Suzanne P. Welsh of Swarthmore, who served as vice president of finance and as treasurer for Swarthmore College, died Feb. 28. She was 71.
“From the budget to the endowment, our debt structure, and beyond, Sue kept all the plates spinning like a magician,” Swarthmore board manager Tom Spock said in a tribute.
Ms. Welsh, who grew up in Havertown, was valedictorian of her class at Haverford High School and an honor student at the University of Delaware and Penn’s Wharton School, writes Gary Miles for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Ms. Welsh was former chair of investment committees at the William Penn Foundation and the Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church.
She oversaw Swarthmore College’s multimillion-dollar operating budget from 2002 until her retirement in 2015.
Ms. Welsh was active with Swarthmore’s Committee for Socially Responsible Investing.
She grew the college’s resources during difficult economic times, using innovative correction measures to protect its finances, particularly during the turbulent early 2000s.
Harold Kalkstein, chair of the Swarthmore managers, said: “Sue played a pivotal role in advancing the vitality and growth of the college.”
In 2011, donor Eugene Lang endowed the biennial Suzanne P. Welsh Award for outstanding service by Swarthmore staffers.
Read more about the life of Suzanne P. Welsh in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
