SPRINGFIELD, MA (PRWEB) June 22, 2015
American International College (AIC) welcomes four new members to the Board of Trustees. They are Ray Michael DiPasquale, John Vincent Paul Maher Lombardi, Thomas P. Tunstall, and Michael D. Weekes.
Ray Di Pasquale began serving his first term as president of the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) in 2006, following his selection by the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. Four years later, in conjunction with his role as president of the CCRI, Di Pasquale was also named commissioner of higher education for the Rhode Island Board of Education, a position he held until 2013.
Under Di Pasquale’s leadership, CCRI has enjoyed near-record enrollments. CCRI is the largest community college in New England, serving nearly 18,000 students, and its noncredit arm trains more than 30,000 Rhode Islanders annually, making it an important component in the state’s workforce development efforts. In addition, the college has added numerous programs and courses, instituted energy cost-saving projects, expanded career pathway programs, been the recipient of numerous federal grants and focused on adult learners.
Prior to relocating to Rhode Island, President Di Pasquale was vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at the State University of New York’s SUNY College at Brockport in Brockport, NY. He additionally served in a number of leadership positions at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) in Springfield from 1979 to 1998. He began his career in higher education at Middlesex Community College, where he served from 1974 to 1979.
While living and working in Springfield area, DiPasquale provided 17 years of service in the following sectors: Chairman, Hampden County Commissioners, Springfield City Council, Springfield, Massachusetts, Vice-Chairman, Springfield School Committee, Chairman, Sports Restoration Committee, Springfield School Committee, Chairman, Legislative Committee.
John Lombardi is a native of California and earned his bachelor's, master’s and doctoral degrees before becoming a professor of Latin American history.
Lombardi taught in the history department at Indiana University from 1967 through 1987. At Indiana, he held various administrative posts, including director of Latin American studies, dean of international programs, and dean of arts and sciences. He served as the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland from 1987 through 1990 where he played a key role in fund-raising and in resolving a pressing financial crisis for the university.
Lombardi has served as the president of the University of Florida, the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2002 to 2007, and the president of the Louisiana State University System where he served as the chief executive officer of the five campuses, eleven institutions and ten hospitals within the system. He held that position until 2012.
Thomas P. (TP) Tunstall received his Bachelor’s degree from American International College. He is the president of Tunstall Corporation in Chicopee, MA. Founded in 1958 by his grandfather, the Tunstall Corporation is privately held and a recognized leader in the steam and hydronics industry. The company operates in all facets of the industry, including design, engineering, manufacturing, sales and distribution.
Tunstall is organized into five business units Tunstall steam traps and steam products, Macon controls, Macon balancing, manufacturer’s representation and energy solutions. The company is located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where it maintains office, manufacturing and R&D space along with modern facilities. Tunstall products are distributed through an established network of representatives and distributors throughout North America, and they are branching out internationally.
Michael D. Weekes is the President/CEO of the Providers’ Council. The organization is the state’s largest statewide human services trade association. As the chief executive officer for the Council and its subsidiary organization, the Human Service Providers Charitable Foundation, Weekes is responsible for policy development, operations, legislative advocacy, membership service development and creating an agenda for improved state and federal policies for providers and the people they serve.
Weekes is a founding member and board chair of Nonprofit VOTE, a national organization designed to help nonprofits register people they serve and get out the vote. He served as the elected board chair of the National Council of Nonprofits, and served as a board co-chair of the national Nonprofit Congress.
Weekes is a board director of the United Way of Pioneer Valley. He is a co-chair of The Collaborative, a human service industry group. He is also a board member of the Springfield Technical Community College Foundation and the Amherst a Better Chance Committee, both supporting positive higher education outcomes. He is a founder of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN), launched as the state’s first nonprofit association.
Weekes previously served as the Deputy Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Social Services, serving as chief policy writer and leader of program development activities for the state’s child welfare agency. He led the development of the nationally recognized Teen Living Program for parenting teens affected by welfare reform, and successful development and implementation of kinship programs and other community focused programs with a budget of over $250 million.
He was also the assistant executive director of the Center for Human Development, which is currently the largest multi-service provider organization in western Massachusetts.
Weekes has a bachelor’s degree from American International College and a master’s in social work from the University of Connecticut. He has earned a leadership certificate through Harvard University Kennedy School Executive program. He was an adjunct faculty member at Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work and has taught at Western New England University School of Social Work.
The College bids a fond farewell to retiring Board of Trustees member Edward J. Noonan. Noonan, a native of Springfield, alumnus of American International College, and valued 19 year member of the Board, has graced AIC with a generous spirit and a guiding wisdom born of his experience as a businessman and devoted public servant.
Noonan was raised in the Mason Square neighborhood in a family defined by its talent for entrepreneurship. His family’s multi-generational roots instilled a legacy of hard work, business acumen, and good stewardship.
While in his senior year at American International College, coupling his family history in the oil business and his zest for innovation, Noonan started Palmer Coal and Oil. That first enterprise expanded over the years to become Noonan Energy, Inc., a conglomerate that brings heat to the homes of more than ten thousand customers.
As Noonan built his company into one of the largest energy providers in the Commonwealth, he simultaneously endeavored to support his community in the civic arena. He ran for the Palmer Board of Selectman and became one of the youngest selectmen to ever serve. He went on to serve as Palmer Town Moderator for ten years, devoting his time and expertise to helping local business and civic organizations, including the local Little League and various youth and adult sports teams in Palmer. For his years of service to its organizing committee, Mr. Noonan was honored in 2013 as the Springfield Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Marshall.
In addition to his work in the private and public sectors, Noonan has generously given of his time and talent, serving on the boards of organizations near to his heart. In addition to his benevolence to AIC, he has served on the Wing Memorial Hospital Board of Directors in Palmer, on the Community Hospital Board at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, and on the board of the WestMass Area Development Corporation. Always active in the oil heat industry, Noonan is a board member and past chair of the New England Fuel Institute, a board member and past chair of the Massachusetts Oil Heat Council, and a founding director and current national chairman of the National Oilheat Research Alliance (NORA) in Washington, D.C.
Noonan and his wife Ellen have five children and 12 grandchildren.
