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Michael K. Thomas is the President and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) in Boston, Massachusetts, a regional organization working with the 260 colleges and universities in the six New England states. NEBHE works to expand education opportunity and services and to address issues related to New England’s human capital and economic competitiveness.
Dr. Thomas directs NEBHE’s policy, research, publishing, programmatic and fund raising activities. These focus on promoting innovative K-12, post secondary and life-long learning policies and on expanding collaboration among leaders of business, government and education. He works extensively in state political and higher education environments with governors, state legislators, K-12 commissioners, state higher education executives (SHEEO’s) and with business leaders to expand college readiness, access and success. He also oversees NEBHE’s collaborative cost-saving programs, including the Regional Student Program’s “Tuition Break.”
Thomas joined NEBHE in 2002 as Director of Policy and Research. He subsequently served as Senior Director and Senior Vice President. In the latter roles, he oversaw the development and implementation of NEBHE’s “College Ready New England” initiative, collaborating with senior leaders of government, business and education (K-12 and post secondary) in the six New England states to promote policy strategies and best practices to expand college readiness and success.
Thomas has worked in corporate training and human resources and held varied administrative positions in higher education institutions, both public and private. He served as a Policy Aid in the University of Massachusetts President’s Office and subsequently as Coordinator of Institutional Research and as Executive Assistant to the President at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Brigham Young University and master’s degrees in higher education from Teachers College, Columbia University and Harvard University. He earned a doctorate in education and social policy from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Boston University.
He has held several university faculty appointments, currently teaching at Harvard University in the Continuing Education Division’s Graduate Management Program. He is a trustee of New England College and served as trustee and vice chair of the board of Worcester State University.
Thomas frequently lectures and speaks on issues related to K-12 and post secondary education policy, regional and global competitiveness, the internationalization of higher education, college readiness and the economic impact of higher education.
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With over four years of experience in executive support and operational leadership, Raquel served as Chief of Operations at NEBHE. In this role, she contributes to the organization’s mission by optimizing daily operations, supporting executive leadership, and managing NEBHE’s headquarters building in Boston, MA. Her skills include workload prioritization, project coordination, and diplomacy to ensure seamless operations and effective collaboration across teams.
Raquel is a Certified Notary Public and proficient in Microsoft Outlook, facilitating accuracy and reliability in administrative processes. She is dedicated to empowering teams, fostering an efficient and professional organizational environment, and enabling impactful initiatives that align with NEBHE’s mission.
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Senior Business Operations Manager
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Celana Bethea is the Senior Manager of Business Operations with a background in Business Administration. She joined NEBHE in 2023 and currently serves as the Human Resources Director while also assisting with finance operations. Celana brings extensive administrative and operational experience from both healthcare and corporate environments. Prior to NEBHE, she spent nine years at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as a Senior Administrative Specialist. She also worked as an Executive Assistant at EY and athenahealth, where she supported senior leadership and helped manage key operational functions. Known for her strong organizational skills and collaborative approach, Celana plays an important role in supporting internal operations, human resources initiatives, and financial processes that help advance the organization’s mission.
*** For media inquires, please contact Peggy ***
Senior Fellow
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Dr. Charles F. Desmond is Senior Fellow emeritus at the New England Board of Higher Education, where he advises on initiatives to expand educational opportunity and strengthen New England’s economic competitiveness. He previously served as president of the Hildreth Stewart Charitable Foundation and as CEO of Inversant, a Massachusetts children’s savings account initiative. Appointed by Governor Deval Patrick, he served as chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education from 2008 to 2015.
Dr. Desmond spent more than 30 years at the University of Massachusetts Boston in senior leadership roles focused on student success and community engagement. A Fulbright Scholar, he holds an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is a decorated U.S. Army veteran, awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star with “V” device for valor in Vietnam.
*** For media inquires, please contact Peggy ***
Manager of Technology
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Daren has functioned as NEBHE's Manager of Technology since 2004, providing support for IT hardware, services, cybersecurity, and the ongoing needs of NEBHE staff. He has also managed AV for NEBHE's board meetings and other convenings and has contributed logos and graphics for the organization's various programs and commissions. He creates, modifies, and maintains NEBHE's custom-designed databases, including the online-searchable list of Tuition Break-participating schools and programs.
He has previously worked at Thinkworks Applied Internet Marketing and Shepley Bulfinch Architects, among others.
Daren studied journalism and graphic design at the Pennsylvania State University.
*** For media inquires, please contact Peggy ***
Chief Financial Officer
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Jack has served as CFO of NEBHE on an outsourced basis since September 2023, providing strategic financial leadership and oversight. He is the principal of Franklin Management, an outsourced accounting and business consulting firm specializing in nonprofit organizations. Jack brings extensive expertise in financial management, strategic planning, budgeting, cash flow management and compliance developed through senior leadership roles with both public and private companies. His experience includes capital raising, financial reporting, and supporting organizational growth and transition initiatives.
Previously, Jack held financial management positions with companies including Raytheon, ZOLL Medical Corporation, and Cerida Inc., where he served as CFO and helped lead equity financing efforts and the successful sale of the company. Jack earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in Finance from Babson College.
*** For media inquires, please contact Peggy ***
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Stakeholder Engagement Specialist, New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC)
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Nurudeen Alabi serves as a Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC), a grant-funded initiative of the New England Board of Higher Education focused on expanding access to higher education in correctional settings across the six New England states. In this role, he works to strengthen partnerships among higher education institutions, correctional agencies, community organizations, and directly impacted individuals to support equitable and sustainable prison education initiatives.
Nurudeen draws from his lived experience with incarceration and his educational journey, being the first student of the Boston College Prison Education Program (BCPEP) to graduate on campus and earn his B.A in Business Marketing. He brings a deeply informed perspective to advocacy, public speaking, and systems change work centered on second chances and educational opportunity. His work focuses on stakeholder engagement, strategic collaboration, and elevating the voices of formerly incarcerated individuals in policy and practice discussions.
Nurudeen is passionate about using education as a pathway to personal transformation, civic engagement, and long-term community impact.
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Project Coordinator, New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC)
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Quinn Barton serves as a Project Coordinator for the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC), a grant-funded initiative of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE). In this role, Quinn leads the team's social media strategy and content, coordinates internal and external communications, and provides administrative support.
Quinn’s career is driven by her passion for facilitating actionable change in society through communications campaigns and policy research. Her pivot towards educational reform in prison on the New England Prison Education Collaborative reflects her commitment towards uplifting marginalized members of society.
A graduate of Boston University, Quinn holds a B.S. in Media Science with minors in International Relations and Political Science with a focus on the intersection between the public sector and political discourse.
Project Manager, New England Prison Education Collaborative
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Zeia serves as a Project Manager for the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC), a grant-funded initiative of the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE). In this role, she leverages skills in program development, stakeholder engagement, and data-informed decision-making to co-manage NEPEC’s rollout across the six New England states.
Zeia’s career reflects her passion for social justice. Before joining NEBHE, she served as an Equity and Learning Specialist at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, where she developed and facilitated diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings and actively supported organizational race equity initiatives.
Previously, as a research intern at Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Zeia contributed significantly to influential reports on systemic inequities in school discipline and barriers to legal access in Massachusetts.
Zeia earned her B.A. in International Studies from American University, focusing on Justice, Ethics, and Human Rights. She is enrolled in an M.S. in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, further strengthening her ability to leverage data for meaningful social impact.
Fellow, Open Education
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Since 2019, Lindsey Gwozdz has served as NEBHE’s Fellow for Open Education, helping to expand the awareness of Open Educational Resources from a cost-savings tool to be more inclusive of practices and pedagogies that enable systemic changes for more representative and equitable information creation, evaluation, and access. She joined the Community College of Rhode Island in 2024 as the Assistant Dean of the Library, having spent 11 years prior as an Associate Professor and the Scholarly Communications Librarian at Roger Williams University.
Lindsey has co-authored articles and book chapters that center social justice and pedagogical innovation with respect to open education, most recently a new framework for open education research that centers social justice: SCOPE of Open Education: A New Framework. She is a doctoral student at the University of Rhode Island, studying the role identity may play in student participation in open pedagogy.
Director, New England Prison Education Collaborative and Transfer Initiatives
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Sarah Kuczynski is the Director of the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC) and Transfer Initiatives at the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE). In this role, Sarah is leading the roll-out of NEBHE’s new five-year, Ascendium-funded project to expand access to higher education in prison across the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont). Beyond this, Sarah facilitates the New England Transfer Guarantee--NEBHE’s state-specific community college transfer initiative which is now fully operationalized in all six states in the region.
Sarah was the primary author of the June 2023 report of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison.
Prior to joining NEBHE, Sarah worked in student success at the collegiate and high school level. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Sarah holds a B.A. in English from The George Washington University, a PhD in English from UNC-Chapel Hill, and an EdM in Education Policy and Analysis from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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Director, State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA)
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Charlotte Ochs works at the intersection of higher education policy, interstate coordination, and regulatory governance. At NEBHE, they help oversee regional participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), supporting collaboration among states, institutions, and regional partners.
Their work focuses on policy implementation, governance processes, and cross-state coordination, including facilitating regional steering committee activity, reviewing institutional participation matters, and managing complex policy modifications that affect institutions across multiple jurisdictions. They regularly engage with state regulators, higher education leaders, and national organizations to interpret policy, advance regional priorities, and support effective oversight of interstate distance education.
Charlotte Ochs has experience in translating complex policy into operational processes and building consensus across diverse stakeholders. Their work reflects a strong commitment to access, accountability, and the responsible expansion of online and distance education.
Director, Tuition Break
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As the Director of Tuition Break at NEBHE, Lyndsay oversees the region’s tuition discount program, which is dedicated to making higher education significantly more affordable and accessible for thousands of New England residents. Beyond managing the legacy Tuition Break program, Lyndsay leads special strategic projects centered on educational equity and cross-border access, while frequently partnering with fellow regional compacts to advance collaborative, multi-state initiatives.
Prior to joining NEBHE, Lyndsay served at the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. In this role, she directed statewide college and career access initiatives and spearheaded the development and implementation of several major state-level policies. Lyndsay has dedicated her professional career to lowering barriers to academic opportunities and serving marginalized communities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from Boston College.
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Program Coordinator, Tuition Break and State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA)
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Kush Patel is a Program Coordinator at NEBHE supporting two programs: the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) and the Tuition Break. He engages stakeholders across New England on higher education initiatives through tuition savings programs, federal and state policy, online distance education, legislative outreach, and policy research.
Prior to joining NEBHE, Kush worked at the University of Massachusetts Boston focusing on student success and retention initiatives. He holds a Master of Public Policy from Northeastern University.
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Program Manager, Open Education
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Tamara Stein-Botteri is the Program Manager for Open Education at the New England Board of Higher Education, where she leads efforts to expand equitable access to open educational resources and support institutions across the six New England states. In her role, she coordinates regional initiatives, builds partnerships, and advances effective strategies that help reduce costs for students while promoting high-quality instruction. Tamara holds a degree from Brandeis University and brings experience in grantmaking, program management, and stakeholder collaboration.
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