By James Lomuscio
Westport resident Zac Zeitlin, 36, is one of nine appointments Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has made to the Board of Regents for Higher Education.
Zac Zeitlin: challenge is to do more with less. Contributed photo
In his new role, Zeitlin, the father of three young children, will oversee the four regional state universities, the community college system and Charter Oak State College.
He is a former partner of Silver Point Capital in Greenwich where he ran the Principal Finance business until he retired last year.
“I’m very excited to have a chance to understand the system and to have a positive impact on it,” said Zeitlin.
Since his retirement, Zeitlin said he as “been actively engaged in a few business ventures in business and education,” which he did not disclose.
He has also served on boards of several education-focused companies and non-profits. They include Domus, a Stamford-based charter school and community outreach organization, and QuestBridge, a college recruitment group aimed at high-achieving, low-income students.
“I want to have the opportunity to help students of all ages to achieve their goals and great jobs once they complete their work,” Zeitlin said. “That’s the goal. I think with higher education, that’s what it’s there for.”
The biggest challenge facing the state’s higher education system now, he said, is “How do we do more with less?”
“We’re looking for opportunities to do things better,” he said. “With the complexities of the economy, we’ll have to find ways to meet that need, and we’ll have to do it with fewer resources.”
A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he majored in business administration, Zeitlin previously worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co. and TPG Capital.
“Now I’ve decided to dedicate most of my efforts in the next business venture to the area of education, and the area I get most excited about is higher education,” he said.
Zeitlin and his wife Amanda have three young children, Josh, 7, Julia 5, and Charlie, 20 months.
