Lloyd Suttle To Be Honored at The Game

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Blue Leadership Ball returns this fall to celebrate Yale’s legacy of leadership on the eve of the 141st playing of The Game.

The annual football showdown against Harvard is back on home turf, set for November 22 at the Yale Bowl, Class of 1954 Field. The Blue Leadership Ball will take place the night before, November 21, at the Schwarzman Center.

As part of this marquee biennial celebration, the Yale Athletic Department will bestow its highest honor, the George H.W. Bush ’48 Lifetime of Leadership Award, on five outstanding individuals and one Special Award recipient. The 2025 honorees are standouts in athletics, academics, and their professional fields. They are Keith Flaherty ’93 B.S.; Wendell Mottley ’64 B.A.; Lorraine Pratte Lewis ’78 B.A.; Margot Putukian ’84 B.S.; Victor Staffieri ’77 B.A.; and J. Lloyd Suttle ’69 B.S., ’73 M.Phil., ’75 Ph.D.

Named for the 41st President of the United States and Yale alumnus George Herbert Walker Bush ’48, the Lifetime of Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout their lives—in governance, commerce, science and technology, education, public service, and/or the arts and media.

“The Blue Leadership Ball is one of our most meaningful Yale traditions,” said Victoria M. “Vicky” Chun, Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics. “It is our opportunity to honor alumni whose leadership reflects the very best of Yale—on the field, in their careers, and throughout their lives. This year’s honorees exemplify the values that President Bush stood for: service, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”

Honorees are selected by broadly representative alumni Honors and Confirmation Committees. All recipients graduated more than 20 years ago and contributed meaningfully to Yale’s athletic tradition.

Learn more about this year’s honorees:

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(full list of honorees here)

J. Lloyd Suttle ’69 B.S., ’73 M.Phil., ’75 Ph.D.

J. Lloyd Suttle has devoted more than five decades to Yale University, shaping its academic and administrative landscape through extraordinary service and leadership.

Suttle earned all three degrees from Yale, completing his B.S. in 1969, his M.Phil. in 1973, and his Ph.D. in 1975. He began his career in 1973 in the Office of Institutional Research, becoming its Director in 1977. Additionally, he lectured in the Department of Administrative Sciences and co-authored and co-edited “Improving Life at Work: Behavioral Science Approaches to Organizational Change,” a notable work in organizational development. He joined the Yale College Dean’s Office in 1982 as Dean of Administrative and Student Affairs and was appointed Associate Provost in 1987. From 1992 to 1994, he served as Adviser to the President before returning to the Provost’s Office.  In 1997, he was promoted to Deputy Provost, where he has since provided oversight, guidance, and creative problem-solving support to a broad range of academic and student service units across the university.

During his nearly four decades in the Provost’s Office, Suttle has overseen a wide array of academic and administrative units, including the Athletic Department, Yale College, the Graduate School and several of the professional schools, the University Library, the Art Gallery and Center for British Art, the MacMillan Center, the University Registrar and Director of Financial Aid, and campus planning and capital budgeting. He also serves as the provost’s liaison to the Development Office and Office of Facilities, playing a central role in planning facility upgrades and expansion. He was deeply involved in planning the expansion of Yale College and the construction of Benjamin Franklin and Pauli Murray Colleges.

Widely respected for his deep institutional knowledge and thoughtful leadership, Suttle has been a steady presence within the Ivy League, serving as the longest-tenured member of the Ivy League Policy Committee. His leadership has been pivotal in maintaining Ivy League competitive equity and advancing key academic priorities. His dedication to Yale has extended far beyond campus, as he travels internationally to support student-athletes and advocates for initiatives that have strengthened the university community.

In 2022, Yale recognized his 50 years of dedicated service, highlighting his longstanding commitment to the institution. A true Yale lifer, Suttle has been deeply dedicated to enhancing academic excellence and resource stewardship for generations of Yale students and faculty.