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Barrett, Gold Named to MCLA Board of Trustees
01:43PM / Wednesday, April 13, 2016
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NORTH ADAMS, MASS. — Former North Adams John Barrett III has been named as a trustee of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

Gov. Charlie Baker approved Barrett's appointment and the reappointment of Susan Gold, who has served on the Board since 2010. Both will serve five-year terms.

Gold, who was instrumental in the recent presidential search process, was elected chairman of the board at the meeting held on April 7.

"Lieutenant Governor Polito and I congratulate the trustees on their new roles and thank them for their willingness to step forward and serve the Commonwealth," Baker said. "Board oversight is critically important, and we rely on their expertise and leadership to be strong stewards of our institutions of higher education."
 
MCLA President James F. Birge said he is delighted with governor's appointments.

"We are fortunate to benefit from the dedication and expertise of Susan Gold, who served as co-chair of two presidential search committees. Her willingness to commit to this critical position speaks to her deep dedication to MCLA, and I am grateful her service," Birge said. "In addition, as one of the first political leaders in the nation to recognize the importance of the arts as an economic development tool, John Barrett will be a valuable addition to the board. I look forward to working with him, and with Trustee Gold, as we continue to advance the work of MCLA."

Gold co-chaired, with Trustee Mohan Boodram, the two Presidential Search Committees. In this leadership role she worked closely with MCLA's faculty, staff, students, and alumni, along with community and business leaders, to identify the right candidate for the college.

She also was co-chairman of MCLA's successful "Sowing Seeds for Success: The MCLA Campaign for the Future" campaign. A respected community volunteer who has lent her expertise to a number of organizations in Berkshire County, Gold has a strong connection to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, for which she is also a trustee.

During Barrett's 26 years as mayor, North Adams reinvented itself after losing more than 4,000 manufacturing jobs in the 1970s and '80s. His achievements include the leadership role he played in converting a 780,000-square-foot, abandoned mill into the largest museum of contemporary art in the United States.

The success of Mass MoCA eventually led to the reuse of other abandoned mill buildings in North Adams. Barrett now works with communities that are exploring ways to incorporate the arts into their economic development. In addition to his work with local communities, he has been the keynote speaker at several conferences throughout the United States.
 
Barrett, who earned his bachelor of science and master's of administration degrees from MCLA, also received an honorary doctorate of public service from the college. In addition, he is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award. As mayor, he was chairman of the North Adams School Committee and the Mass MoCA Cultural Development Commission.

For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.

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