Suffolk University Elects Six Trustees

The Suffolk University Board has elected five charter trustees and an alumni trustee who together bring to the table extensive accomplishments in higher education leadership, finance, real estate, health care and the law.

The new members add deep knowledge and diverse expertise in areas that are critical to the success of 21st century universities.

“These trustees are collaborative leaders who bring outstanding experience in higher education, industry and stewardship,” said Bob Lamb, chair of the Board of Trustees. “They have an impressive track record of giving back to their communities, to organizations through board service, and to this University. As we embark on implementing new strategic initiatives, their skill, experience and passion for Suffolk’s vital mission and its students will help to ensure this University’s continued success. They are committed to empowering students, and the Board and the University leadership team will benefit greatly from their guidance.”

The newly elected board members are:

• Kent John Chabotar, president emeritus and professor of political science at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., and a nationally recognized expert on higher education strategy and finance.
• Joseph Delisi of the Dunn and Dunn law firm, whose practice is concentrated on medical defense; alumni trustee.
• Christine Garvey, an expert in corporate real estate, who serves on the boards of Healthcare Properties, MUFG/Union Bank of California, Montecito Bank & Trust and the Toll Bros. home construction company.
• Konstantinos “Kosta” Ligris, cofounder of real estate technology start-ups Stavros Technologies and Escrow Mint.
• Stacy Mills, vice president and controller of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.

Nancy Stack, who has served as an alumni trustee since 2016, has been elected as a charter trustee. Stack will continue in her role as an officer on the Board, where she currently serves as secretary. She is a program manager who coordinated and facilitated many public and nonprofit developments and coordinated the evaluation process for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s review of license applications.

Three years ago, the Board set out to bring a diversity of new voices, new perspectives and new areas of expertise to its membership. Since then, the Suffolk board has welcomed trustees of diverse backgrounds, experience and skill sets. Since 2016, the University has named 19 new trustees from a broad range of industries and communities. Each is dedicated to Suffolk’s mission, and each is deeply committed to the success of the University.

“These trustees bring a great deal of experience in key areas that will be important to Suffolk at a time when we are moving forward with new strategic initiatives and investing in new programs,” said Suffolk University President Marisa Kelly. “I have had a good opportunity to engage with these individuals over time as they have supported this University in many ways. They care about Suffolk. They are committed to our students, to our mission and to our success, and I am enthusiastic about working with them as we advance the University.”

The Board also announced that Bob Johnson, who has served the University with distinction as a trustee since 1991, has been elected a trustee emeritus. Johnson, who holds two Suffolk University degrees; a BSBA ’63, and an MBA ’68, most recently served as chair of the Board’s Audit Committee. He has been recognized on numerous occasions for his outstanding service to Suffolk University, including with the Outstanding MBA Alumni Award in 1989.

“Bob is an amazingly dedicated trustee with a tremendous passion for Suffolk,” said Lamb. “I’m grateful that the Board will continue to benefit from his unique expertise and experience in his role as trustee emeritus.”

About the new Suffolk trustees

Kent John Chabotar

Educator Kent John Chabotar is president emeritus and a professor of political science at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. He is a nationally recognized expert on higher education strategy and finance. He is a founding partner of MPK&D Consulting, which focuses on higher education. During his 12-year Guilford presidency, the college developed two strategic plans and set a fundraising record. Chabotar has served on the faculty of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education since 1983, including the Seminar for New Presidents. He has spoken on the global economic crisis at conferences and events and has authored numerous publications, including the book Strategic Finance. Chabotar was vice president for finance and administration and treasurer and a member of the faculty of Bowdoin College for more than a decade. Previously he was on the faculties of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the University of Massachusetts, and Michigan State University. The Council of Independent Colleges recognized Chabotar with the Academic Leadership Award in 2003, one of several awards based on his teaching. Chabotar holds a BA, magna cum laude, from Saint Francis University and an MPA with distinction and PhD from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. In 2015, Chabotar received an honorary degree from Heidelberg University.

Joseph Delisi

College of Arts & Sciences alumni trustee Joseph Delisi, an attorney with the Dunn and Dunn law firm, concentrates his practice in the defense of health care professionals and health care facilities throughout Massachusetts, representing hospitals, physicians, nurses, skilled nursing facilities and others. He has been recognized in Boston Magazine as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for each year from 2015 through 2019. He has lectured on medical malpractice litigation at Brown University Medical School. Delisi, a first-generation college graduate, holds a BA from Suffolk University and a JD from Suffolk University Law School. He also is a graduate of the Long Term Care Power Lawyer program. He was an academic all-conference varsity basketball player at Suffolk, a Law School Alumni Scholarship recipient, marshal for the 2016-2017 College of Arts & Sciences commencement ceremonies, and a recipient of the Undergraduate Law Major Mary O’Keefe Outstanding Alumni Award. He served as president of the College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Board from 2016-2018.

Christine Garvey

Attorney Christine Garvey brings extensive expertise in corporate real estate to the boards of Healthcare Properties, MUFG/Union Bank of California, Toll Bros. home construction company and Montecito Bank & Trust, where she chairs the compensation committee. In the nonprofit arena, she serves on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, 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.

Konstantinos “Kosta” Ligris

Entrepreneur and attorney Konstantinos “Kosta” Ligris is the cofounder of Stavros Technologies, a venture-backed technology company that builds software for the real estate and lending industry, and Escrow Mint, a secure platform for real estate deposits to be transferred and managed digitally. 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 firm. Under his leadership, Ligris® and its affiliated ACES Title Agency have overseen over $50 billion of real estate matters in the last decade. He has been recognized as a real estate “Super Lawyer” for nine consecutive years. Kosta Ligris is an entrepreneur-in-residence at the MIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship. 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 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a JD, cum laude, from Suffolk University Law School.

Stacy Mills

Business leader Stacy Mills is a vice president and controller of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a global professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. In that role, she serves as the firm’s chief accounting officer and brings deep corporate and public accounting experience. She joined MMC in 1999 as controller of Putnam Investments. Previously, she served in corporate accounting and financial reporting roles at State Street Corporation and in public accounting for Grant Thornton and Ernst & Young. Mills holds a BSBA in accounting from Suffolk University and has been a strong supporter of the Sawyer Business School and its accounting program.

Nancy Stack

Program manager Nancy Stack coordinated and facilitated many public and nonprofit developments, earned an MS in adult and organizational learning from Suffolk University, and also holds a master’s degree in city planning and a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She was a program manager for Pinck & Co. Inc., where she was involved in coordinating the evaluation process for the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s review of license applications. This entailed responsibilities that ranged from coordinating technical consultants to providing technical expertise on environmental permitting and historic preservation. Previous roles in projects for various firms include: serving on the program management/construction management team for the MBTA’s Green Line Extension project, developing workforce development action plans for federal transportation agencies, providing technical consultant management services to Harvard’s Allston Development Group’s infrastructure program and developing an award-winning reuse concept plan for a bridge project in Ohio. Stack has served as vice president of the College of Arts & Sciences Alumni Board and served as alumni trustee for three years prior to being elected a charter trustee.