Trustees

The Suffolk University Board of Trustees is the governing body of the institution, in accordance with the 1937 charter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Suffolk University Board of Trustees

Robert C. Lamb, Jr.

Chair, Charter Trustee since 2016

Robert C. Lamb, Jr., has worked as the chief financial officer of a major bank, managed a $2.3 billion initial public offering on NASDAQ, and served as the audit committee chair for a New York Stock Exchange company. He most recently served as the chair and CEO of Allied International Holdings, Inc. He was executive vice president/chief financial officer at FleetBoston Financial Group when it was the seventh-largest financial holding company in the United States. Lamb also served as executive vice president/chief financial officer of KPMG Consulting Inc. In 2002, he was named one of the top 25 most influential consultants by Consulting Magazine. Lamb has also offered his expertise to nonprofit organizations, having served as secretary of the board, co-chair of the finance committee, executive committee member, and trustee of Boston College High School. He is a trustee emeritus and former president of the Chocorua Island Chapel Association in New Hampshire and served on the Southern New England Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors. Lamb is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, where he taught in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. He served for six years as an infantry officer in the US Army, and is a graduate of the Army’s Airborne and Ranger schools. He holds an MBA from Long Island University.

The Hon. Amy L. Nechtem

Vice Chair, Charter Trustee since 2016

Amy Nechtem The Honorable Amy L. Nechtem is chief justice of the Massachusetts Juvenile Court Department, where she oversees and advances the administration and management of juvenile justice and child welfare matters in courts throughout Massachusetts. A past president of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ), she served on its board of directors for over 15 years and received the Justice Joan Dempsey Klein Award, given to a judge who brings distinction to her office and exemplifies the mission of NAWJ. Chief Justice Nechtem is also active in numerous national and international organizations, and has attended the International Judicial Academy on International Law and Courts in The Hague, Netherlands. She is a current member of the Casey Family Program 21st Century Child Welfare System Steering Committee, and a past member of the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund Judicial Resource Project, which provides comprehensive resources for judges working with children and families affected by maltreatment and abuse. She also created a national model of judicial case management, Pathways, to promote permanency for children. For many years she served as an assistant district attorney in Boston, prosecuting child abuse and major felony cases. She is a graduate of Simmons University, where she received the Outstanding Community Service Award, and graduated with honors from Suffolk University Law School. She has been named a Top Woman in Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and is a recipient of Massachusetts Judges Conference Judicial Excellence Award. In 2021, she was honored with the Children’s Bureau Champion Award by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Marie-Louise Skafte

Secretary, Charter Charter Trustee since 2022

Trustee Marie-Louise Skafte smiling in dark blue dress Marie-Louise Skafte is the president of Skafte Global Law, P.A., a boutique global legal consulting firm she founded in 2015 that provides advisory and outside general counsel services. She is qualified to practice law in England, various US states, and the Canadian province of Ontario. She is a global leader and human resources professional with 25 years of industry experience across the professional services, leasing, aviation, transportation, and logistics industries. Skafte previously held the inaugural general counsel position at the international shipping giant, Deutsche Post DHL Canada, serving 220 countries, as well as for Bermuda-based Cronos Limited, a private equity owned marine container leasing company, where she led legal, human resources, and corporate compliance teams across its operations in 19 countries. Previously, she worked for DHL Express (USA), Inc., American President Lines Limited, MasTec, Inc., and Massport. Skafte, who earned her JD from Suffolk Law, also holds a BA in Labor/Management Relations & Business from the University of Toronto and Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell University, where she earned academic and athletic scholarships. She has been honored as Global General Counsel of the Year by Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC) and legal powerhouse K&L Gates, and was awarded Lawyer of the Year–Transportation & Logistics in the 2016 Women in Law Awards. In 2021, Skafte was named a Lawyer of Distinction–Recognizing Excellence in the Practice of Law. She is an advisory board member of CCWC and a board member of One Love Foundation, a national nonprofit working to end relationship abuse by educating youth on how to create and maintain healthy relationships. An aviation enthusiast, Skafte has attained the rating of multi-engine commercial pilot. A member of Suffolk University Law School’s Dean’s Cabinet since 2019, Skafte has created a new scholarship to help alleviate tuition pressures on international law students.

Tamela E. Bailey

Law School Alumni Trustee since 2023

Portrait of Trustee Tamela Bailey, smiling in red dress and arms crossed Attorney Tamela E. Bailey leads high-profile, complex commercial transactions and projects as senior counsel II on the corporate and commercial legal team at National Grid, providing business stakeholders with legal advice, guidance, and support. Her portfolio spans multiple legal domains, from transactions for complex outsourcing services to multipronged solutions for construction, consulting, commodities services, renewable and fossil-free energy, information technology, and licensing, with subject matter expertise in data privacy and cybersecurity. Prior to National Grid, she managed multi-million-dollar corporate institutional relationships and built high-performing teams at State Street Corporation, where she was an assistant vice president and associate counsel. Bailey served as president of Suffolk University Law School’s Alumni Board of Directors, and is a past chair of both the Suffolk University Black Alumni Network (SUBAN) Leadership Committee and the Suffolk University Black Excellence Committee. She has been a leader in the Law School’s All Rise program, which celebrates alumnae who have made lasting impacts in the law. Her other volunteer efforts include pro bono legal service to the Women’s Bar Foundation and local entrepreneurs. The 2020 recipient of SUBAN’s Racial Equity Champion Award, she graduated from Tufts University with a BA in social psychology and Latin and earned her JD from Suffolk Law.

Danny Best

Charter Trustee since 2023

Portrait of Trustee Danny Best, smiling in grey suit jacket and hands crossed Danny Best is vice president, Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where he leads development of the office’s strategic plans and inclusion programs, working closely with bank leadership to develop policies that support its workforce and culture. He oversees the Boston Fed’s supplier diversity program and supports the organization’s employee resource and diversity and inclusion-focused working groups. He also serves as the Bank’s Equal Employment Opportunity officer, Office of Minority and Women Inclusion director, and oversees all matters related to its annual report to Congress. Best has spent more than two decades working in human resources, diversity, and inclusion in the financial services, global pharmaceutical, and technology industries, including with Dell Technologies, where he was the lead director for global diversity and inclusion, and with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as a senior director of human resources. He earned his MBA from Northeastern University, where he also attended as an undergraduate, and holds certificates in social value creation and strategic human resources from Harvard Business School. He serves on the boards of the Boston Private Industry Council and the Brimmer School of Chestnut Hill.

Patrick Coelho

Sawyer Business School Alumni Trustee since 2023

Portrait of Trustee Patrick Coelho, smiling in black suit jacket Patrick Coelho is a senior executive with a proven track record of leading high-performance teams at iconic restaurant companies. As senior vice president at Papa Johns, Patrick leads the expansion strategy and execution for North America, including franchising, real estate, strategic market planning, design, construction, and facilities. Prior to Papa Johns, Patrick served as chief development officer at Scooter’s Coffee, one of the fastest-growing specialty coffee chains, where he cultivated the chain’s rapid expansion, leading the US strategic growth plan. He also served as the head of international, leading the company’s internationalization efforts. With over a decade of experience in the business sector, Coelho specializes in providing strategic finance, growth leadership, and high-value solutions to maximize business results in organizations. Prior to joining Scooter’s Coffee, he served in leadership positions with Restaurant Brands International, one of the world’s largest quick-service restaurant companies, including as head of development for Burger King Americas. Coelho received a Bachelor of Science in business administration, finance, and global business from the Sawyer Business School and was president of the Collegiate Investors Association and a senator with the Student Government Association. He has also completed the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School. He has been a member of the Sawyer Business School Alumni Board since 2021 and served as chair of that board’s Advancement Committee.

Susan M. Connelly

Charter Charter Trustee since 2017

Susan Connelly is the chief communications and public affairs officer for Darden Restaurants. She is responsible for corporate and brand communications, digital marketing, government relations and public policy, philanthropy, and the company’s community engagement and sustainability initiatives. Based in Orlando, Florida, Darden owns and operates more than 1,900 Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Yard House, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Eddie V’s, and Bahama Breeze restaurants in North America, employing more than 190,000 people and serving nearly 410 million guests annually. Previously she served as senior vice president, communications and corporate affairs. Connelly joined Darden in 2007 as director, state and local government relations. Prior to that, she held government relations positions at McDonald’s USA and the Grocery Manufacturers Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, and earned an MBA from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University.

Joseph Delisi

Charter Trustee since 2023
College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Trustee 2019-2022

Portrait of Trustee Joe Delisi, smiling in black suit jacket and blue tie Joseph Delisi, a partner with the law firm Dunn and Dunn, concentrates his legal practice in the defense of healthcare professionals and facilities throughout the Northeast. In his work he has successfully handled cases throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island District, Superior, Appellate, and Supreme Judicial courts, and at the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He has lectured medical students and practitioners at Harvard University Medical School, Brown University Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Children’s Hospital Boston, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. A first-generation college graduate, he holds a BA from the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and a JD from Suffolk University Law School. He was an academic all-conference varsity basketball player at Suffolk, a Law School Alumni Scholarship recipient, marshal for the 2016–2017 CAS commencement ceremonies, and a recipient of the Undergraduate Law Major Mary O’Keefe Outstanding Alumni Award. He served as president of the CAS Alumni Board from 2016–2018, and as an alumni trustee from 2019–2022.

Maria DiPietro

Charter Trustee since 2016

Maria DiPietro, retired vice president for global operations shared services at General Electric, earned a BS in Business Administration and an MBA from Suffolk’s Business School. During her 26 years with General Electric, she held many senior leadership positions. She was appointed a GE company officer in 2012. In her roles, DiPietro led numerous business transformations and consolidations ranging from supply chain, sourcing, collections, and operations. She also led global teams with more than 15,000 employees across multiple geographies. DiPietro leveraged technology and enterprise standards which enabled a disciplined and common approach to service delivery yielding better outcomes for customers. Through 2015, DiPietro was based in London, where she was responsible for leading a Europe-wide transformation program to increase GE’s competitiveness by creating organizational models focused on driving commercial competitiveness while simplifying organizational structures. DiPietro returned to the United States and was based in Connecticut. Previously she served as the chief operations officer for GE Capital’s EMEA businesses. In addition, DiPietro served as vice president for the London City Women’s Network. She also was co-chair for the GE Women’s Network.

Darren J. Donovan

Charter Trustee since 2022

Trustee Darren Donovan smiling in dark blue jacket, light blue shirt with glasses Darren J. Donovan spent nearly two decades leading strategy at KPMG, where he rose to managing principal for the Boston Major Market, encompassing New England and upstate New York. He retired from KPMG in 2021. He joined the Big Four firm as a principal in 2001 and was named advisory office leader, Boston in 2012. He was twice awarded the KPMG Chairman’s Community Service Award, once in 2007 and again in 2010. Prior to joining KPMG, Donovan served as vice president for Pinkerton Consulting & Investigations from 1994 to 2001, overseeing marketing, sales, and operations. Among other civic leadership positions, Donovan currently serves as board chair of the Boston Private Industry Council—a nonprofit created in 1979 to strengthen Boston’s communities and workforce by connecting youth and adults with education and employment. Donovan also serves on the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors New England, where he stewards the chapter’s growth and mission to foster good corporate governance, and as the audit committee chair of the Camp Harbor View Foundation, Inc. He was recently elected to the board of directors for Cape Cod 5 and sits on the bank’s audit and risk committees. From 2008 to 2014, he served on Suffolk’s College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Board—including two years as president, and in 2014 was the recipient of the Alumni Service Award. Donovan previously served as an executive board member of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, a trustee at Thayer Academy, and an overseer for the Boch Center. He holds a BS degree in government from Suffolk and an MBA from the City University of New York—Baruch College.

Christine Garvey

Charter Trustee since 2019

Trustee Christine Garvey Attorney Christine Garvey brings extensive expertise in corporate real estate to the boards of Healthcare Properties, Toll Bros. home construction company, and Montecito Bank & Trust, where she is lead director. In the nonprofit arena, she serves on the boards of Public Square, the Sansum Clinic, California State University Channel Islands, and Immaculate Heart High School. During her career she was responsible for real estate holdings throughout the world. Before retirement Garvey was global head of corporate real estate for Deutsche Bank and global head of worldwide real estate for Cisco Systems, and she led commercial, corporate, and property management units at Bank of America. More recently she was on the Prologis Corporate Governance Committee. Garvey holds a JD from Suffolk University Law School and a BA, magna cum laude, from Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. She has stayed involved with her alma mater, most recently as a member of the Suffolk University Law School Dean’s Cabinet.

Ernst Guerrier

Law School Alumni Trustee 2017-2020
Charter Trustee since 2020

Ernst Guerrier is an attorney and founder of Guerrier & Associates, a Boston-based firm specializing in real estate planning, residential conveyance and complex domestic relations matters. Guerrier came to Boston at age 7 from Haiti and grew up in the Mattapan neighborhood. He began his studies at Suffolk aiming to make a career in civil rights, but following a Suffolk Law alumnus’ advice, he went on to study law and build a prosperous practice so he could be of assistance to others. Guerrier is readily available to take calls from Law School students and others needing advice, and his Dorchester office plays host to neighborhood kids as he offers them an introduction to the workplace. His approach to his clients takes a similar tack, and he is known for giving them his home and cell phone numbers so his nervous first-time home buyers and others can get in touch with him at any time. Guerrier holds a BS from Suffolk University and JD from Suffolk University Law School. He is a member of the Law School Dean’s Cabinet and has served on the Dean’s Advisory Committee and the Alumni Board for the College of Arts & Sciences and the Law School.

Hind Habbach

College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Trustee since 2022

Trustee Hind Habbach smiling with black blazer and shirt Attorney Hind Habbach is an in-house counsel with expertise in technology, business, and cross-border transactions. In 2023, she joined Moloco Inc., a Silicon Valley-based, machine learning, advertising technology company, as their first commercial counsel hire. Prior to that, she handled commercial legal transactions at Zynga Inc., a gaming app developer, through the company's merger with Take-Two Interactive Software. Previously specializing in investor relations, Hind has led business growth efforts across the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey for companies such as TransparentBusiness and SheWorks!, which provided software management systems to geographically dispersed organizations. She spent nearly ten years in senior investor relations positions at Sentinel Real Estate in New York, a global real estate investment management firm. Hind holds a duel BA in government and English from Suffolk, and her JD from New England Law. She serves as board member of the Pan-African Institute of Municipal Development (PIMD) in Washington D.C, a founding member of Playbook Ltd. Bahrain, and a committee member of the National Arab American Bar Association Law Student & Mentorship Committee.

Michael V. James

Charter Trustee since 2021

Mike James Michael V. James, Sr., is executive vice president and chief sales officer at NFP, a leading property and casualty broker, benefits consultant, wealth manager, and retirement plan advisor. He drives the strategic direction of the company’s sales organization and cultivates a competitive edge in their sales activities that increases market share, revenue, and brand awareness. He is also a special advisor to the NFP board on social justice issues, working to advance NFP’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts. He holds a BS degree from American International College. He and his wife, Jessica, are the parents of two Suffolk students, and are strong supporters of Suffolk and increasingly involved in the life of the University.

J. Robert Johnson

Trustee Emeritus
Charter Trustee 1991-2019

J. Robert Johnson is the chair and founder of Yankee Marketers, Inc., a food service sales and marketing firm representing major food manufacturers throughout New England. The firm has food products sales in the multi-millions and employs sales and marketing personnel throughout the region. Before founding his firm in 1971, Johnson worked for the B.F. Goodrich Company, the Campbell Soup Company, and Stouffer Foods Corporation. Johnson is a member of a number of food service organizations, serves on the editorial advisory board of Institutional Magazine and, with his company, has been the subject of several articles in trade publications. He taught business administration courses at Suffolk University and in 1989 received the Outstanding MBA Alumni Award. He holds two Suffolk University degrees, a BS in management and accounting earned in 1963 and an MBA in marketing received in 1968.

Patrick F. Jordan, III

Charter Trustee since 2016

Patrick Jordan Patrick F. Jordan is chief operating officer for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock health system, where he oversees operations of the $3.1 billion organization. Jordan ensures the ongoing delivery of efficient and effective operations and shared services across Dartmouth-Hitchcock, which includes New Hampshire’s only academic medical center, four member hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont, and a large community group practice. Jordan previously served as chief operating officer for Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, where he oversaw more than 5,000 employees and $1.2 billion in operating revenues. Prior to joining Lahey, Jordan served as chief operating officer of Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, where he was tapped to serve as interim president in 2012, and at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was director of radiology and a manager in materials management. He is a member of the board of directors for New England Life Care. Jordan, who earned an Executive MBA from Suffolk’s Sawyer Business School in 1996, has been a mentor to Suffolk students and alumni from the public administration mentor program and serves on the Sawyer Business School Healthcare Administration Advisory Board. After earning his bachelor’s degree from Fitchburg State College, he served for seven years in the 82nd Airborne Division and Special Operations Command. He achieved the rank of captain during the invasion of Panama and was awarded the Bronze Star during the Persian Gulf War.

Marisa Kelly

Suffolk University President
Trustee Ex Officio

Marisa Kelly is the 11th president of Suffolk University, where she is driving momentum through her focus on educational excellence, experiential learning, global reach, and inclusion, all aimed at ensuring students are prepared for career success and community impact. She has been resolute in affirming Suffolk’s longstanding commitment to inclusivity as a hallmark of a Suffolk education and believes the University’s strength is greater because of its diversity. Kelly was named Suffolk’s permanent president in March 2018 after guiding the University as acting president for 20 months. She has recommitted the University to its essential access and opportunity mission, with a view toward empowering and supporting students today and in the future. Kelly has championed career readiness at Suffolk and led the development of the reimagined Center for Career Equity, Development, & Success, which actively promotes greater equity and access in the workforce. She is an advocate for global awareness and believes in the transformative power of international education. She is serving or has served on a number of higher education and nonprofit boards, including as board chair of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts; the executive board of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; and the Boston Debate League. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Kansas, an MA in political theory from San Francisco State University, and a BA in government from California State University at Sacramento.

Konstantinos “Kosta” Ligris

Charter Trustee since 2019

Kosta Ligris Entrepreneur and attorney Konstantinos “Kosta” Ligris is the founder of Stavvy, a fintech/mortgage tech company that builds software for the real estate and mortgage banking industries. He founded and served for over 15 years as CEO and managing partner of Ligris™ before becoming a strategic adviser and board member for the law firm. Under his leadership, Ligris™ and its affiliated ACES Title Agency have overseen over $100 billion of real estate matters. He has been recognized as a real estate “Super Lawyer” for 15 consecutive years and a Housingwire “Housing Vanguard” for his influence in real estate and housing. An entrepreneur-in-residence at the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he also holds an academic appointment as a lecturer in MIT’s Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Management PhD program. He serves on the Beth Israel Lahey Medical Center Board of Overseers Executive Council and the Suffolk Law Dean’s Cabinet and has been on the benefactor committee for the annual gala benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He holds a BS from Boston University, an MBA from MIT, and a JD, cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School.