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Foundation Board of Directors

Rebecca Kannam

MassBay Foundation
2023 to 2025
MassBay Foundation Chair

Becky Kannam Becky Kannam B.B.A. University of Massachusetts Amherst, Accounting, Isenberg School of Management

Becky’s involvement with MassBay began in 2017 as a volunteer on the Student Nourishment and Care Committee (SNACC, formerly the Food Insecurity Committee). She also has assisted with grant writing and research of new grants, and served as a mentor in the college’s Multicultural Mentoring Program.

After graduating from University of Massachusetts Amherst, Becky worked for the accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, for 10 years. She then served as Chief Financial Officer at three small, privately held firms in the Boston area. She is currently the CFO for KW Diversity, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in cultural proficiency and community conversations to support difficult conversations regarding race, cultures, and equity.

Becky has lived in Wellesley for over twenty years and has been an active leader within the community. She served as Treasurer of Wellesley A Better Chance (ABC), Friends of Wellesley METCO, Inc., Hoops and Homework in Framingham, Freshman Fresh Start and the Wellesley High School Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO), all local, education-focused, non-profit organizations. As a committed volunteer, Becky has supported the METCO program - in the areas of community building, academic achievement, mentoring and college preparation.

Joseph Asaya

MassBay Foundation
2022 to 2025
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Picture of Joseph Asaya Picture of Joseph Asaya B.S Information Systems Management with a minor in Business Administration; M.S Information Technology; University of Massachusetts

Joseph Asaya, M.S is Senior Project Manager in the Global Business Services Department at Boston Scientific (BSC).

He is a board member of the Global Council of Inclusion in BSC. He founded corporate sponsored affinity groups within BSC and now functions as the Global Bridge Employee Resource Group (ERG) president across all BSC sites.

He was invited by President Barack Obama and wife Michele to a diversity dinner reception in recognition of his ERG functions for BSC employees.

Joseph is a Massachusetts and New York State licensed financial planner who enjoys helping families with their financial planning needs. He is a Massachusetts notary public who is active in community service. Joseph is a member of the Board of Trustees for the New Vision Foundation, which supports minorities in the Greater Framingham community. He is also a standing committee member for the Ways & Means committee Precinct 18.

Thomas (Tom) W. Cleverdon

MassBay Foundation
2021 to 2024
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Thomas (Tom) W. Cleverdon Thomas (Tom) W. Cleverdon B.A. in Zoology/Chemistry (Pre-Med) from Miami University, Oxford Ohio

Upon graduation from Miami University, Tom began working as a chemist with the Chemical Division of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, OH.  Shortly thereafter, Tom married his high school sweetheart Chris, but their marriage was interrupted when he was drafted into the U.S. Army the same year. Returning from Viet Nam as a combat medic/clinical specialist, Tom rejoined the Goodyear Chemical Division and advanced into sales and marketing. From Goodyear, he joined the Dayco Company as a division manager in Richmond, VA and Dyersburg, TN.  The Kendall Company, a division of Colgate Palmolive recruited Tom to open a new Construction Products group in Boston.  Successfully accomplished, Tom moved on and started two new companies, one in manufacturing and one in software marketing.  From there, Tom became a part owner in TACC International located in Rockland, MA.  TACC was acquired by ITW (Illinois Tool Works) and shortly thereafter, Tom left ITW and started TC Cleverdon & Associates, Inc. in 2001.  He is currently President and provides consulting skills and represents several companies in the chemical products field.

Tom has been directly involved with his fraternity and Miami University in establishing new culture standards for Miami’s Greek System.  He is also a Trustee with the Norfolk Municipal Affordable Housing Trust providing upscale housing to those who would ordinarily be unable to afford housing in Norfolk.  He was VP of Church Council and is a Deacon at the Federated Church of Norfolk and heads a promotion committee for the church.  Tom is married with two children and 6 grandchildren.

Jean Dyer

MassBay Foundation
2023 to 2026
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Jean Dyer Jean Dyer Adelphi University Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing; Salem State University M.A. Nursing Education;  University of Maine Ph.D.

After earning a Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, Jean Dyer went on to earn a Master’s in Nursing Education from Salem State University in Salem, MA and a Ph.D. from the University of Maine in Orono. As a practicing registered nurse, she worked medical/surgical, telemetry, and cardiac ICU units. She also held positions in an infirmary as the evening/day nurse at the University of Rochester in New York. As a nurse educator, Jean has held faculty and administrative positions including Director of Nursing and Dean of Nursing and Health Sciences. She also held commissioner and site visitor positions on the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Jean presently continues to provide administrative and consulting services to nursing programs nationally as a nurse educator consultant.

Howard Ferris

MassBay Foundation
2022 to 2024
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Howard Ferris Howard Ferris Mr. Ferris has served as Past Two-term President, and as Two-term Regional Vice President of the International Association of General Motors ASEP Programs, and past Toyota T-TEN National Advisory Council member. His undergraduate/graduate studies include University of Massachusetts Boston, Fitchburg State College, University of Southern Colorado, and the Franklin Institute of Boston. Mr. Ferris is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and is ASE Certified: CMAT, CMTT, F1, L1 and L2, Licensed Vehicle Damage Appraiser, Licensed MA Instructor, secondary.

Mr. Ferris has been an automotive technology professional for over 45 years, including as an employee at MassBay from 1993 – 2019. At MassBay, he served as Director of Automotive programs at the Ashland Technology Center, and then as Dean of the Transportation and Energy Division. He previously taught at the High School level and has held numerous positions in the field including service manager, parts manager, shop foreman, and technician.

David S. Kennedy

MassBay Foundation
2023 to 2026
MassBay Foundation Board Member

David S. Kennedy David S. Kennedy B.A. in Political Science, College of the Holy Cross; Masters in Business Administration, Harvard Business School

David is a senior fixed income portfolio manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments and co-head of the liability-driven investment (LDI) portfolio solutions team. His team develops custom de-risking strategies for US corporate defined benefit plans.  In addition, he manages fixed income portfolios for select institutional clients.  He has managed several fixed income mutual funds, including a Total Return Fund voted “Best-in-Class” by Mutual Fund Magazine (2000, 2001) as well as the Morningstar 5-Star rated Columbia Inflation Protected Securities Fund.

David serves as a trustee of National Braille Press, a Boston-based organization advocating Braille literacy and developing Braille material.  Since joining NBP’s board in 2020, he has served as vice chair of the board as well as chair of the investment committee and development committee.

 

Tony Loftis

MassBay Foundation
2022 to 2025
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Tony Loftis Tony Loftis John Jay College of Criminal Justice; B.A. Tufts University

Tony Loftis runs a communications consultancy for small nonprofits and leads the largest soccer league in Massachusetts. For most of his career, he has been involved in communications work for a variety of organizations ranging from the US Department of Transportation to the city of Cambridge, as well as social justice nonprofits. He has taught social media skills to youth mentoring groups, theater companies, anti-sex trafficking organizations, and the missing persons community. 

Recently, he’s taken several leadership positions within the Massachusetts soccer community. Currently, Tony leads the Boston Area Youth Soccer League, which puts 18,000 players from 53 towns in eastern Massachusetts on the field in a fun, safe, and competitive environment. In that role, he has strengthened the organization’s institutional controls and led a reform in governance. He also sits on the board for the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association, serving as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion chairperson.

A 2014 graduate of the MetroWest Leadership Academy, Tony has served on boards for Habitat for Humanity’s MetroWest affiliate, Wayland Youth Soccer, CASCAP, and the MetroWest Nonprofit Network. In his spare time, he volunteers at professional golf tournaments, including serving as a transportation captain for the PGA Tour’s Boston stop.

James J. McKenzie, Esq.

MassBay Foundation
2020 to 2023
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Picture of James J. McKenzie, Esq. Picture of James J. McKenzie, Esq. B.S. in Economics, University of Massachusetts; J.D. Suffolk University Law

Attorney James McKenzie is engaged in the private practice of law in the Norfolk, Middlesex, Suffolk and Plymouth County areas since 1980.

His practice concentrates in the areas of real estate, conveyancing, leasing, commercial and residential lending, advising small businesses, administration of estates, landlord and tenant matters and simple estate planning. Before entering into private practice, he worked for the U.S. Small Business Administration in the District Counsel’s office closing disaster related loans.

Mr. McKenzie is a member of The Massachusetts Bar Association, The Bar Association of Norfolk County, The Massachusetts Association of Bank Counsel and The National Association of Development Companies. He coauthored the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education volume entitled “Public, Quasi-Public and Private Financing.”

Todd Ofenloch

MassBay Foundation
2021 to 2024
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Todd Ofenloch Todd Ofenloch Wellesley, MA

Managing Director of H.I.G. Capital

Stacy Okada

MassBay Foundation
2021 to 2024
MassBay Foundation Board Member

Stacy Okada Stacy Okada MassBay Community College, Biotechnology A.S.; University of Massachusetts, Boston, Chemistry B.S.

Stacy and her family relocated to Massachusetts from San Diego in February of 2013. Shortly after she enrolled in MassBay's Biotechnology program. With some luck, some incredible guidance, and a lot of hard work, she graduated with highest honors and six scholarships, which allowed her to continue on to UMass Boston for her Biochemistry degree. This trajectory was set into motion with her very first MassBay Foundation Scholarship, which gave her the confidence to aim higher. Having conducted research on the extraction of DNA from human bone during her time at MassBay, and on Y463M mutation of diheme enzyme BthA at Boston University, she most recently has done research in Next Generation Sequencing.

Stacy volunteers on the Goldwater/Moore Diversity and Inclusion Committee as well as their mentorship program, has a keen personal interest in guiding students, particularly those without much guidance, to their highest and best paths. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and their three children, photography, and being a soccer mom.