Dear Faculty and Staff,
I’m pleased to share that following a national search, Guilherme Costa will join Bentley as our new general counsel / vice president and secretary of the corporation this summer. Guilherme brings to our community more than 15 years of higher education leadership providing legal counsel and supporting regulatory guidance.
Most recently, Guilherme served as the senior associate vice president and deputy university secretary at Syracuse University, where he supported the board of trustees in all matters of governance and institutional strategy. In a role that required attention to detail and legal expertise, Guilherme was instrumental in overseeing revisions and updates to the university’s bylaws, along with numerous policies and procedures relating to compliance.
At Syracuse, Guilherme also served as interim senior vice president and university secretary, where he worked closely with the chair of the board of trustees as well as the university’s chancellor and president to oversee all activities and responsibilities of the board. Before joining Syracuse, Guilherme was vice president, general counsel and secretary to the board of trustees at Ithaca College.
Guilherme has also previously served as the general counsel for the South Dakota Board of Regents, deputy general counsel at the University of Idaho and law clerk at the University of Notre Dame while a law student there. He holds a J.D. from Notre Dame and an M.S. in Organizational Learning and Leadership from the University of Idaho and is currently working toward his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Syracuse. He earned a B.A. in Business Administration and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Florida.
As an experienced legal counsel in higher education, first-generation college student and immigrant from Brazil, Guilherme’s knowledge and experience will be a valuable addition to my cabinet. I’m certain that our faculty and staff will quickly come to know Guilherme as a fierce advocate and thoughtful counselor to whom they can turn for guidance and support. I know, too, that our board of trustees and their committee chairs will benefit greatly from his experience with boards at multiple higher education institutions.
I hope you will join me in welcoming Guilherme warmly to Bentley, and we’ll make certain that he is introduced around campus when he arrives later this summer.
Most Sincerely,
Brent Chrite
