About the Institute

The Institute’s Staff

• Mary K. Grant, Ph.D.

  President

  Dr. Mary K. Grant was selected in September of 2017 as president of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, and began leading the organization in January 2018.

  As chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Grant is credited for making innovation a guiding value of the university’s new strategic plan. Under her leadership, the university was ranked #1 for “Making an Impact” by the Princeton review in 2016, recognizing schools with the best community service opportunities and student engagement. Grant led the University’s efforts to secure support for $67 million in new construction and renovations, and has built and deepened partnerships with the Asheville community. While leading the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), Grant oversaw growth in enrollment, emphasized community engagement, and secured $100 million in new public and private support for the college through its first comprehensive capital campaign.

  Grant previously served as the chief academic officer and deputy CEO of UMassOnline, and was a senior fellow at the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston – now the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies – where she led the McCormack Institute’s master’s program in public affairs and served as director of the Center for Social Policy. In addition, Grant served as assistant vice chancellor for administration and finance and human resources at UMass Boston.

  Grant currently serves as vice chair of the board for National Campus Compact and a trustee of the Norman Rockwell Museum. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from MCLA, a master’s degree in public affairs from UMass Boston, a Ph.D. in social policy from The Heller School at Brandeis University, and an honorary degree from Williams College.

• Caroline Angel Burke

  Vice President of Education, Visitor Experience & Collections

  Caroline Angel Burke is responsible for all educational programs, exhibits, interpretation, media development, and curatorial collections at the Institute. Angel Burke has worked in and for museums for over twenty years, and believes passionately in the power of informal educational experiences.

  Prior to her arrival at the Institute, she was senior project manager in exhibits at the Museum of Science, Boston; program manager for the Museum’s adult and special programs; and has worked in curatorial, project management, educational, and visitor service management positions at a variety of museums and their support industries in the United States and the UK. She has a BA in history and anthropology from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, UK.

• Kathleen Grant, CPA

  Chief Financial and Operating Officer

  Kathleen Grant oversees the Institute’s financial and operations teams including accounting, business development and private events, visitor services, and facilities.

  A seasoned executive with over 25 years of leadership experience in financial and operational roles, Kathleen has held positions in financial professional services, real estate, construction, investment firms, and consulting. Her portfolio includes established companies and start-ups. Kathleen’s roles included positions at the Heron Group, LLC as partner; Critical Systems, LLC as executive VP of operations and CFO; HQ Global Workplaces as director of facilities; and HQ Business Centers as CFO. She began her career in audit at Arthur Andersen & Co.

  Kathleen holds a bachelor’s of science degree in accounting from Boston College. She is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and a Family Advisory Board member for Concussion Legacy Foundation. In addition, she was elected and served on the School Committee and was treasurer of the Community Preservation Act Committee in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

• Gina Perille

  Chief Strategy & Public Affairs Officer

  Gina Perille oversees the external relations division at the Institute which encompasses marketing, government relations, public programs, and communications.

  Perille previously worked at Harvard where she was part of the University’s public affairs and communications division and served as the director of communications for the Harvard Library system. Previously, she worked for the City of Boston in the role of chief of communications and strategy for the Boston Public Library where she wrote the award-winning strategic plan, the BPL Compass; and led media, marketing, branding, and engagement efforts across twenty-five locations with a combined average of 800 monthly programs and exhibitions.

  In other roles, Perille led a global corporate foundation where she oversaw philanthropic, corporate culture, and corporate citizenship initiatives; and worked at a management consulting firm that advised government agencies, cultural organizations, academic institutions, and foundations. A former correspondent for the Boston Globe, Perille holds an MBA from Boston University and a BFA from the University of Illinois. She is a graduate of the LeadBoston social justice leadership program, volunteers with the Boston Pride Committee, and serves on the Corporate Executive Council for WGBH. In November 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker appointed her to the Commonwealth’s Board of Library Commissioners.

• Betsy Rigby

  Chief Development Officer

  Betsy Rigby oversees the Institute’s fundraising operations, which includes major giving, annual giving, corporate and foundation support, membership, alumni relations, and the annual dinner.

  Rigby previously served as the chief development officer at the MGH Institute of Health Professions and as director of development with Partners HealthCare. She has worked exclusively in fundraising for nonprofits since earning a masters degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1989. Rigby has also worked for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay, the Medical Foundation, and the League of Women Voters where she worked on issues of civic engagement and democracy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.

  Rigby has been active in professional associations throughout her career. She is a member of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Association of Fund Raising Professionals and has served on the board of directors of Women in Development. She was both a member of the steering committee and the development chair of the Group on Institutional Advancement of the American Association of Medical Colleges.

• Meet the Rest of our Team

  by Department

  Department	Staff	Title
  Development	Betsy Rigby	Chief Development Officer
  Development	Lauren Janes	Senior Administrator
  Development	Lucas McDiarmid	Development Coordinator
  Development	Tara Rendon	Alumni Relations Coordinator
  Executive Office	Chelsey Burke	Executive Assistant to the President
  Executive Office	Emily Baker	Administrative Manager, Washington, D.C.
  External Relations	Gina Perille	Chief Strategy & Public Affairs Officer
  External Relations	Kelly Bovio	Director of Government Relations
  External Relations	Claire Cooper	Director of Community Engagement
  External Relations	Miles Halpine	Communications Coordinator
  External Relations	Katie Leclerc	Multimedia & Graphic Designer
  External Relations	Summer Ordaz	Program Coordinator
  Human Resources	Joanna Hurier	Director of Human Resources
  Information Technology	Ralf Urbach	Systems Administrator
  Information Technology	Luis Colon	Customer Support Engineer
  Operations	Kathleen Grant	Chief Financial & Operating Officer
  Operations	Eileen Driscoll	Cape House Project Manager
  Operations	Paul Rehme	Director of Financial Operations
  Operations	Alba Rosado	Accountant
  Operations	Tim Stancell-Condron	Director of Business Affairs & Events
  Operations	Rachel Frazier	Events Manager
  Operations	Jason Eliot	Director of Facilities
  Operations	Kevin Boothby	Facilities Maintenance Engineer
  Visitor Experience	Caroline Angel Burke	Vice President, Education, Visitor Experience & Collections
  Visitor Experience	Sarah Yezzi	Director of Education, Family & Youth Programming
  Visitor Experience	Amy Munslow	Education Manager
  Visitor Experience	Nate Gundy	Manager of Educational Programming
  Visitor Experience	Will Foster-Nolan	Lead Educator
  Visitor Experience	Jan Crocker	Senior Exhibit & Content Developer
  Visitor Experience	Elaine Mondy	Program & Exhibit Content Coordinator
  Visitor Experience	Lou Rocco	Program & Content Developer
  Visitor Experience	Mitchell Carolan	Education & Visitor Experience Senior Staff
  Visitor Experience	Abigail Courage	Visitor Experience Coordinator
  Visitor Experience	​Eileen Donovan	Volunteer & Intern Program Manager