, and is a member of the company’s Executive Committee. Before joining ADP, Kutam was Vice President, HR Services and Technology at Express Scripts. Kutam also held the role of Vice President, HR Operations, with Medco Health Solutions, which was purchased by Express Scripts in 2012. In addition to Express Scripts and Medco, Kutam has held consulting and leadership positions at Hewitt Associates, Softlink, and Interim Technologies.

Kutam earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Andhra University, India, and his MBA from Purdue University.

“I am honored to be joining Montclair State as a Trustee and looking forward to working with all the stakeholders to help continue the success of the University,” Kutam says.