Leadership

James L. Vander Hooven
President
EdD, University of Maine
MA, University of Wyoming
BA, The Ohio State University
Executive Bio 

Senator Stephen M. Brewer
Senior Advisor to the President
Member of the Massachusetts Senate 1997-2015
BA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
MA, Assumption College

Jay Bry
Vice President of Finance and Administration
MBA, Purdue University
BS, Purdue University

Adam Duggan
Vice President Lifelong Learning & Workforce Development
EdD, Northeastern University
MA, Boston College
BA, Emerson College

Ana Gaillat
Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs
PhD, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
MA Suffolk University

Daniel Horlander
Executive Director, Information Technology Services
MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
BS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Heather Layton
Executive Director of Resource and Strategic Initiative Development
MS, Antioch New England Graduate School
BS, University of New Hampshire

Tiffany Parker
Executive Director of Institutional Research & Assessment
MA, University of Massachusetts, Boston
BA, Framingham State University

Ellen Madigan Pratt
Distance Education and Outreach Librarian
MLS, University of Alabama
BA, Fitchburg State University

Marcia Rosbury-Henne
Vice President for Enrollment Management
MEd, American College of Education
BA, Marist College

Peter Sennett
Vice President of Human Resources & Payroll, Affirmative Action Officer, Title IX Coordinator
LLM, George Washington University College of Law
JD & MPA, Syracuse University College of Law & Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs
BA, SUNY at Buffalo

Kim Shea
Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences
DNP, Regis College
MSN, Drexel University
BSN, Drexel University
AS, 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
MEd, University of Vermont
BA, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

May 2025 — May 2026

• Claire M. Freda, Chairperson, Leominster City Council
• Patti Bergstrom, Owner, The Velvet Goose
• Beckett Caisse, Student Trustee
• Irene Hernandez Guzman, (Alumni), Director, Active Life Adult Day Health Center
• Denise Kindschi Gosselin, Professor Emerita, Western New England University
• Lawrence NFOR, Senior Director of Finance and Administration, Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner.
• Rozanna Penney, President/CEO, Heywood Hospital
• 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:  August 21, 2025
TIME: 8:30 am
LOCATION: Murphy Room, Gardner Campus and via live stream
AGENDA:

2025-2026 Fiscal Year Schedule

(subject to change)

August 21, 2025
October 16, 2025
December 18, 2025
February 19, 2026
April 9, 2026
May 20, 2025 (North Café, 3:30 PM)
June 11, 2026 (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, the Wachusett Business Incubator, and 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.”