Alumni Association Board of Directors 2012-2013
Cheryl Starr Boillat '79, M.Ed. '97
cboillat@napsk12.org
North Adams, Massachusetts
Major: B.S. Education, 1979; M.Ed., Education, 1997
I received my Masters in Education in 1997, and served on PTG as an officer for 10 years, on the Arts advisory council for Sullivan and Conte Middle school for over 10 years, involved at St. Francis church as CCD teacher. I also have taught for the North Adams Public schools for 22 years, and served as an administrator for 4 years.
The Alumni Board plays an important part in helping the College expand its message on the value of education and its relevance to the people of our community and state. I am proud to be part of that important group of people.
Lauren Mauriello Burm '03
lburm@maaps.org
South Boston, Massachusetts
Major: English/Communications
Since graduating MCLA in 2003, Lauren has developed a professional skill set in association management, government affairs, and public relations.
She works as the director of public advocacy for the Massachusetts Association of Approved 766 Private Schools where she handles all government affairs and communications issues for the state-wide trade association that represents Chapter 766, special needs schools in Massachusetts and New England.
Lauren also has a background in legislative affairs having worked several years at the Massachusetts State House for Representative Peter Larkin, Senator Richard Tisei, and Governor Mitt Romney.
Lauren is very proud of her education from MCLA and is a strong supporter and advocate for public higher education.
William Caprari '75, M.Ed. '80
bcap@bcn.net
North Adams, Massachusetts
Major: B.S. Education, 1975; M.Ed., Education, 1980
Currently the senior member of the Alumni Board (30 years), Bill retired from MCLA in 2009. During his tenure at the College, Bill assumed several roles in the Student Affairs Division culminating in the Athletic Department where, as an undergrad, he played baseball from 1971-75; and pioneered and served as the first Sports Information Director and Athletic Trainer. He was inducted into the MCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
Prior to entering college, he served in the military, started one of a total of five successful businesses, and always maintained a penchant for investing.
Multifarious ventures including investment strategies, financial consulting, traveling, alumni connections, journalism, exercise, travel, plus family and friends are what is on the horizon during his early stages of retirement.
Daniel Carpenter '92
Ellicott City, Maryland
Major: Business Administration
Bio coming soon.
Rachel E.D. Churchill, Esq. '06
rChurchill@McCarter.com
Norwood, Massachusetts
Major: History
Rachel (Dayton) graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in History. She minored in Political Science, English, and Physics, and was a Tsongas Scholar. She held executive positions in the Judicial Review Board, Dance Company, Christian Fellowship, and Conservative Union. Rachel worked with the Learning Services Office to tutor her peers and provide "C-Print" note taking services to a hearing-impaired student. During her time at MCLA, she served as a director of BFAIR, a local non-profit organization dedicated to the support of individuals in Berkshire County with developmental and other disabilities.
After graduation, Rachel married her husband, John (a high school chemistry teacher), and attended Suffolk University Law School ('09). She now lives in Norwood and is an attorney at McCarter & English, LLP, a law firm with an office in Boston. She focuses her practice on public finance, and also has experience with corporate and commercial real estate matters. Rachel's academic tenure at MCLA gave her a breadth of experiences that serves her well in her personal and professional choices. She hopes to encourage current and future members of the MCLA Alumni Association to pursue careers in all professional fields and to develop unique and engaging ways to build local communities and the alumni network.
Pamela Kenny Connolly '82
pkcbuca@comcast.net
Westord, Massachusetts
Major: History
My years at the College made a major impact on my life providing an excellent education, many lifelong friendships and wonderful memories. Anyone who knows me well is aware of my devotion to this wonderful college in the Berkshires. As a student I was involved in athletics, on-campus work-study, and internships within the town of North Adams.
The College offers just as many opportunities for its student body as many of the larger, private schools. I served in various elected student government positions such as Senator, SGA Cabinet Officer, and class vice president. Since graduating I have remained involved with MCLA as a Class Agent promoting class correspondence, College fundraising, and reunion gatherings. My professional and volunteer experiences require tremendous networking.
Ashton Darrett '11
a.darrett@mcla.edu
North Adams, Massachusetts
Major: Business Administration
Bio coming soon.
Anthony Dedrick Jr. '06
anthonydedrickjr@gmail.com
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Major: English Communications
The various leadership positions I held at the College helped to prepare me for the many opportunities I would be presented with after graduation. Having spent the last two and a half years as an associate in a photo printing lab in the Boston area, I've been able to put a lot of the creative skills I learned as a member of The Beacon staff to great use. Now, I am close to finishing a Master on Education at Lesley University, hoping to put my leadership skills to great use as a high school English teacher. As an educator, I hope to be able to use this role to not only enrich the minds of the next generation, but to show them the value and potential in public education and great institutions such as MCLA.
Anthony Dolan '84
dolanconnection@me.com
Acton, Massachusetts
Major: English Communications
Tony is President of Resound Inc. Tony has a long history developing informational, news, entertainment and learning communications for a wide variety of clients and broadcast outlets. Current clients include Lockheed Martin, Hewlett Packard and The Institute of Coaching at Harvard Medical School. He has been producing, directing and editing broadcast and business productions, domestically and internationally for over 20 years.
Beyond the field of ethics training, Tony recently worked on the nationally televised documentary Song for New Orleans, and edited a Pilgrimage into the Past broadcast on PBS. He was senior editor for CBS/Eyemark's The Wild Wild Web weekly television show and was key to the production of numerous nationally broadcast television shows and was key to the production of numerous nationally broadcast television programs, commercials, public service announcements and news programs for all major broadcast networks. From 1995 to 2005, Tony was an adjunct lecturer at Boston University's College of Communication.
Tony currently lives in Acton, MA with his wife, Karen and their two children.
Laura-Jean (Griffin) Hickey '99
ljgriff7@yahoo.com
Acton, Massachusetts
Major: English Communications
Laura-Jean works for the IUOE Local 4 Benefit Funds as well as the Massachusetts Coalition of Taft-Hartley Trust Funds, Inc. After working for three years in the MCLA Admissions Office as an admissions counselor, she attended graduate school at Suffolk University, obtaining an M.Ed.
Laura-Jean remains passionate as ever about MCLA. She seeks to motivate more alumni to get involved with the College-through admissions, donations, internships, etc. While a student, Laura-Jean sought to be involved in all facets of college life. She served on The Beacon staff, WJJW, Student Government, and other committees.
Laura-Jean lives in Acton with her husband Bill Hickey '00 and their son Vincent. She also serves as a 1999 Class Agent.
Xavier Jackman '00
xavejack@yahoo.com
Tampa, Florida
Major: English/Communications
Bio coming soon.
Cecelia Hamrock Kennedy '78
cmk5390@optonline.net
Madison, New Jersey
Major: Education
After five years as an educator, I have spent the last twenty-five years as a human resources and corporate manager in diverse industries including retail, social service, insurance and engineering. My husband John '78 and I (CEO) sold our successful engineering services company in 2006. I was a recipient of the 'Young Women in American Business Award' and a finalist for the 'NJ Entrepreneur of the Year' in 2005. I believe MCLA provides for affordable quality education and solid life preparation and its graduates have an obligation to give back to the College to ensure the future for generations of students.
I have held board and / or committee roles with NJ Special Olympics-Area 3, Madison Board of Education, Madison PPEC, Madison Athletic Foundation and am an advisor to the Boy Scout Venture Crew 77.
We live in New Jersey with our son, Sean.
Oscar R. Lanza-Galindo
olanzagalindo@gmail.com
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Major: English & Philosophy
Over the past ten years, I have carefully dedicated much of my professional and personal career towards finding different ways in which I can give back to my community. I would bring these experiences and skills with me to the Alumni Association Board of Directors in order for all of us, as a community, to assist others on their personal, professional, and academic journeys. As a first generation college student, I long ago learned the importance and value of a public education. I want to do my best to ensure that others also have these opportunities. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Center for New Americans (Northampton, MA) and received the MCLA Alumni Association Humanitarian Award in 2009.
Benjamin Lamb '07
lambb813@strose.edu
North Adams, Massachusetts
Major: Biology and Environmental Studies
Ben graduated from MCLA with a degree in Biology and Environmental Studies. His on-campus involvement included the IE Program, being an RA, admissions ambassador, tutor, president of the Student Activities Council, Bio Club, and Environmental Studies Club, Student Trustee, and partaking in Alternative Spring Break trips. After graduation, his memorable time at MCLA guided him into the field of student affairs.
Ben adamantly supports developing new programs, support models, and innovative engagement opportunities for students. Having experienced the world as a firefighter, ecotourism guide, salmon population researcher, and chemist, Ben returned to his passion of higher education, working in Career Services, College Access, Admissions, and now Student Leadership Development. He is currently employed at Williams College, and works with the Berkshire Youth Leadership Program. He loves MCLA, and looks forward to engaging the community to continue to develop and improve the College for generations to come.
Sherry Morrison '03
smorrison@hollisterstaff.com
Wakefield, MA
Major: Psychology
My time at MCLA was an incredible experience that I am truly thankful for. Attending a small school allowed me to build close relationships not only with gifted students in the Psychology department, but also allowed me valuable, hands-on research opportunities that I may not have had success to at a larger institution. I was fortunate to stay on at MCLA in the Admissions Department as a Counselor recruiting prospective students in the South Shore for a year after graduation.
Following my time at MCLA, I spent 8 years working in Community Mental Health advocating for the needs of children and families. In 2011, I completed an MBA at Thomas College, another small liberal arts college in Maine. Since graduation, I have been working for Hollister, Inc., a full-service recruiting firm in Boston. I have been successful in placing MCLA graduates in roles that have let to permanent placements with some of out top clients in the Greater Boston area.
I am grateful for the education I received at MCLA. The faculty and staff are clearly committed to excellence, and I share this commitment in providing a quality, affordable education.
Michael A. Reopell '85
Michael.A.Reopell@williams.edu
North Adams, Massachussetts
Major: Computer Science
Mike received an M.B.A. in 1994 at Western New England College. He currently serves as Director of Advancement Information Systems at Williams College and has worked in the business of managing information technology for alumni and development operations for over 20 years.
A veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, Mike is a former member and past president of the MCLA Alumni Board, past representative to the MCLA Foundation Board. He also worked at MCLA during his (non-traditional) degree years as the Veterans Representative and Staff Assistant to the Registrar.
"Having many years of experience in the higher education industry - I have a strong sense of how important the alumni community can be to the institution. The foundation of every successful donor program in higher education can be directly attributed to the quality of the relationships that exist with the institution and the alumni community."
Michele (Kostka) Rugo '77
michele@rugoandsons.com
Murphy's, California
Major: Sociology
After a brief but successful career in high tech and publishing, I became a stay at home mom for three sons and supported their school and extra-curricular events. Later, I returned to school myself for a teaching credential and taught elementary school for several years in Silicon Valley where I served on boards designing curriculum and helping teachers to become better ones. A lifelong community volunteer, I participate in a number of groups that involve planning as well as hands on work with animal rescue, a women's crisis center, GED tutoring, a volunteer library and a county agricultural/homeowners dispute resolution committee.
Currently, my husband of thirty years and I own and operate a horse and cattle ranch in the historic Sierra foothills (Gold Rush country) of northern California. I also write occasionally for regional magazines and am a published fiction author. My liberal arts education from MCLA prepared me for many directions in life and gave me the tools to interact effectively with a wide range of people and interests. Most importantly I learned the value of community and giving back, something which I'd like to do for our college.
Alyssa "Laini" Sporbert '92
Laini.Sporbert@williams.edu
North Adams, Massachusetts
Major: Psychology
Laini earned her master's in counseling psychology from Cambridge College, and has been working with substance abuse education/counseling and health education at Williams College for 10 years. She currently serves on the Board of the Elizabeth Freeman Center, the Arts Advisory Board for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, and UNITY (United, Neighboring, Interdependent, Trusted Youth) Program. Also, she volunteers for the Cultural Council of the Northern Berkshires and runs the Railway Cafe. Now in its 7th season, the Railway Cafe is a monthly concert series that takes place at MCLA Gallery 51.
While at the College, Laini was an orientation leader, a DIGS leader/trainer, an ADEPT peer educator, a psychology intern and TA, and in theatrical and choral productions.
"I'm glad to have ended up right where I started. I'm pleased to participate in the growth and development of my alma mater - and love to encourage other alums to participate, too."
Jennifer Schimmel Stanley '99
asajenbob@hotmail.com
Enfield, Connecticut
Major: Art
I am honored to be participating on the MCLA Alumni Association Board of Directors. I have fond memories of MCLA and my experiences there have given me a solid foundation to build on. I am a strong believer in giving back and providing for the next generation. I believe that being a part of this board would be one way that I can give back to a place that gave me so much. I have been blessed to have a career in nonprofit organizations that focus on building relationships, planning events, and raising money; skills that are often in demand when trying to bring communities together.
Andrew Zabak '80
azaback@longmeadowcapital.com
Farmington, Connecticut
Major: Business Management
My career in venture capital has provided me with the experience of sitting on privately held company boards of directors. As a result, I understand the complexities of setting strategy, policies and corporate governance as a board member. In addition, as a manager of several investment funds, I am comfortable in the fundraising environment, having raised substantial capital from institutions and wealthy family offices for our investment partnerships.
Over the years, my wife Doreen '79 and I have lived in many parts of the country and now have settled back in New England for the past 12 years. We have enjoyed living in various parts of the country and have established many long-term professional and personal relationships that we have leveraged in both our business and personal life.
Dennis Zicko '65
dpzicko43@verizon.net
Duxbury, Massachusetts
Major: Education
Dennis, a retired physics teacher and golf coach, worked for the Marshfield School System for 34 years. He received his Masters of Natural Science from the University of South Dakota in 1970. He was an original member of the National Science Foundation's Physics Teacher Resource Agent program. As such, he has conducted workshops around the country for physics teachers, middle school teachers, and elementary teachers. He was awarded "The Science Teacher of the Year for Plymouth County" in 1990. He has been an MCLA class agent for his class since 2006 and received the "Outstanding Service to the College Award" in 2010.
"I owe a lot to MCLA for the four years I spent there. Serving on the Board affords me the opportunity to 'give back' to the College to which I owe so much."
Jason Brown, Student Government Association Representative
Member Emeriti:
Alma Benedetti '37
North Adams, Massachusetts
Major: Elementary Education; B.S. 1937
Alma is a retired first grade and art teacher from the North Adams School system. After graduation from State Teachers College at North Adams she continued her education with a master's of education from North Adams State College, as well as attending Columbia University and the University of Massachusetts during the summers. Her local volunteer efforts include the North Adams Public Library and the North Adams Garden Club. Alma serves as a Class Agent for the class of 1937, is a member of the Taconic Society and received an honorary degree from the College in 1999.
Paul Egan '67
Essex, Massachusetts
Major: Science and Mathematics
Paul graduated from the College with a BA in Science & Math. He was President of his graduating class, a member of Student Government, Intramurals and was selected as a member of Who's Who in American Colleges & Universities, 1967. For many years, Paul served as President of the Alumni Board of Directors and never missed a meeting or alumni gathering during his many years of involvement on the Alumni Board. Paul is a Co-Class Agent for the class of 1967 with Jeanne Slaney Peterson. Paul received a Masters in Administration from Salem State in 1979. A former teacher, Paul is President of the Scott Group, Inc., a consulting firm responsible for quality control of larger construction projects, especially schools.
