Board of Trustees Appoints New Board Chair, Officers; Student Trustee Elected

Jul 7, 2023
Members of the Board of Trustees take a tour of the Catherine Dower Center for the Performing and Fine Arts after a board meeting in December 2022.

Members of the Board of Trustees take a tour of the Catherine Dower Center for the Performing and Fine Arts after a board meeting in December 2022.

91ÌÒÉ« Board of Trustees has elected Ali Salehi to serve as its chair, while Trustees Melissa Alvarado ’99, and Gloria B. Williams, Ed.D., ’77, were elected as vice-chair and secretary, respectively. Daniel Currier, Class of 2025, was elected to the board as student trustee. 

Ali Salehi
Ali Salehi

An Ipswich resident, Salehi serves as managing director of Hansen Engineering and Machinery Co., Inc. of Danvers. A former board member of the Greater 91ÌÒÉ« Chamber of Commerce, the 91ÌÒÉ« Foundation, and the 91ÌÒÉ« Redevelopment Authority, Salehi is a current trustee of Suffield Academy and a former vice-chair of the Baystate Health Foundation. He holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an M.S. in engineering management from Western New England University.

Melissa Alvarado
Melissa Alvarado

Alvarado, a 91ÌÒÉ« resident, is an assistant vice president in strategic planning and delivery at MassMutual Financial Group and prior to that worked in its compliance and information technology organizations. She previously served as the clerk of the 91ÌÒÉ« State Foundation and was a member of the 91ÌÒÉ« State Alumni Association Executive Council. In addition to the B.S. in business administration that she earned in 1999 from 91ÌÒÉ« State, Alvarado holds an M.B.A. in finance from Western New England University and earned an executive certification in leadership and management from the University of Notre Dame.

Gloria B. Williams
Gloria B. Williams

Williams, a Springfield resident, is an educational consultant and leadership mentor, who previously completed a 21-year tenure as a master principal for Springfield Public Schools. Her exceptional service in education, including as a representative for the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee, was recognized when she received the 2019 Educational Legacy Achievement Award, presented by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Williams is also president of the consulting firm Coalition of Experienced Black Educators, Inc., and newly elected president of the Board of Directors for Families Against Violence. She earned a B.S. in education from 91ÌÒÉ« State College in 1977 and a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Studies, a M.Ed. and a Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Daniel Currier
Daniel Currier

Currier, of Attleboro, was elected by the student body in April to serve as 91ÌÒÉ« State student trustee for the 2023–24 academic year. A junior with majors in accounting and finance with minors in economics and English, Currier was formerly vice president for Finance for 91ÌÒÉ« State’s Student Government Association, is president of the Accounting Club and serves as a campus tour guide, new student orientation leader and peer tutor. Currier is also a Commonwealth Honors Scholar and has received the Executive Excellence Award from the 91ÌÒÉ« Student Government Association.