Bates College has announced the election of four new trustees, effective July 1, 2025:

• Jeanmarie Hester Cooper ’85, P’19 is a nonprofit leader who has served in multiple board and development roles in Connecticut;
• Peter J. Friedman ’92, P’24, P’26 is managing partner and founder of Five by Five Capital LLC;
• Sarah E. Norris P’26 leads the Midwest office of BBR Partners, where she is a partner and a director of portfolio and wealth advisory;
• Jennifer VanBelle ’90 is an independent board director who served in senior leadership for more than 25 years at General Electric Co.

“On behalf of the board, I want to express how grateful we are to Jeanmarie, Peter, Sarah, and Jen for their willingness to share their impressive expertise with Bates and to commit a significant amount of time to supporting the board’s work,” said Gregory A. Ehret ’91, P’23, chair of the Bates College Board of Trustees. “They join a dedicated group of trustees that helps ensure Bates is fulfilling its mission, and I know their varied experience and perspectives will be incredibly valuable to the college. I look forward to working with them.” 

The new trustees will serve five-year terms that extend to June 30, 2030.

Jeanmarie Hester Cooper ’85, P’19

Jeanmarie Hester Cooper is a nonprofit leader who has served in multiple board and development roles for several charitable organizations over the last two decades, including The Village for Families and Children Inc., Connecticut’s largest nonprofit mental health and community support organization. With an annual budget of $60 million, its 500 employees serve 20,000 individuals a year. Cooper has also worked with the Junior League of Hartford Inc., the Aurora Foundation for Women and Girls Giving Circle in Hartford and served on the local board of A Better Chance in Glastonbury, Conn. The Connecticut Council of Family Service Agencies recognized her as a Family Champion in 2015. 

Cooper began her career in investment banking, working for both Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. and G.E. Capital’s Corporate Finance business, providing growth and acquisition financing to middle market companies.

While at Bates, Cooper majored in biology, was on the dean’s list and played varsity soccer all four years. She was also on the indoor track team and served as a junior advisor. Cooper went on to earn a M.B.A from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She’s been a dedicated member of the alumni community particularly through the Hartford Bates Network, and served on multiple Reunion Gift Committees, including co-chairing her 35th. As a Bates parent, she served on the Parents Fund Committee and was Parents Leadership Circle Chair, 2017–19, receiving a Bates’ Best Award for volunteer service in 2018.

Cooper lives in Guilford, Conn. with her husband Colin Cooper P’19. They have two adult children, Ashley and Eli. Eli ’19 majored in economics at Bates and will attend The Sloan School at MIT in the fall.

Peter J. Friedman ’92, P’24, P’26

Peter J. Friedman is the managing partner and founder of Five by Five Capital LLC, a private equity firm focused on a broad range of industries, including financial services, aerospace, and defense. He is also a principal at AgileCap, a boutique commercial lender specializing in solutions for the insurance industry. Prior to founding Five By Five Capital LLC, Friedman managed mergers and acquisitions as the vice president of corporate development for Loews Corporation.

 Earlier, Peter was a director in the Corporate Strategy and Development Group at United Technologies Corporation, managing mergers and acquisitions across the company. His responsibilities included sourcing, managing, and negotiating all aspects of mergers and acquisitions. 

Friedman was a geology major at Bates. Early in his career he was a pilot for US Airways. In 2003 he received a M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He served on the advisory board at Tuck, and in May 2025 returned to Bates to teach a new Short Term course called “Tuck Business Essentials,” which he taught alongside faculty from Tuck and other Bates/Tuck alumni. 

Friedman and his wife, Kitty Northrop Friedman ’95, P’24, P’26, a Bates trustee emerita, are deeply engaged alumni, and were both members of The Campaign for Bates: Endowing Our Values campaign committee. Friedman’s service to his class is extensive and includes serving as chair of his 30th Reunion Gift Committee and co-chair for his 10th and 25th Reunions.

The Friedmans live in Park City, Utah, and have three adult children, Ned, Lindley, and Molly. Ned ’24 majored in politics, was a co-chief of Bates Emergency Medical Services, and is now working as a firefighter in the Denver area. Lindley ’26 is majoring in biology and is a captain of Bates Emergency Medical Services. 

Sarah E. Norris P’26

Sarah E. Norris is a partner and a director of portfolio and wealth advisory at BBR Partners, and leads the company’s Midwest office. She joined the company in 2015 and works with clients to develop their overall financial strategy, manage their investments, and integrate their investment, tax and estate planning into a cohesive wealth management plan. Before joining BBR, Norris was an executive director in the Private Bank at JP Morgan. Earlier in her career, she was selected as a First Chicago First Scholar.

Norris is a graduate of Brown University, where she majored in international relations and economics and played varsity field hockey. She received a M.B.A. from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management. Her community work includes serving on the board of trustees and senior advisory council for the Latin School of Chicago. She is a member of the investment committee of Jewish United Fund of Chicago and was recently elected to the board of trustees of Steppenwolf Theatre Co. 

Norris lives in Chicago with her husband, Clifford “Cliff” Norris P’26. They have four adult children, Molly, Sophie, Max, and Lucy ’26, who is majoring in biology at Bates with a minor in theater. Lucy is also a member of the field hockey team. 

Jennifer VanBelle ’90

Jennifer VanBelle ’90 is an independent board director and a retired senior executive at General Electric Co. Between 1998 and 2024 she held multiple roles at General Electric, most recently serving as senior vice president and treasurer, as well as CEO and treasurer of GE Capital, the financial services arm of General Electric. As treasurer, VanBelle was responsible for global funding and liquidity, capital structure, cash management, and treasury services globally. She also served as a member of the Advisory Board of GE Women’s Network and as an Executive Sponsor of GE’s Disability Advocacy Network. She had previously worked for Banque Indosuez, ING Barings, and Chemical Bank.

VanBelle currently sits on the board at AerCap, the world’s largest aviation leasing firm and owner of commercial aircraft. She also serves as a board member at buildOn, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and low expectations through service and education. She previously served as a board member of the Child Guidance Center.

At Bates, VanBelle majored in economics. She was a member of house council and the economics club, and participated in the Bates Blood Program. She earned a M.S. in finance from the London Business School. As an alumna, VanBelle served as a volunteer career counselor for Bates students for more than a decade. 

VanBelle and her husband, Andy Brode, live in Old Greenwich, Conn. She has two adult sons, Nick and Thomas, as well as four stepchildren, Rhyan, Alex, Turner, and Campbell.