BOSTON, Mass. /Massachusetts Newswire/ — Governor Deval Patrick today announced seven appointments to the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, effective immediately. The diverse group holds a wide range of professional and educational experience and includes six graduates of the University of Massachusetts. The new appointees will join existing board members in governing the University of Massachusetts System.
“These board members all care deeply about the University of Massachusetts and will work to strengthen our already robust system of state colleges and universities,” said Governor Patrick. “I know they will focus on providing affordable and accessible world-class educational opportunities to all residents of the Commonwealth.”
The Governor’s appointees to the Board of Trustees:
•Zoila M. Gomez of Lawrence; attorney at the Law Offices of Zoila M. Gomez; former immigration consultant, small business owner and public servant; graduate of the Massachusetts School of Law, and University of Massachusetts Lowell.
•Richard P. Campbell of Cohasset; founder of national trial law firm Campbell Campbell Edwards & Conroy; founding chair of the Board of Overseers for Boston College Law School and current president of the Massachusetts Bar Association; graduate of Boston College Law School and the University of Massachusetts Boston.
•Margaret D. Xifaras of New Bedford; partner in the law firm of Lang, Xifaras & Bullard, former public servant and volunteer teacher; chair of the Board of Trustees, Southern New England School of Law; graduate of Boston University School of Law and Southeastern Massachusetts University, now known as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
•Jeffrey Mullan of Milton; “Of Counsel” at Foley Hoag LLP; former Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO; former executive director of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority; graduate of Suffolk University School of Law and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
•Lawrence M. Carpman of Marshfield; president of Carpman Communications, LLC; adjunct professor at the University of Maryland / Boston University; former public servant and newspaper editor; graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
•Alyce J. Lee of Milton; former chief of staff to Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino; vice chair of the Board of Trustees of Boston Medical Center; board member of the Boston Museum and Friends of the Sick and Poor; graduate of Wellesley College.
•James J. Karam of Tiverton, RI; president and founder of First Bristol Corporation; current chairman of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees; co-chairman of the board of advisors of UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology; graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
The Governor’s appointments are for five year terms effective immediately. Appointees will fill an open seat and replace the following trustees who have completed their terms: Lawrence F. Boyle, Jennifer C. Braceras, Richard J. Lawton, Kenneth A. MacAfee, and Stephen P. Tocco.
About the UMass Board of Trustees:
The University of Massachusetts is governed by a lay Board of Trustees. The board functions as a legislative body dealing mainly with questions of policy and establishes the general policies governing the university. The current Board is composed of 19 voting members and three ex officio non-voting members. Sixteen board members are appointed by the governor; at least five of those appointed must be alumni of the university, and one must be a representative of organized labor. The other two voting members are students.
The trustees are given broad responsibility to assure that university funds are spent properly, that the university exercises appropriate stewardship of university assets, and that operating results are positive. Most day-to-day responsibility to achieve these goals is delegated to the president and staff or to the chancellors of the campuses through the president.
