Springfield College Hosts 2019 Board of Trustees Elections at Annual Meeting

The Springfield College Board of Trustees recently announced the outcome of its 2019-20 board election results during its annual meeting on the campus. The Board of Trustees, the primary governing body of the College, is responsible for major decisions and changes on campus, and comprises an integral part of the progress and advancement of the College.

James H. Ross, III, resident of Wilbraham, Mass., enters his second year of a three-year term as Chair for the Springfield College Board of Trustees. Ross is Principal Officer of The Hollenbach Group, LLC, of Springfield, Mass., and has been on the Board of Trustees since 2012. 

Michele A. Megas-Ditomassi, resident of Longmeadow, Mass., returns for her second year of a three-year term serving as Vice Chair for the Springfield College Board of Trustees. She is a retired educator who earned her bachelor’s degree and certificate of advanced graduate study from Springfield College.

The following individuals have been re-elected to serve a three-year term on the Springfield College Board of Trustees (Class of 2022):

Denise Alleyne, resident of Yeadon, Pa., is a retired Vice President for Student Services at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in 1973 and a graduate degree in 1974.

Kurt Aschermann, resident of Leesburg, Va., is a marketing and resource development professional who operates a nonprofit consulting practice called KA6 Consulting. Previously, Aschermann was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Charity Partners LLC, and he was the Senior Vice President of Resource Development and Marketing for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He is a 1971 graduate of Springfield College.

Douglass L. Coupe, resident of Bluffton, S.C., is the retired Vice President of State Street Global Investor Services of Boston, Mass. Coupe has been a member of the Board of Trustees for more than 20 years serving as Chair from 2011 to 2015. He earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, certificate of advanced studies at Springfield College, and he received an honorary Doctor of Humanics degree from the College in 2016.

Charisse F. Duroure, of Westerly, R.I., is Spa Director of G-Spa at Foxwoods Resort and G. Group Consulting of Mashantucket, Conn. Duroure earned a bachelor’s degree from Springfield College in 1980.

Peter J. Pappas, of Longmeadow, Mass., is currently a Senior Vice President of Morgan Stanley in Springfield, Mass. A member of the Springfield Rotary for 25 years, Pappas earned his bachelor of arts degree from Kenyon College in 1973, earned a master of arts degree in American Studies from Union College, and received a master’s in education degree from Springfield College in 1979.

Suzanne Benson Robotti, resident of New York, N.Y., is founder and President of Medshadow Foundation, an independent nonprofit website that gathers useful information on medicine side effects. Robotti earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Maryland.

New to the Board of Trustees (Class of 2022) are:

Pia D. Flanagan, of Granby, Conn., is Chief of Staff for the President and CEO of MassMutual. A member of the MassMutual’s Executive Leadership Team, Flanagan works with the CEO on top priorities, and she is a key consultant to the company’s Board of Directors.

Prior to joining MassMutual, Flanagan was a partner in the New York office of global law firm Baker & McKenzie. Also, she served as an Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Attorney for the law firms of Coudert Brothers and Morrison Cohen in New York.

Flanagan received a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, master of Laws in Taxation from New York University School of Law, and bachelors of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance from the University of Texas at Austin.

Mark A. Elgart, of Altanta, Ga., is the founding President and Chief Executive Officer for Advance Education (AdvancED), a leader in achieving educational quality and driving education improvement through research, innovation, policy and advocacy, technology, and accreditation serving over 32,000 institutions and 20 million students worldwide.

Through his leadership, accreditation has been transformed into a systems-oriented process that focuses on institutional performance with respect to Standards of Quality, student performance in all program areas, and learner and stakeholder engagement.

Elgart earned a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Springfield College, a master’s in Education from Westfield State College, and a doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.

Alexandra E. Goslin, a native of South Windsor, Conn., was elected as the Student Trustee. Goslin is a Math and Secondary Education major, and will be entering her senior year in the fall.

Kristian Z. Rhim, a native of Philadelphia, Pa., was elected as the Student Trustee-elect. Rhim is a Communications/Sports Journalism major, and will be entering his junior year in the fall.

Springfield College is an independent, nonprofit, coeducational institution founded in 1885. Nearly 5,000 students, including 2,500 full-time undergraduate students, study at its main campus in Springfield, Mass., and at its regional campuses across the country. Springfield College inspires students through the guiding principles of its Humanics philosophy – educating in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.