Leadership

James L. Vander Hooven
President
Ed.D. University of Maine
M.A. University of Wyoming
B.A. The Ohio State University
Executive Bio 

Adam Duggan
Vice President Lifelong Learning & Workforce Development
Ed.D., Northeastern University
M.A., Boston College;
B.A., Emerson College

Ana Gaillat
Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
Ph.D, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
M.A. Suffolk University

John Eisler
Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Acting Dean of the School of Business, Science, Technology, and Math
Ph.D., Emory University
B.S., University of Florida

Ellen Madigan Pratt
Distance Education and Outreach Librarian
M.L.S., University of Alabama;
B.A., Fitchburg State University

Daniel Horlander
Executive Director, Information Technology Services
M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Heather Layton
Executive Director of Resource and Strategic Initiative Development
M.S., Antioch New England Graduate School;
B.S., University of New Hampshire

Sandra Quaye
Vice President, Finance & Administration
B.S., Fitchburg State University

Peter Sennett
Vice President of Human Resources & Payroll, Affirmative Action Officer, Title IX Coordinator
L.L.M., George Washington University College of Law;
J.D. & M.P.A., Syracuse University College of Law & Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs;
B.A., SUNY at Buffalo

Kim Shea
Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences
DNP, Regis College;
MSN, Drexel University;
BSN, Drexel University;
A.S., Mount Wachusett Community College

Stephanie Williams
Chief Diversity Executive
MS, Anna Maria College
BS, Becker College
AS, Quinsigamond Community College

Jason Zelesky
Vice President of Student Affairs, Dean of Students
M.Ed., University of Vermont;
B.A., University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

May 2023 — May 2024

• Robert Antonioni, Antonioni & Antonioni Law Office – Chairperson
• Patti Bergstrom, Owner, The Velvet Goose
• Irene Hernandez Guzman, (Alumni), Active Life Adult Day Health Center
• Claire M. Freda, Leominster City Council
• Denise Kindschi Gosselin, Professor Emerita, Western New England University
• Tracy L. Hutchinson, GAAMHA, Inc.
• Justina Johnson, Student Trustee
• Douglas Petersen, Workers Credit Union
• Patricia Pistone, UMass Memorial Health - Health Alliance-Clinton Hospital
• Rick Walton, Owner, Moon Hill Brewing Company, Gardner Ale House

Upcoming Meeting Notice

MWCC Board of Trustees
DATE:  October 26, 2023
TIME: 8:30 am
LOCATION: MWCC Gardner Campus, Murphy Room, or watch on Vimeo
AGENDA:  Board of Trustees Agenda 10.26.23

2024 Fiscal Year Schedule

(subject to change)

August 17, 2023
October 26, 2023
December 14, 2023
February 15, 2024
April 18, 2024
May 15, 2024, Pre-Commencement Meeting, 4:00 pm
June 6, 2024 - Annual Meeting

Approved Presidents Report December 12, 2021

View the By-Laws of the Board of Trustees

James L. Vander Hooven, Ed.D., President,
Mount Wachusett Community College

James Vander Hooven, Ed.D. has been committed to the ideas of access and opportunity in higher education for the majority of his professional career. After a few years of secondary education teaching and administration, Jim found his true calling when he stepped into a nontraditional college classroom, and as the instructor found that he was the youngest person in the room. From that evening on, he has focused his energy and time on increasing opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds to achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals.

In his role as the third president at Mount Wachusett Community College, Jim has taken this student-centered approach and applied it to everything he touches. He approaches his role as the college leader with a unique student focus.
Prior to becoming president at MWCC, Jim served as the Vice President for Enrollment Management at Landmark College in Putney, Vermont. In this role, he served as the College’s chief enrollment officer, managed recruitment activities, enrollment, and admissions processes, and administered the Office of Financial Aid. He also oversaw the Office of Transfer, Career, and Internship Services.

Before joining Landmark College, Jim was President of Tohono O’odham Community College, a Tribal College located on the Tohono O’odham Reservation in Arizona. In that role, he oversaw the $9 million construction of a new main campus, strengthened programs in the areas of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and developmental education, and represented the Tribal Colleges in annual presentations on Capitol Hill.

The breadth of his experience gives him a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities of educational leadership. He is dedicated to building strong teams designed to achieve important goals and improve student outcomes.

Jim serves on a number of community boards including the GFA Supervisory Committee, The Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster, the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce where he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the Wachusett Business Incubator. He is the current Chair of the Massachusetts Community Colleges Council of Presidents.

Jim earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English from The Ohio State University. He received his Master of Arts degree in American Studies from the University of Wyoming. In 2009, he was awarded his Doctorate in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Maine, where he focused on student access. His dissertation was titled, “Lessons From Success: The Experience of Women Who Successfully Completed an Associate Degree While Parenting Children.”