Bertolon Advisory Board | Salem State University

The Bertolon School of Business prides itself on having a strong advisory board made up of local business and non-profit leaders. The council's role is to provide feedback to the Bertolon School of Business on curriculum, and career advising, as well as to provide input on recruiting and development activities.

For more information on the Bertolon Advisory Board, please contact Don White.

Karen Andreas

Karen Andreas is the president and CEO of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce. She is also on the Salem State Board of Overseers. Karen has spent her career working as a journalist and media publisher. Much of her career was spent as a reporter, editor, and publisher for the North of Boston Media Group; while also volunteering at organizations such as Essex Heritage Board of Trustees, and Northern Essex Community College Foundation. She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, where she earned a bachelor's degree in English, specializing in journalism.

Barbara Baggs

Barbara Baggs is the Director of Ophthalmology Operations at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. She has a history of working in the hospital & healthcare industry and is skilled in EPIC EMR, Microsoft applications, Organizational Leadership, Teamwork, and Marketing. Barbara is a strong operation professional with a master’s degree specializing in Business Administration from Salem State University.

Rafael Barbosa

Rafael Barbosa is the Principal at Center Cut Marketing and Director of Operations at Maverick Suites. Center Cut Marketing is a digital marketing company for hospitality-focused clients. Maverick Suites is a short-term rental company that specializes in purpose-built micro-units. Before Rafael Barbosa started his hospitality marketing company, he was the Director of Operations and Marketing for a multi-unit food chain for 10 years, FiRE+iCe.

Henry J. Bertolon, Jr. '74

Henry Bertolon is a partner in Manor Homes Development LLC who has also served on the Salem State President's Campaign Cabinet and co-chaired the Salem State University Comprehensive Campaign. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Salem State University in 1974. Henry began his career at Radio Shack before founding NECX.com, becoming the nation's largest reseller of computer components. He has also been a real estate developer in the North Shore area since 2002, including Manor Homes at Whitehall.

BG (Ret.) Joseph C. Carter, DABCHS

General Joseph Carter is a senior strategic advisor for Windwalker Group LLC, security, working in emergency/risk management, and professional services offerings. He worked as the Superintendent of Police in the Boston Police Department, as Chief of Police in Oak Bluffs, MA, and as Chief of the MBTA Police. General Carter was the president of the 21,000-member International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and served as the Adjutant General of the Massachusetts National Guard. He possesses a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Atlanta University and a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. He is a National Security Management Fellow and was awarded Diplomate Status (DABCHS) by the American Board for Certification in Homeland Security.

Dino Di Palma

Dino Di Palma is currently a Managing Partner at True North Advisory. True North is the premier trusted advisor to the enterprise and Service Provider B2B industry. He has also served as President of the Americas & Strategic Accounts at Avaya, where he was responsible for the company's go-to-market strategy across the entire portfolio of cloud and premise-based software and hardware solutions. He has also served as BroadSoft's chief revenue officer responsible for the company's entire global sales and business development efforts. Di Palma was CEO of edge network supplier Benu Networks and Chief Operating Officer for Acme.

Jessyca Feliciano

Jessyca Feliciano serves on the Massachusetts Workforce Development Board for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is a Global Human Resource Business Leader at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, helping manage the relationships between the organization and its employees and helping to lead strategic human capital initiatives. She earned a Master of Education with a focus on Organizational Development and Leadership from Cambridge College's Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s in social work from Roberts Wesleyan College. Among her other positions, she was appointed Co-Chair of the Youth Pathways Committee. She is also serving on the Board of Directors of GLAD Boston, GLBTQ Legal Advocates, and Defenders.

Thomas French

Tom French is the Chief Financial Officer at Burke Technology. He was a 1991 Graduate of the BSB and has been on the advisory board since it was created. He spent 12 years in public accounting, serving clients in the Professional Service, Distribution, and Manufacturing industries. Over the last 17 years, Tom has served in Senior Financial roles in several businesses in the Subscription, Professional Service, Distribution, and Manufacturing industries. He has been part of 3 successful sales of businesses and has specialized in private equity-backed and owner-operated businesses.

Catherine Latham

Catherine Latham is a Managing Director in the Accounting and Auditing Group at CBIZ & Mayer Hoffman McCann. She has worked with closely held businesses in various industries providing audit and accounting services. In addition to the time she spends on client service, Catherine is MHM's Director of National Training and responsible for the coordination of programs ranging from short webinars to multiple-day conferences. She is a certified public accountant in the State of Massachusetts, as she graduated from Salem State's School of Business with a degree in accounting in 1998 and earned an MBA from Suffolk University in 2012.

Craig Markiewicz

Craig Markiewicz is the Senior Vice President and Director of Audit at Salem Five Bank. Previously he was at American Tower Corporation, and then as the Senior Manager of Global Internal Audit and held various other roles in Audit and Project Management in 13 years with the company. Markiewicz is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Information Systems Auditor. He graduated from Salem State University with a master's in business administration in 2012 and a bachelor’s in business administration, with a concentration in Marketing, in 2005.

Brenna M. Murphy, MBA

Brenna Murphy is the Senior Director of Digital Health Services and Experience at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) where she is VP of Digital Health and the Deputy Chief Information Officer. She provides strategic direction, program leadership, and technical operations management in the advancement of digital health strategy and initiatives. She leads the operations and consumer experience for all digital health products at scale and oversees the product management of MyChildren's patient portal and related technologies. She has worked there for 11 years, but some of her previous roles were IT Project Manager, Manager of the Business Analysis team, and Program Director of the Digital 2.0 strategic initiative. Brenna has a Healthcare MBA from Simmons University and an undergraduate degree from Salem State University.

Linda Saris

Linda E. Saris is the Executive Director and Founder of LEAP for Education, Inc. Before LEAP (1989-2001), Ms. Saris started at RSA Security (at the time called Security Dynamics) as VP-Finance and Operations, a 20-person security tech start-up. As Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Saris managed RSA's initial public stock offering in 1994. During her tenure at RSA, Ms. Saris also held other senior management positions including Senior Vice President of New Emerging Security Technologies, Senior Vice President of Operations, IT and Technical Services, and Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Saris received her BA in Economics and Urban Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and her MBA in Finance and Accounting from the University of Chicago. In 2015, Ms. Saris received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Salem State University.

Mary Sarris

Mary Sarris is the Executive Director of the North Shore Workforce Investment Board. The WIB, one of 16 across Massachusetts, is charged with developing and supporting our workforce development system so that individuals and employers need labor market services quickly and successfully. Previously, Mary spent over 20 years in the workforce development and education reform arenas, managing various public and private initiatives including school-to-career, job training, professional and curriculum development projects, and public information campaigns. Before coming to the WIB, she was the executive director of the Lynn Business/Education Foundation, a private, non-profit local education fund designed to be a vehicle for business involvement in the Lynn schools. Currently, Mary is on the Board of the North Shore Community College Foundation and the North Shore Technology Council.

Laura Swanson

Laura Swanson is the Executive Director of the Enterprise Center at Salem State University and serves as the President's Leadership Cabinet at the Bertolon School of Business Advisory Board. She previously worked as the Chief Operating Officer at the Enterprise Center. The Enterprise Center is a hub for regional business growth and an accessible community for entrepreneurs and business owners seeking professional growth/business. She works closely with Salem State University in its entrepreneurship programs for students. Laura is also a member of the Workforce Skills Cabinet Northeast Regional Planning Team member and the City of Salem's Economic Development Recovery & Revitalization Task Force. She hosts the weekend radio show North Shore Conversations on 104.9FM. Laura graduated magna cum laude from Salem State University with a degree in History in 1996.

Paul Tucker

Paul Tucker was elected Essex County District Attorney in 2022. He leads a staff of nearly 200 to protect and serve the residents of 34 cities and towns extending from Lynn to Gloucester, Lawrence, and Newburyport. Paul has served the public for over 30 years as a police officer, police chief, and university professor. He was elected to represent Salem in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2014 where he was a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and focused his legislative attention on criminal justice issues. In 2021 State Representative Paul Tucker was appointed by the Speaker of the House. Paul has held leadership positions on the executive board of the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs Association and the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council. As a state representative, he fought for the rights and protections of transgender individuals and advocated for police education and training reforms. In 2021 State Representative Paul Tucker was appointed by the Speaker of the House.