A Sister of Mercy, Dr. Fennell has more than 35 years of experience in higher education administration and executive search. She co-founded Hyatt-Fennell with Cheryl Hyatt to meet the growing need for specialized search services that focus on small and mid-sized higher education institutions across the United States.
Prior to founding Hyatt-Fennell, Dr. Fennell taught and served in various executive roles at several colleges and universities, including as president of Carlow University (PA). She earned her Doctoral degree from Boston University and did Postdoctoral work in Management from Harvard and the University Of Connecticut. Dr. Fennell has extensive experience in corporate relations and financial investment, and serves as a consultant and board member for various educational institutions and financial organizations including Huntington Financial Corporation. Dr. Fennell presently serves on three college boards. She is also the Senior Counsel to the Council of Independent Colleges (DC), the largest independent college and university membership organization in the United States.
In addition to her search and consulting responsibilities, Dr. Fennell is also a highly-regarded speaker, teacher, editor, and author. She has published over 100 articles on higher education and has co-edited 14 books on higher education. Dr. Fennell is the first graduate of the University of Hartford to be named a college president and was also the first woman to be elected to the Board of Directors of the Duquesne Club, which was founded in 1873. She was the author and primary consultant to the Accreditation System Of the Private Universities of Central America. Her many honors include numerous honorary Doctoral degrees from universities throughout the world and the United States. In 1989, Governor Tom Ridge named her a “Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania.”
