November 6, 2018

Elms College names seven new board of trustees members

REGIONAL
Staff report

(IObserve photo/courtesy of Elms College)

CHICOPEE – The board of trustees at College of Our Lady of the Elms have appointed a number of influential figures to be new members of the board.

“These new trustees bring a wide range of perspectives and experience to the board and will help Elms College find greater success as we move into the future,” said Cynthia A. Lyons, board chair.

“I am really pleased with the new board members’ diversity of backgrounds, level of experience and accomplishments, and commitment to Elms College. I look forward to working with them to advance the mission and vision of the institution at this exciting moment in our history,” said Harry E. Dumay, president of the college.

The new trustees are:

• Beth E. Anderson, founder/CEO of Phoenix Charter Academy Network. Since its founding in 2006, Phoenix has grown into a network of three schools in Massachusetts, including one in Springfield, with more than 100 game-changing educators serving over 500 students. Over the last 10 years, more than 150 young people who were never expected to graduate have earned high school diplomas from Phoenix and gone on to college success. Anderson is an alumna of Brandeis University, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Teach For America. Previously the co-chair of Gov. Charlie Baker’s Education Transition Committee, Anderson was recently elected as board president of the Massachusetts Public Charter School Association.
• Pascale Desir, chief legal officer of Way Finders. As chief legal advisor to the CEO and staff, Desir ensures Springfield-based Way Finders is compliant in all aspects of its work. Prior to Way Finders, Desir was chief legal officer at HAPHousing and Medicaid state plan manager with the Office of MaineCare Services. A native of Haiti, she majored in history and studied international relations at Boston University before attending Suffolk University Law School. In addition to the Elms College board of trustees, Desir sits on the board of directors of Common Capital Inc., one of Way Finders’ strategic partners.
• Jose Fernandez, co-owner of Sunrise Behavioral Health Clinic. Fernandez, who is retired from Springfield School System, opened Sunrise Behavioral Health Clinic, which includes a network of clinics in the Greater Springfield area. His current work focuses on the mental health needs of the population in the Greater Springfield area, including issues that arise from opiate addiction. Fernandez was born in Cuba and grew up in Puerto Rico.
• Mark Fulco, president of Mercy Medical Center: Fulco provides leadership in the execution, management, financial performance, and oversight of all operations at Mercy Medical Center, as well as strategic development initiatives. Over the years at Mercy, he has served as senior vice president of strategy and marketing and chief transformation officer, as well as Integration Management Office lead for the CHE-Trinity consolidation. He has also served as system vice president for health ministries and system office communication interface at Trinity Health in Michigan, vice president of strategic marketing and business development for St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn., president of a health care management services organization, and senior vice president of a national disease management company. Fulco also is a USA Hockey official and holds a master’s degree from the Barney School of Business and Public Administration at the University of Hartford, Conn., where he was a Woodruff Fellow, and a bachelor’s degree from Clark University, where he was a Travelli Scholar.
• Steven Gobel, first vice president of Morgan Stanley. Gobel has worked as a financial advisor since 1983 at Bear Stearns, Shearson American Express, Smith Barney Harris, Kidder Peabody, PaineWebber, UBS, and Morgan Stanley. He works with individuals, families, and business owners to create holistic investment strategies, and assists in wealth creation, preservation, and management, using tools such as financial planning. Gobel holds a bachelor of science degree in business management/economics from Manhattan College.
• Fawwaz Habbal, executive dean for education and research and senior lecturer at the Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at Harvard University. Habbal joined Harvard Engineering in 2002 as associate dean for academic planning and was instrumental in the development of the intellectual direction for bioengineering and electrical engineering at SEAS; in 2007, he became the executive dean of SEAS. Habbal is a member of the Applied Physics research group at SEAS, and is the director of graduate engineering studies. Prior to joining Harvard, he worked in industry and became senior research fellow in engineering and corporate vice president at Polaroid Corporation. After leaving Polaroid, Habbal established three startups in electronic imaging for the mobile market. He did postdoctoral research in Raman spectroscopy at the University of Colorado and was a senior research fellow at Harvard before his industrial career. Habbal holds a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and a doctoral degree in physics, and has several business degrees.
• Richard K. Sullivan Jr., president/CEO of Western Mass Economic Development Council. Before he became president and CEO of the EDC, Sullivan was Gov. Deval Patrick’s top advisor and worked with all members of his cabinet to advance the administration’s agenda. Prior to that, Sullivan served as secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, overseeing the commonwealth’s six environmental, natural resource, and energy regulatory agencies: the departments of Environmental Protection, Public Utilities, Energy Resources, Conservation and Recreation, Agriculture, and Fish and Game. He also served as chair of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Energy Facilities Siting Board, and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. Sullivan graduated from Westfield High School and holds degrees from Bates College and Western New England School of Law.