SC Board Of Trustees Elects Wood, Walsh, Blake As Officers

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., May 28, 2004 -- The Springfield College Board of Trustees elected R. Lyman Wood of Hampden, Mass. as its chair, James E. Walsh of East Longmeadow, Mass. as vice chair, and Helen Davis Blake of Somers, Conn. and Stuart, Fla. as secretary at its annual meeting, May 22, 2004, on the college campus, the college announced today. Wood succeeds John A. Odierna of Longmeadow, Mass., who completed three years as chair.

In announcing the elections, Springfield College President Richard B. Flynn said, “We are fortunate to have the combination of expertise in diverse fields that these officers bring to our board. Their talents will be of great value as Springfield College builds on the successes of the past five years in enhancing our campus, strengthening our financial integrity and refining our academic programs to prepare students to become leaders in tomorrow’s workplace.”

Wood joined the Springfield College Board of Trustees in 1992 and has been vice chair since 2002. He serves the board on its Executive Committee and is chair of its Business Affairs Committee and former chair of its Audit & Compliance Committee. He also is a member of the board’s Committee on Trustees, Institutional Advancement Committee, Buildings & Grounds Committee, and Investment Committee.

Following his election, Wood said, “It is an honor to accept the torch from John Odierna. During his tenure as board chair, and under the leadership of President Flynn, Springfield College has reaffirmed its historic excellence and taken important steps to serve tomorrow’s world by extending its century-old tradition of educating leaders in service to humanity.”

Wood is chair of CityStage and Business Friends of the Arts. He is a former chair of the Springfield Library & Museums Association and serves on its Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. Wood is also a director of the MassMutual Trust Company and the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. He is treasurer and director of the Society of Everett Barney in Forest Park, and a director of the Community Foundation. He also has been active in a number of civic and community organizations, including the YMCA of Greater Springfield, which honored him with its Chairman’s Award and the prestigious Order of the Red Triangle.

Walsh, who is a partner in Baystate Environmental Consultants, Inc., joined the Springfield College Board of Trustees in 1989. He has served for several years on the Executive Committee, Audit & Compliance Committee, and Academic Affairs Committee, of which he has been chair for the past three years. He also is a member and past chair of the Buildings & Grounds Committee.

Walsh earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Springfield College, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts. He has served on the boards of several development companies, the National Association of Home Builders, and the Home Builders Association of Western Massachusetts, of which he is a past president and the recipient of its Associate Member of the Year award. He has received several professional honors.

Blake, a retired biochemist and mathematics teacher, has been a member of the Springfield College Board of Trustees for 13 years. She is chair of the Audit & Compliance Committee; a member of the Executive Committee, Committee on Trustees, and Academic Affairs Committee; and a past member of other board committees.

Blake earned her associate’s degree from Quinnipiac College, bachelor’s degree from Bates College, and master’s degree from Springfield College, and completed advanced study at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She has served on the boards of WGBY, Stage West, Martin County Library Foundation, and Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts. She has been active in the Lung Association and Women’s Symphony League.

In other action, the Springfield College Board of Trustees reelected the following members to three-year terms: Denise Alleyne, Douglass Coupe, Charisse Duroure, Susan E. Lundin, John A. Odierna, Howard Pulsifer, H. Todd Stitzer, and J. Michael Wallace. Oswald Quetant, a fourth-year Springfield College student, was elected to a one-year term as student trustee.

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Page updated on: 05/28/2004