News
Governor Patrick appoints two to Salem State Board of Trustees
Monica Cost, a commercial real estate broker at Cushman & Wakefield Inc. and founder of Evidently Assured©, and James S. Ansara, chairman and founder of Shawmut Design and Construction, were recently appointed to the Salem State College Board of Trustees by Governor Deval Patrick.
In announcing the appointment, Salem State president Patricia Maguire Meservey noted that "Monica Cost and Jim Ansara are two highly accomplished individuals who bring unique and various skills--most particularly in the areas of real estate and construction--to our board at a critical juncture in the college's growth and development. They both also bring strong non-profit leadership experience to their roles on the board. I very much look forward," she added, "to the benefit of their collective wisdom as Salem State carries out the mandates of its strategic plan in the months and years to come."
Monica Cost is the first Black woman to hold the position of commercial broker at a major real estate firm in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; before transferring into the brokerage area, she served as Cushman & Wakefield’s New England area operations manager, the first person of color to hold the strategic position. She also advises individuals on personal brand strategy and communications.
Ms. Cost has been recognized by the Boston Herald as one of the "Hub's future leaders," and by Women's Business (Boston) as an emerging leader. Ms. Cost sits on the boards of The Efficacy Institute, the Partnership and the Crittenton Women's Union.
She is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, and currently resides with her family in Braintree.
As an undergraduate at Amherst College, Jim Ansara began working as an independent builder specializing in small residential carpentry work. He incorporated Shawmut Design and Construction in 1982 with just two employees, growing the company to one of the nation’s largest construction management firms. In 2006, Ansara completed the sale and conversion of Shawmut to a 100-percent employee owned company. Shawmut has been named one of the "best places to work" in Massachusetts on three occasions, and in 2007 was recognized as the best place to work in the large company category.
Jim Ansara has served on the boards of the Boston Children’s Museum, the Landmark School, Boston Preservation Alliance, and the Greater Boston Food Bank, among other organizations. He is a founding board member of Boston's City Year, and was named an "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Inc. magazine. Mr. Ansara resides in Essex.