Brian Pellinen appointed President of Montserrat College of Art

BEVERLY, MA – Brian Pellinen has been named President of Montserrat College of Art following a year-long national search. Pellinen has served as Interim President of the college since the departure of former President Kurt T. Steinberg in January 2023. He will be the college’s eighth president.

In announcing his appointment, Trustees Chair Mercedes Sherrod Evans said, “Brian has shown his effectiveness as a leader during the past year through his careful attention to the student-centered mission of Montserrat, his receipt of a $2.1 million federal grant, his push to launch new degree programs and opportunities for adult-learners, and his relentless community-wide efforts to raise the profile of Montserrat. Working with the search firm, Isaacson Miller of Boston, the trustees and search committee conducted a nationwide search, interviewed many candidates, and determined that Brian is the best choice for Montserrat’s future.”

President Pellinen enthusiastically accepted the new role. “I first started at Montserrat in 2005; Iimmediately fell in love with the incredibly creative students, the small, personalized education model that allows for students to be themselves and find themselves, and the way faculty and staff pull together to help ensure our graduates find success. It is an absolute honor to be able to lead this college into its bright future. I’m grateful to the community that put its trust in me. Montserrat is transformative to the people who study and work here and transformative to the City of Beverly. I’m excited to launch the college into its next chapter and see how our future graduates will shape their world.”

An accomplished higher education administrator, he has served in academic leadership positions for 30 years. President Pellinen served as Academic Dean of Montserrat since 2017 and before that, as Associate Dean from 2005 to 2009 having also worked as the Academic Dean of Professional Studies at Endicott College, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Nashua Community College, and Chair of Language and Letters at Northern New Mexico College.He has also been a teaching faculty member at several of his prior institutions.

During his service as Academic Dean, he was credited with helping to lead the college through the challenges of COVID-19, landing grants and gifts that increased internship and mentorship opportunities, the successful hiring of new full-time faculty members and the creation of new areas of study. Under Brian’s leadership in Academic Affairs, the college achieved a ranking for the first time by the US News and World Report guide to the country’s best colleges, gaining notice in the “North Region” and “Social Mobility” categories.

He holds a Master's Degree from the York University, in Toronto, Ontario and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Pellinen is also an active visual artist and writer with recent shows in Massachusetts and theater performances produced in Washington DC’s Fringe Festival.

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Montserrat College of Art is a private, residential college of visual art educating designers, artists, and entrepreneurs for a rapidly changing world that requires creative solutions to new challenges. At the intersection of art, design and technology, the college offers international study programs,12 concentrations, five minors and a required internship program. Montserrat alumni are employed by some of the country's biggest brands including Disney, Puma, Hasbro and more. Students earn the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and develop their skills for success in today's growing creative economy. The college also offers year-round classes for youth, teens and adults through itsLifelong Learning Division, and free exhibitions and lectures in its public galleries.. Montserrat is "Where Creativity Works." www.montserrat.edu