Leadership

Dr. Michele D. Perkins, President

Michele Perkins became the 15th president of New England College in 2007, after serving as senior vice president and vice president for enrollment. Since then, NEC has more than quadrupled its enrollment to over 4,000 students in multiple program delivery models, including on-campus, on-location, low-residency, and online programs. Under her leadership, in 2019, NEC successfully completed a merger with the New Hampshire Institute of Art in Manchester, now the Institute of Art and Design at New England College.

She led the founding of NEC’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies, which currently offers diverse master’s and doctoral programs on campus, online, and in various remote settings, including new programs with Dallas College in Texas. NEC is now nationally recognized for its commitment to civic engagement; experiential learning in its undergraduate and graduate programs; and growth and success of its Division III athletic program, which now enjoys multiple conference championships every year.

Dr. Perkins initiated and led the College’s first capital campaign, Bridge to the Future, which raised over $42 million, more than twice its initial goal. Notably, the campaign helped fund the 19,000-square-foot John Lyons Center (a multi-purpose academic center) and the Rosamond Page Putnam Center for the Performing Arts, featuring a 350-seat thrust stage theatre.

A hallmark of Dr. Perkins’s presidency continues to be financial stewardship, characterized by balanced budgets, routine surpluses, management efficiencies, a careful accumulation of long-term assets in physical facilities, and an endowment that has grown fourfold to $26.5 million. All of this has been accomplished while holding debt to a manageable level.

Dr. Perkins holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Theatre and Performance Studies from Northwestern University and Emerson College, respectively. She earned her doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.

She teaches on occasion at NEC, providing voice workshops for the Theatre program and Organization and Administration coursework in the Higher Education Administration master’s program. Early in her career, Dr. Perkins taught speech and drama at Emerson College and Curry College.

Dr. Perkins continues to perform today and has a keen interest in Shakespeare and solo performances of poetry. She has performed at the College’s MFA in Creative Writing residencies and at various venues in New England. She has been a member of the Milton Ensemble, a readers’ theatre group dedicated to performing all books of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, and a past board member and company member of the Champlain Arts Theatre Company. She served for many years as a judge for the New Hampshire Poetry Out Loud state finals competition.

Prior to serving NEC, Dr. Perkins held positions in admissions and enrollment management at White Pines College, New York Law School, Trinity College, and Emerson College. As an independent consultant, she has worked with colleges and universities across the country on a wide range of projects focused on admission marketing strategies, enrollment management, and long-range planning. She was a co-founder of the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP).

Dr. Perkins currently serves on several boards and advisory groups in higher education. She is Chair of the New Hampshire College and University Council, Chair of New Hampshire Campus Compact, and Immediate Past Chair of the New Hampshire Higher Education Commission. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the New England Council; a member of the Board of Directors of Project Pericles; and is a longstanding board member of the New England Board of Higher Education, a gubernatorial appointment. Dr. Perkins is a former board member and executive committee member of the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). She recently accepted an appointment to co-lead the CIC Presidents Governance Academy, which is held annually at the CIC Presidents Institute.

Dr. Perkins and her husband live in Henniker, New Hampshire, and their son is a graduate of Colby College.

Board of Trustees

Ray Apy, BA ’89, MS
Ray drives the design and successful execution of overall corporate strategies and the development of target growth, profit, and operating objectives. He currently serves as CEO of Northeastern Biochar Solutions LLC and its subsidiaries, and as Managing Partner of Saratoga Ninja Lab, LLC. Prior to that, Ray served as President and CEO of Annese & Associates, Inc. and as Regional Vice President of ConvergeOne, Inc. Ray received his BA in Environmental Studies from New England College and his MS in Environmental Science and Policy from The State University of NY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Peter Bordes, BA ’86
Peter is a lifelong serial entrepreneur, executive, investor, mentor, and advisor. He is the CEO of Kubient. He serves on the Board of Directors of Beasley Media (NASDAQ: BBGI) and as Vice Chairman of Ocearch. He founded and serves on the Board of Directors of oneQube, MainBloq and TruVest. He was also a Founder, CEO, and Chairman of MediaTrust, which was the ninth fastest growing company in the United States under his leadership; a founding member and Chairman of the Performance Marketing Association; Founder of Trajectory Capital; and Founder of Mason Cabot Investment Bank. Peter was ranked in the top 100 most influential angel investors and business leaders in the United States on social media and is a member of the Thiel Foundation 20 Under 20 Mentor Program. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Music School. Peter earned his bachelor’s degree in Communication, Business and Media Studies from New England College.

Chris Brazill, BA ’81, MBA, CPMR
Chris serves as Vice President for Marketing and Sales at Brazill Brothers and Associates, Inc., an employee-owned manufacturer’s representative firm serving the electrical, energy management, and lighting markets. He received his BA in Business Administration and Political Science from New England College and earned his MBA in Finance from Montclair State University. Chris is a Certified Professional Manufacturers Representative (CPMR) and resides in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He also serves as President of the Ridgewood YMCA Board of Directors.

Thomas W. Farmen, BA ’74, MSA
Tom became a member of the Board of Trustees in 2000. He graduated from New England College with a BA in Business Administration and earned an MSA in Human Resource Management from Western Connecticut State University. Retired from his career in education, Tom is the Headmaster Emeritus of Rumsey Hall School in Connecticut. Now an author, he also serves on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics of New Hampshire. You may cross paths with Tom at Mount Sunapee Ski Area where he works as a greeter during the winter months.

Elbridge T. Gerry III, BA, P’13
Ebby is the proud father of a New England College alumnus and joined the Board in 2013. He is the Managing Director and head of municipal fixed income management at UBS Global Asset Management, and also serves as vice president of several investment companies and funds. Among other areas, Ebby’s expertise includes investment strategy, municipal bond institutional sales, and municipal bond trading. He is a graduate of Colgate University.

Katherine Haley, PhD
Katherine Haley is the former President of Gettysburg College (PA) and Whittier College (CA). She is a Senior Consultant with Academic Search, a leading executive search firm in higher education.  Dr. Haley has placed over 50 university presidents/chancellors, and numerous vice presidents and deans.  She also advises colleges and universities on leadership succession, governance, and effective board performance. Prior to serving as the first woman president at both Gettysburg and Whittier, she was the first woman provost (and Professor of English) at Kenyon College. Kate holds a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in Victorian Literature and a B.A. from Tufts University.

Don Hasseltine, BA ’84
Don is a vice president and senior consultant at the Aspen Leadership Group where he conducts executive search and consults on organizational development issues with nonprofits from around the country. Before this role, he served as a Vice President for Advancement (development and alumni relations) for 18 years. His most recent position was as the Vice President for Development at Brown University where he helped launch their historic $3B fundraising campaign. He also has served as Vice President for Advancement at the colleges of Carleton, Dickinson, and Colby-Sawyer. Earlier in his career, he served as Director of Annual Giving at both Georgetown University and the University of Virginia. Don has been a regular presenter at the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) International and DI and DII conferences and a published author on advancement. Don’s programs have won numerous awards for outstanding performance. He currently writes a LinkedIn blog called Coach’s Corner where he explores advancement and leadership issues.

Adam B. Kapner, BA ’02
Adam is the founder and owner of NYC Apartment Management, Inc. The company, established in 2013, manages 20 co-operative, brownstone, condominium, and rental buildings. A real estate entrepreneur and executive with an extensive understanding of the New York real estate market, Adam has 15 years of real estate and property management experience in Manhattan, the Hamptons, and the Tri-State area. He earned a BA in Business Administration from New England College, was a member of NEC’s ski team, and served as a White House Intern for President Bill Clinton.

Stephen Ketchum, BA ’83, MBA
Steve is CEO and Managing Partner at Sound Point Capital Management in New York City. Sound Point is a $7 billion asset management firm with particular expertise in credit strategies. He serves on the board of the East Side House Settlement, the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund, and the Museum of the City of New York. Steve earned an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from New England College and went on to earn his MBA from Harvard University.

Jay Lucas, JD
Jay Lucas serves as Chairman and Managing Partner of The Lucas Group, a strategy consulting firm that he founded in 1991, focused on the specialized needs of private equity investors and their portfolio companies. Previously, he served as Vice President and Partner of Bain & Company. In addition, he is the founder and Managing Partner of LB Equity, a fund that invests in small growing brands in the beauty sector. Lucas is a strong supporter of veterans, leading efforts in NH for Children of Fallen Patriots. He is also founder of the Newport Sunshine Initiative, an effort to revitalize his hometown of Newport, NH. Lucas earned his MBA from Harvard Business School, his JD from Harvard Law School, and a BA from Yale University. He attended Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar, where he studied International Relations and Military History.

Kate Luckett, BA ’84, P ’12
Kathryn “Kate” Luckett is a sales executive with deep knowledge and expertise in the software and technology industry. She has over 20 years of experience in Enterprise Software Sales in highly regulated industries, and her career spans both startups and rapid growth divisions of Fortune 500 companies. She has held strategic account executive positions at Plumtree Software, IBM, Actiance, Inc., and Jobvite, Inc. Today, she holds an executive sales position at WalkMe. Walkme serves a global customer base and delivers digital solutions to companies large and small.

Daniel Lynch, BA ’85
Dan earned a BA from New England College in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. He is now Senior Vice President and Director of Business Development in the Institutional and Fiduciary Services group of Natixis Global Asset Management. Dan is very active supporting the Home for Little Wonders, the Winthrop School mentoring programs in Boston, Dana Farber, and the Jimmy Fund. He holds his Series 26 Registered Principal license.

Thomas Markey, BA ’82
Tom earned a BA from New England College and joined the Board of Trustees in 2018 after serving on the President’s Advisory Board since 2014. As a student, He was member of the Lacrosse Team and spent a semester at NEC’s Arundel, England Campus, where he was a member of the school’s first Rugby Team. As the Lead Advisor for the Markey Group at Morgan Stanley, Tom earned the designation of Wealth Advisor and successfully completed The Senior Account Executive Program, at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. He is also designated as a Portfolio Management Director, Financial Planning Specialist and Senior Investment Management Consultant.

Harriet Sanford, BA ’74, HD ’10, MPA
Harriet Sanford is the former President and CEO of the NEA Foundation. The NEA Foundation’s mission is to advance student achievement by investing in public education. Its programs raise the voice, experience, and expertise of educators in a variety of settings: as individuals, as collaborative teams, and as union leaders. During her 14-year tenure at the NEA Foundation, Sanford transformed the depth and breadth of its programs by investing in educators to improve their instructional practice, so they are better equipped to meet the needs of changing student populations. Sanford began her career as a public-school classroom teacher, which led to a senior executive career that spans more than 35 years, with 30 years as the President and Chief Executive Officer of nonprofit/public organizations including the Arts and Science Council in Charlotte, NC, and the Fulton County Arts Council in GA. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of some 25 nonprofit organizations.

Lex Scourby, BA ’75, MBA
Lex is the current Chairman of the Board of Trustees and has been a member of the Board since 2000. He co-founded Orion Seafood International, Inc., Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1988. He received his BA degree, cum laude, from New England College, majoring in Mathematics/Environmental Science. He earned an MBA from Long Island University, with a major in Finance and International Business. Lex is a past President of the NEC Alumni Association Board of Directors and is currently the chairman of the Committee for Development, member of the Committee on Academic Affairs, Committee for Enrollment and Student Engagement, the Executive Committee, and the Committee on Infrastructure. He is also a past President of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Lex serves on the Board of Cross Roads House in Portsmouth and the Portsmouth Regional Hospital Board.

Scott Simpson, MArch
Scott is the current co-Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. Scott is an award-winning architect and is a Senior Principal with The Greenway Group, and formerly a Senior Director at Kling Stubbins, an international design firm. He is involved with the Design Futures Council, the Rice Building Institute, and the Boston Children’s Museum. Scott has lectured at numerous universities including Harvard, Yale, Rice, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and has been a featured speaker at more than 50 national conferences and symposia. He has published 115 articles on innovation in the design profession and co-authored two books. Scott holds degrees from Yale University and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is registered in twenty states and is both NCARB and LEED certified.

Clarke Smith, III, BA ’79
Clarke Smith, III, currently serves as Director of Underwriting at Trident Marine Managers, a Marine & Energy Wholesale Insurance Broker and Managing General Agent for several insurance carriers.  From April 2018 to June 2020, he served as Vice President at International Special Risks, one of the largest marine intermediary insurance brokers in the country. From November 2012 to April 2018, he served as President of Norman-Spencer Recreational Marine Operations. Clarke has been underwriting marinas, boat dealers, boat manufacturers, boat rental operations, and yacht clubs for over 36 years. Previously, he served on the Association of Marina Industries Board of Directors from 2008 to 2016. Clarke is currently a Board Member of the Boating Industry Risk Management Council and is a Founder of the Joe Namath Foundation. He holds a BA from New England College.

Tom Stevens, JD
Tom Stevens served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Administrative Officer of KeyCorp from 2001 to 2013. Before joining KeyCorp in 1996, he was the Managing Partner of Thompson Hine, a large, national law firm based in Cleveland. At Thompson Hine, Tom served as the outside counsel for KeyCorp and Society Corporation for over two decades, as well as representing other publicly held clients such as Steris Corporation, Eaton Corporation, and American Consumer Products. He graduated with a JD degree from Duke University School of Law and received his BA degree, summa cum laude, from The State University of New York at Albany. Prior to joining the New England College Board, Tom served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the New Hampshire Institute of Art.

Mary Simon Streep, BA ’77
Mary graduated from NEC with a BA in Elementary Education and has been a member of the Board since 2005. Many members and two generations of the Streep family have attended and served New England College in various capacities. In addition to her work with the College, Mary supports a number of other associations and is the President of Mary Streep Interiors in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

Michael K. Thomas, EdD
Michael is the President and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in Boston, a regional organization working with the 260 colleges and universities in the six New England states. Michael frequently lectures on issues related to education policy such as regional and global competitiveness, the internationalization of higher education, and college readiness. He also has experience in corporate training and human resources. Michael holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and master’s degrees from Teachers College, Columbia University, and Harvard University. He has also earned a doctorate from Harvard University and an MBA from Boston University.

Jeff K. Towle, P ’99
Jeff’s son attended New England College and Jeff joined the Board of Trustees in 1996. He is President of Davis & Towle Group which provides personal, business, and professional insurance and financial services. Jeff attended the College of Insurance in New York City and received his Chartered Life Underwriters designation from the American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and his Certified Insurance Counselors designation from the same society in Austin, Texas.

TJ Whitelaw, BA ’76, MBA
TJ joined the Board in 2011 and is the current co-Vice Chair. He is a retired information technology executive and consultant with expertise in sales management, partner development, channels and operations management for a variety of high tech product lines and businesses. TJ held a series of management positions at industry leaders Digital Equipment, Compaq, and Hewlett Packard, joined Riverbed Technology in what was, at the time, the most successful start-up company in Wall Street history. In addition to his bachelor’s degree from New England College, TJ earned his MBA from Northeastern University.

Astrid Williams, BA ’81, MS
Astrid is the Clinical Office Coordinator at Emerson Hospital, and was formerly the Executive Director for a Concord-Carlisle Community Chest for over 16 years. She has managed the major fundraising for all human service organizations in her local community of Concord, Massachusetts. Astrid is also a sales associate at Sara Campbell LTD. She graduated from New England College with a BA in Sociology and earned a Masters in Non Profit Management at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

William W. Wyman, MBA
Bill is co-founder of Oliver, Wyman & Company, a management consulting firm that serves the top executives of major companies throughout the world. Prior to Oliver, Wyman & Company, he held several positions at Booz Allen & Hamilton, including President of the Management Consulting Group, member of the executive committee, and member of the board. In recent years, Bill has worked as a director and advisor to more than a dozen public and private companies. He also has served as a trustee to several not-for-profit organizations and as an advisor to several private equity partnerships. Bill served in the United States Navy, graduated from Colgate University with a degree in economics, and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.