Chia will take the place of Trustee Kimba Wood who, according to Hostetter, "has asked to step down from the Board because of the trial commitments she faces as a U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York."
Hostetter, in a letter to the College community announcing Chia's election, expressed the Board's enthusiasm about her contributions to the College.
"Kathy is an accomplished architect and designer who has served Amherst skillfully as an alumni advisor, class associate agent, class president and class reunion chair," wrote Hostetter, "and we look forward to drawing on her dedication and talents as the Board carries out its responsibilities over the next several years."
"Part of wanting to be a Trustee is wanting to give back to the College and give back to the students," said Chia, mentioning the positive role the College has played in her life. "I was willing to do whatever the College needed me to do."
As a term trustee, a trustee elected by the board, Chia will serve on the Buildings and Grounds, Honorary Degrees, Human Resources and Student Life Committees. She is one of five female Trustees out of the 21 members of the Board.
A Term Trustee serves a six-year term. Chia will serve a little over five years since she was elected to complete Wood's unfinished term.
Alumni elect the six Alumni Trustees on the Board but the Board of Trustees nominates and elects the 14 Term Trustees.
Chia's first Trustee meeting will be the winter meeting this January.
"Initially I was nominated to run as an Alumni Trustee. I didn't win but I think the Board kept me in mind," said Chia.
Though Chia says that she does not have a specific agenda for her tenure as a trustee, she anticipates making a quality contribution to the Board and is especially committed to the four committees on which she will serve.
Especially enthusiastic about her role on the Student Life Committee, Chia plans to dedicate herself to learning about the student body.
"I really want to spend a couple of days beyond [the January Board Meeting] going to classes, sitting in Valentine and getting to know the students."
Chia added, "I want to really focus on issues that are not only facing students today but also future generations of students."
She emphasized that a member of the Student Life Committee must always remain in contact with the ever-changing student body.
"The fact that they called me to be a trustee was really an honor," said Chia. "When they called I just said 'yes' immediately. I am really eager to get started."
"It's going to be fairly involved," she said, referring to her commitment to the board. "But it's really one of the top priorities on my list."
In the letter announcing Chia's appointment, Hostetter announced Wood's decision to step down from the Board and thanked her for her contribution to the College.
"Kimba has been an invaluable colleague to us, serving at various times on our Audit, Folger Shakespeare Library, Human Resources and Instruction Committees," wrote Hostetter. "She has been a wise counselor in our deliberations and was especially helpful as chair of the Board's Ad Hoc Committee on Legal Compliance and as a Trustee advisor to the College Council when it revised our student disciplinary code a few years ago. We will miss her but hope she will maintain close ties to her friends at the College."
"I will try to lend as much of my expertise to the Buildings and Grounds Committee as I can," she said.
Chia graduated from Amherst with a major in fine arts. She went on to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [MIT] and earned a Master of Architecture Degree in 1991.
She also worked for three years as Maya Lin's assistant. Lin, one of the most recognizable names in architecture, designed the Vietnam War Memorial.
Chia and her husband Arjun Desai, also a graduate of the MIT architectural program, opened their own studio, the Desai/Chia Studio, which they ran out of their New York City home for several years.
The studio's location recently moved from the couple's apartment to a nearby location to make room for a nursery.