David B. Payne

Former Member of the Board of Trustees

David B. “Dave” Payne served on the Colby-Sawyer College Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2021, lending his financial expertise to the board as a member of the Audit, Advancement, Finance, Campus Planning, Investment and Executive committees, as well as the Power of Infinity Campaign Steering Committee.

In 2019, Dave and his wife, Beverly, were inducted into the college’s Legends Society, which recognizes donors who have contributed $1 million or more to Colby-Sawyer throughout their lifetimes. Dave and Bev have made a significant impact on Colby-Sawyer by investing in a number of capital projects, including the Windy Hill School and the Davidow Center for Art + Design. They are faithful supporters of student scholarships and the Chargers Club, encouraging others to give to the Colby-Sawyer Fund. In addition, through their careful planning, the Paynes’ generosity will benefit the college for years to come by virtue of a planned gift to be made through their estate.

Dave earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Dartmouth College in 1958 and worked for 30 years for the Connecticut Bank and Trust Company (CBT). He was chief financial officer and president of CBT, and then chief financial officer of Bank of New England. He is the retired chair of Trust Company of Connecticut, which he founded in 1991.

Dave served as a director of several organizations in the Greater Hartford area, including Hartford Hospital, Hartford Healthcare, the Hartford Graduate Center, Institute of Living, McLean Home and the Westminster School. In Simsbury, he served several terms on the Board of Education and the Board of Finance. He is a past president of the Hartford Society of Financial Analysts, past chair of the Connecticut Bankers Association and former board member of First New England Capital. Locally, Dave is a past trustee of the Ausbon Sargent Land Preservation Trust, and he currently serves on the New London Citizen’s Advisory Committee and the Kearsarge Area Council on Aging Board of Trustees. He and his wife, Bev, reside in Elkins, N.H.