Chris Gabrieli, Chairman (Biography)
Harneen Chernow, Vice Chair (Biography)
Danielle Allen, Ph.D. (Biography)
Mary Burns, University of Massachusetts Trustee Representative
Ann Christensen (Biography)
Veronica Conforme (Biography)
Alex Cortez (Biography)
Paul Mattera, J.D., State University Trustee Representative (Biography)
Niki Nguyen, Student Member, University of Massachusetts Boston (Biography)
Judy Pagliuca (Biography)
Christina Royal, Ed.D. (Biography)
Patrick Tutwiler, Ph.D., Ex Officio, Secretary of Education (Biography)
Bill Walczak, Community College Trustee Representative (Biography)
Non-Voting Positions
Noe Ortega, Ph.D., Ex Officio, Commissioner of Higher Education, Secretary to the Board
Imani Barbour, State University Student Segmental Advisor (Biography)
Thalles De Souza, Community College Student Segmental Advisor (Biography)
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Chris Gabrieli was appointed to the Board of Higher Education by Governor Baker in March 2015. He is the co-founder of three non-profit education innovation and reform initiatives and a lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
As the co-founder of Massachusetts 2020 / National Center on Time & Learning, Gabrieli has been at the forefront of the movement to expand learning time for disadvantaged students. He is the Chairman of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, a groundbreaking partnership between the state and district aimed at accelerating success for middle school students. He is a Partner Emeritus at Bessemer Venture Partners where he helped entrepreneurs build biotechnology companies.
Gabrieli has served in several higher education board roles at Harvard, Boston University’s School of Public Health and Clark University.
Harneen Chernow is a Director of the 1199SEIU Training and Employment Funds (TEF), a multi-state healthcare workforce intermediary providing education and training opportunities to over 300,000 members in in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington DC and Florida. TEF is a labor-management workforce partnership between 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East (1199SEIU) and over 600 employers, which provides health care and home care workers with a wide range of training and career ladder opportunities from ESOL to doctoral programs. Of central importance is TEF’s partnership with the public postsecondary education system, where participants complete their degrees and obtain necessary credentials. Ms. Chernow’s focus is expanding career advancement and educational opportunities to those workers who have been systemically excluded from succeeding in postsecondary education and accessing family-sustaining jobs and careers.
Ms. Chernow previously served as the director of education and training for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO where she led public policy and advocacy efforts to create a workforce development and education system that is accessible and equitable for full-time working adults. She is a past Vice Chair of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Ms. Chernow received her B.A. from Wellesley College, M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She and her wife Susan live in Jamaica Plain, and have two adult children.
Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is a professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy and director of the Democratic Knowledge Project and of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. She is also a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, national voice on AI and tech ethics, distinguished author, and mom. At the Allen Lab, she is also the Director of the GETTING-Plurality Research network which focuses on strategies for governing emerging technology and technologies for next-generation governance through the lens of pluralism and plurality-- tech strategies that begin from and affirm the value of human pluralism.
Her many books include the widely acclaimed Talking to Strangers: Anxieties of Citizenship Since Brown v Board of Education; Our Declaration: a reading of the Declaration of Independence in defense of equality; Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.; Democracy in the Time of Coronavirus; and Justice by Means of Democracy.
Outside the University, she is a co-chair for the Our Common Purpose Commission and Founder Chairperson for Partners In Democracy, where she advocates for democracy reform to create greater voice and access in our democracy, and to drive progress towards a new social contract that serves and includes us all.
Ms. Christensen is currently the president of the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation – a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank focused on solving institutional problems in business, education, and health care. She oversees operational development and the organization’s growing research programs. Under her leadership, the Institute has established a visiting fellows program, expanded its education work to include higher education, and added a global prosperity division.
Previously, she worked at Huntsman Gay Global Capital, a private equity firm. She also worked at Deloitte Consulting and spent time working at Elan Pharmaceuticals, an Irish biotechnology company. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from Duke University, Ms. Christensen lived in Mongolia, where she taught in high schools and universities, and worked to facilitate job training and home building.
Veronica Conforme is a Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Greenhouse E3. She joined Greenhouse in June of 2023 after leading UP Education Network for six years in Massachusetts. She previously served as Chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) of Michigan from 2014 to 2017. As Chancellor of the EAA, Veronica oversaw the state district focused on transforming the turn around of schools in the City of Detroit, spearheading important improvements in those schools by reversing long standing trends for students in math and reading.
For over a decade, she served in senior leadership roles in the NYC Department of Education including Chief Operating Officer overseeing a $23 billion budget and 130,000 employees. Veronica also worked as Vice President for the Access to Opportunity campaign at The College Board.
Veronica’s deep content knowledge, experience at the senior most levels of two of the country’s largest urban school districts, and leading turn around work and transformation in the charter sector has prepared her for leading Greenhouse E3.
Alex is a partner with Bellwether in the Strategic Advising practice area. Alex has 20 years of experience working in education and social change as a consultant, a school operator, and in philanthropy. He has deep expertise in helping organizations scale a combination of their Direct Impact by serving beneficiaries; their Widespread Impact by building the capacity of partners to replicate their model; and their Systemic Impact by shifting mindsets, relationships, and power to in turn shift policies, practices, and resource flows. His clients at Bellwether have included organizations providing workforce programming, postsecondary advising organizations, philanthropies, charter schools, place-based education program and advocacy organizations, and after-school program providers.
While at Bellwether, Alex has published on how to create more equitable and effective postsecondary pathways, how organizations can scale through Direct, Widespread, and Systemic Impact, and how parent power organizations scale.
Before joining Bellwether, Alex was a managing partner with New Profit, where he focused on funding and advising nonprofits growing their impact in K-12, postsecondary pathways, and parent power and systems change. Alex formerly served as a regional director of growth and sustainability at the KIPP Foundation and as chief of staff, strategy, and execution with KIPP Houston Public Schools. He began his career in for-profit consulting and then nonprofit consulting as a manager with The Bridgespan Group, where he worked on projects related to K-12 and higher education innovations, youth and adult workforce development, philanthropy, the environment, and aging.
Alex serves on the board of Saga Education (a high-impact tutoring organization) and serves his community as a member of the Massachusetts State Board of Higher Education. He has a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and an MPA and an MBA with honors from Harvard University. Raised in New Orleans, Alex currently resides in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Paul Mattera is recently retired from Liberty Mutual Insurance in Boston where he served as Senior Vice President & Chief Public Affairs Officer. In that capacity, he was responsible for managing the Company’s global public affairs including regulatory and legislative policy, and political action programs.
Mattera’s work often brought him to Washington, DC and other state capitols to advocate for policies to expand access and reduce the cost of property and casualty insurance. Following 9/11, Mattera played a leading role in the design of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, a public-private partnership which made it possible for insurance companies to cover terrorism risk at commercially reasonable rates. After the financial crises, he worked with international insurance supervisors to help build a global regulatory framework for insurance.
Prior to his thirty-five years at Liberty Mutual, Mattera practiced municipal law and spent seven years teaching public high school in Revere, Mass.
Throughout his career, Mattera was active on many industry and civic boards and remains active on the New England Council and JFK Library Foundation Boards, as well as the Salem State University Board of Trustees, which he chairs, and serves as the segmental representative to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
Mattera holds a BA in History from the University of Rochester (Rochester, NY) and a JD cum laude from Suffolk Law School (Boston, MA).
He and his wife Judy live in Swampscott, Massachusetts. They have three adult sons.
Niki Nguyen is a first-generation student attending UMass Boston, double majoring in International Relations and Biochemistry with an Accelerated Master’s Program in International Relations. She recently transferred from Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), where Niki was elected as a Student Trustee for two terms. Currently, she serves in several leadership roles, including Campaign Manager for re-elect Plymouth County Commissioner Jared Valenzola and SAC Chair. Her journey to pursue education hasn’t always been easy: she struggled with homelessness for 7 years throughout her adolescence. As Niki became more involved in her community, serving in leadership as an advocate for educational equity birthed her passion for representing and being proactive in changing government iniquities. Serving as the voting BHE Student Segmental Advisor for UMass campuses and SAC Chair, she intends to utilize her knowledge from her past professional and leadership experiences to the utmost extent of her abilities, in hopes individuals around her are empowered to make change themselves. Equity is her identity: creating impactful change that requires recognizing systemic inequalities, listening to all voices, and fostering inclusion. She believes an equitable mindset considers diverse experiences, leading to progress that benefits everyone using a foundation supporting sustainable, transformative change for more compassionate and just societies.
Judy Pagliuca is managing partner at Pagsgroup, where she invests in Boston-based start-up companies. She began her business career at Fidelity Global Bond Fund and the research group on international bonds and currencies, where she was responsible for more than $2 billion in assets. Ms. Pagliuca’s philanthropic efforts are focused on children and education. She is founder of Step Up Your Game, a partnership with the Boston Celtics that strives to alter the academic trajectory of the lowest achieving students in Boston Public Schools. She serves on the executive committee at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. She is a past trustee of Mass Development and past director of the Mass Turnpike Authority. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois and master’s from Harvard University.
Dr. Christina Royal is the President & CEO of Infinite Unlearning, LLC, a woman, BIPOC, and queer-owned executive coaching and consultancy service supporting mid to senior leaders and their organizations. Her goal is to educate leaders on a new paradigm of the future of work and help them shed their limiting beliefs and lead from a place of potential. She is also a President-in-Residence for Harvard University Graduate School of Education for the Academic Year 2024-2025.
In September 2023, Dr. Royal was appointed to the Board of Higher Education for the State of Massachusetts. She is also chair of the board of the Western Mass Economic Development Council, and a board member for the LGBTQ Leaders in Higher Education. Dr. Royal also teaches in a doctoral program at Bay Path University.
Previously, she was the fourth president of Holyoke Community College (HCC), and the first woman, first multi-racial, and first queer leader to lead this institution from 2017 to 2023. Dr. Royal has served in progressively responsible roles in both academic (community college and private four-year institutions) and corporate environments. In her presidency, she led the creation of the college’s first strategic plan, which prioritized equity by removing barriers for historically marginalized and racially minoritized learners, including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, first generation, adult learners, and students living in poverty. Dr. Royal established the President’s Student Emergency Fund, collaboratively transformed the institution’s shared governance model, launched El Centro to support Latinx students as a Hispanic Serving Institution, expanded mental health services, and secured the largest philanthropic gift to a community college in Massachusetts, among other notable accomplishments.
Prior to her presidency at HCC, she served as the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Inver Hills Community College in Minnesota, and also as Associate Vice President of eLearning & Innovation at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C), with district-wide oversight over one of the largest distance learning programs in Ohio. Growing up as a first generation and low-income college student, she understands some of the challenges our students face and the importance of having an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. Dr. Royal believes that representation matters, and our students must see aspects of themselves reflected in college to form a connection to the institution. It is this diversity that creates a culturally rich ecosystem of learning and strengthens our communities and region.
Her success as a leader throughout her career has stemmed from a future-oriented mindset coupled with an approach based on collaboration and teamwork. Dr. Royal has received several honors and recognitions for her public service, including the Woman of the Year award by the Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley in 2023; recognition for outstanding leadership on the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and Cengage in 2021; Woman of Impact by BusinessWest in 2020; and recipient of the 2012 United States Distance Learning Association International Award for Outstanding Leadership by an Individual. Under her leadership, HCC was recognized by the Women’s Edge as a Top 100 Women-Led Business in MA in 2021 and 2022.
Dr. Royal earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and a Master of Arts degree in Educational Psychology, both from Marist College, and a Doctorate in Education with a specialization in instructional design from Capella University. She lives in Northampton with her wife, Karen, and their two dogs, Tia and Marlie.
Patrick Tutwiler, Ph.D. is the Secretary of the Executive Office of Education, and the first Black person to ever hold that role in Massachusetts’ history. As Massachusetts Secretary of Education, Tutwiler directs the Executive Office of Education, which oversees early education, K-12, and higher education. Secretary Tutwiler sits on each of the boards governing the Commonwealth’s education agencies, as well as the University of Massachusetts system. He is Governor Maura Healey’s top advisor on education and helps shape the Commonwealth’s education agenda.
Before being sworn in as Secretary, Dr. Tutwiler served as the senior program officer at the Boston-based Barr Foundation, a grantmaking organization focused on arts, climate and education, where he specialized in developing new high school models that will have a positive impact across the entire school system. He has more than twenty years’ experience in public education as a high school history teacher, as a high school principal and as the superintendent of the Lynn Public Schools. As Lynn Superintendent, Secretary Tutwiler led a collaborative, equity-centered effort that resulted in increased graduation rates, decreased push out rates, a more racially diverse faculty and staff, and the establishment of Massachusetts’ second largest early college program. He earned a BA in history from The College of the Holy Cross, a master’s in education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. He lives in Andover with his family.
Bill is most associated with the re-development of the Codman Square area of Boston, a multi-cultural community which foundered in the 1970s and became an area known for racial unrest and economic disintegration. Bill was founding president and CEO of the Codman Square Health Center, a major factor in the regeneration of the community, is founding president of Codman Academy Charter School, and most recently was CEO of the South End Community Health Center in Boston where he developed a joint medical residency in psychiatry and family medicine. He has been a President and/or CEO of health care organizations for 42 years. He is currently retired from regular employment and writes regular columns for his community newspaper, The Dorchester Reporter.
Bill is chair of the Board of Trustees of Bunker Hill Community College, and chair of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. He is a trustee of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, on its executive committee and co-chair of the Strategic Planning Advisory Board and Nursing Task Force. He was founding president of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, a founder of the Edward Kennedy Health Careers Academy, a founder of the Center for Community Health, Education, Research and Service at Northeastern University, and founding president of Boston HealthNet. He is a past President of the UMass/Boston Alumni Association. He serves on the boards of the Rappaport Center at Boston College Law School, Daily Table, HealthWorks at Codman, The American City Coalition and Massachusetts State College Building Authority. Bill is the elected president of the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association, representing a large part of the Dorchester neighborhood.
Bill served on both Governors Deval Patrick’s and Charlie Baker’s Health Care Transition Committees, and on Acting Mayor Kim Janey’s Transition Committee. He is also co-director of the Pat Cook Fund, which supports curriculum development around the environment. Bill has worked on community regeneration efforts in a number of countries around the world. He was involved with the Northern Irish peace process for over a decade and led a program in post-apartheid South Africa that included support of patients with HIV, support of a women’s empowerment center, built a technology center for a school and developed a micro-enterprise project. He helped to develop a family medicine program for the country of Vietnam. Bill has received numerous awards for his work and ideas.
Ms. Barbour is a Senior at Bridgewater State University campus studying Social Work and Sociology. The firstborn of two children facing adversities that exemplified the treatment a minority receives in American Society Imani began advocating for equity in 2020. Imani is a Head Resident Assistant and President of Afro-Am a club organization on campus. Starting at the age of 12, she has regularly been active in the community of Springfield, Massachusetts working closely with 5A Bulldogs which later became Springfield Youth Athletics. Imani believes in the power of each individual's voice, finding hers in 2020 and only learning how to make it louder since her passion for helping others and connecting with them in society has enhanced her understanding of how to best help, simply by asking.
Mr. De Souza is a first-generation college student and a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a freshman, he is currently embarking on his educational journey at Cape Cod Community College, majoring in Communication and Political Science with minors in Marketing/Social Media, Radio/Podcasting, Media Content Creation, and Coastal Zone Management.
Regarding his previous leadership experience, Thalles is serving as the President of the Student Government Association for the second consecutive year, making him the first Black African Brazilian to be elected to this position. He is also the Co-Chair of the Student Budget Committee, the founder of the Jesus Club, and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Thalles places community service at the forefront of his career and plans to enter the field of Political Science, driven by a passion for equity.
Coming from an area of the world that is full of gangs and corruption, his old neighborhood is one of the most dangerous in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many of his family and friends lost their lives in shootings. After having almost died multiple times, he moved to the United States, 8 years ago.
Thalles believes that everyone has a voice and a story to tell, and he sees himself as someone who can make a major impact in the world. He wants to leave a lasting footprint on Earth before he departs. "We never know our potential until the only thing we have left is the power to fight for what we want. At this time, with all I have left, I'm definitely fighting for what I want," says Mr. De Souza.
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