Governor Baker Appoints Two New Members and Designates Chairman to Board of Higher Education
BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker today announced the appointment of Chris Gabrieli and Dr. Sheila Harrity to the Board of Higher Education, and designated Mr. Gabrieli as the new Chairman.
“These new Board members not only have practical experience as leaders in education, but also have a strong commitment to excellence in higher education in both academic and vocational fields,” said Governor Baker.“Chris Gabrieli’s background as an advocate for public education and an innovative social entrepreneur gives him first-hand insight into the challenges and opportunities to make positive change happen for students. I am proud of our Commonwealth’s world-class institutions of higher education and I’m confident that these new Board members will help ensure that our state and community colleges get the attention they deserve and continue to rise to the next level.”
“I look forward to working with these top-notch education leaders who have made an impact both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Secretary of Education Jim Peyser. “The combination of their background in education as advocates, practitioners, and thought leaders will add great value to our ability to make a difference in the lives of the students and families.”
“I am delighted to welcome Chris Gabrieli to the Board,” said Richard M. Freeland, Commissioner of Higher Education. “He has a deserved reputation as an education reformer with a deep and personal commitment to students in the Commonwealth. I know him to be an innovative thinker who has worked very hard to give young people in urban districts more time to learn and more opportunities for academic success.”
Mr. Gabrieli and Dr. Harrity will replace Charles Desmond and Keith Peden.
"It is an honor serve in this role. This is a crucial moment for higher education as the stakes for students and our society are higher than ever, and there is pressing need and opportunity for transformative innovation to address access, cost and impact," said Chairman Gabrieli. "I share Governor Baker's goals of making higher education more affordable and better connected to both K-12 education and employers."
“I want to thank Dr. Desmond and Mr. Peden for their commitment and service to the Board and our Massachusetts education system,” said Governor Baker.
“I also want to thank our departing chair, Dr. Charles Desmond, for his service to the Board and his outstanding leadership across many areas, including the Vision Project, our strategic agenda for higher education, and especially, our work in teacher education,” said Freeland. Much of the progress we have made in public higher education in recent years is a reflection of Dr. Desmond's commitment to academic excellence at all our colleges and universities.”
About Chris Gabrieli:
Chris Gabrieli is the co-founder of three non-profit education innovation and reform initiatives and a lecturer at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. As the co-founder of Massachusetts 2020/the National Center on Time & Learning, he has been at the forefront of the movement to expand learning time for disadvantaged students. He co-founded Empower Schools to align student results with community needs and is a Partner Emeritus at Bessemer Venture Partners where he started in the entrepreneurial healthcare software and biotechnology field. He has served in numerous higher education advisory board roles at Harvard HAA, Boston University’s School of Public Health and Clark University.
About Dr. Sheila M. Harrity:
Dr. Sheila M. Harrity is the Superintendent of Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District and a former Principal at Worcester Technical High School, where she was named the 2013 Massachusetts Principal of the Year, and 2014 National High School Principal of the Year. In 2013, the school received the National Blue Ribbon School distinction for outstanding student achievement by the U.S. Department of Education and was the only high school in the nation in 2014 to host President Obama as a commencement speaker.
About the Board of Higher Education:
The mission of the Board of Higher Education is to ensure that Massachusetts residents have the opportunity to benefit from a higher education that enriches their lives and advances their contributions to the civic life, economic development, and social progress of the Commonwealth. To that end, the programs and services of Massachusetts higher education must meet standards of quality commensurate with the benefits it promises and must be truly accessible to the people of the Commonwealth in all their diversity.
波士頓國民黨分部日前以聚餐，猜謎，摸彩，唱卡拉OK慶祝元宵節。黨部新任常委張韻蘭和數十名黨員與前來同樂的駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪、副處長陳銘俊、僑教中心主任郭大文等人歡聚一堂，藉由“開張大吉”，猜台灣地名“新店”等謎題，牽起了他們大都來自台灣的故鄉感情。
唱卡拉OK時，經文處處長賴銘琪，副處長陳銘俊都大方獻唱。有「波士頓張學友」之稱的金杏濱，歌聲渾厚的王梵，擅唱校園歌曲的萬越富、王麗楓，在合唱團中編在女中音部的侯魯琨等人，一曲接一曲，引得黨部前任常委范紀琛、王競芳都加入高歌行列，出席黨員興高采烈地度過一下午。
塔芙茨醫療中心和浮船兒童醫院日前在該中心大堂慶祝農曆羊年新春，以醒獅賀歲，手工藝展示，昆士小學學生舞樂表演，與社區同慶萬象更新。
從1990年起就加入塔醫，從一名普通內科醫生做起，陸續擔任過不同部門首長，如今出任執行長的華格納（Michael
Wagner）當天特地出席，向華埠社區拜年，以示敦親睦鄰。
華格納指出，塔醫也在昆士市，Crown Colony等地擴大服務，還和羅爾市總醫院，南端社區醫療中心建立了聯繫關係，就近為病人提供護理服務。
曾雪清在致詞表示，簡直讓人難以相信，今年是她第十三年籌備，主持塔醫的農曆新年慶祝會。 儘管今冬不斷下雪，他們很感謝撥冗出席的大眾。她還打趣，指中國俗語有瑞雪送豐年的說法，今冬下了這麼多雪，來年必將豐收，好運當頭。
僑聲音樂社十四日在帝苑大酒樓慶祝乙未羊年新春，樂師，唱家班，嘉賓，紛紛衣香影繽，亮麗到會，數百人聽粵曲，享美食，抽大獎，開心非常的歡度一晚。
僑聲音樂社社長黃國威，李錦光，以及歷任該社社長的黃君裕，雷玉霞，梁永基，黃美，唱家班梁雁英，譚新順等人這晚全都西裝畢挺，一身晚禮服，滿臉笑容地招呼賓客。
茉莉花舞蹈團表演了好幾個節目，有扇子舞，維吾爾族舞，衣服顏色紅，黃，藍，綠的變化多端。
晚宴最後抽獎，僑聲音樂社七大主唱和社長黃國威，元老黃君裕等再次登台，向觀眾三度敬酒，祝大家在新的一年裡三陽開泰，萬事順意。
僑聲音樂社是波士頓內地第一個粵曲音樂社團，成立至今已有七十六年。該社目前設址紐英崙中華公所地下室，每週至少聚會三次，互相切磋曲藝琴技。