Board of Trustees

With several years of experience leading results-oriented change efforts and positively impacting lives throughout the Worcester community, through the court system and in her personal ministry, Monica Aryitey has demonstrated unwavering determination and a commitment to service.

Aryitey has a passion to empower women and see women – whatever their ages, backgrounds, or educational levels – succeed in their calling, whether in ministry or the secular world. Through her role as Co-Pastor of Faith Fellowship, an evangelical and charismatic church located in Worcester, and as an attorney, she teaches, preaches, counsels, and advocates for many.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Law from McGill University with qualifications to practice in the States of New York and Massachusetts, Adept in mastering new concepts and known for her versatility and excellence, Aryitey hasa track record serving as an attorney in non-criminal litigation – a skill set she brings to her efforts in the local and wider communities.

Always community minded, Monica serves as a board member of the Worcester Business Development Corporation, heads the women’s ministry at Faith Fellowship, and holds the role of an executive member of the church board, serving as the secretary. Participating in women-focused events and volunteering throughout the commonwealth, she has a proven track record of leadership skills, capacity, and team building, as well as expertise in strategic oversight and negotiations.

Kelly Brissette is a graduate of Boston College with a degree in Political Science. She is currently Deputy District Director for Congressman Jim McGovern, MA-02 and previously worked for State Senator Guy Glodis. Her areas of focus for the Congressman include both hunger and education.

Kelly has served on the board at Abby’s House and Interfaith Hospitality Network Charter as well as the chair for St. Peter’s Central Catholic Elementary School Auction Committee. In addition, she has served on an Accreditation Site Team for Mount Ida College Veterinary Technology Program. She is an active member of the Worcester Democratic City Committee and a past recipient of the John F. Kennedy Democrat of the Year Award.

Dr. Lisa M. Colombo is the gubernatorial alumni appointee to the Board. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester Sate in 1987 following graduation from Framingham Union Hospital in 1985. She went on to receive a Master of Health Administration from Clark University and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from MGH Institute of Health Professionals in 2009. She is presently the Executive Vice Chancellor for ForHealth consulting at the UMass Chan Medical School. Her career has been rooted in patient care, operational management and quality improvement at public and private academic health systems. She has also held high-level positions in health care management consulting. She is happy to serve on the Board of her alma mater and is its current Chair.

Darnell Dunn is the director of business recruitment at the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. In that role, he is responsible for spearheading initiatives aimed at attracting new businesses to the Worcester region, while fostering the growth and expansion of existing businesses. Before his position at the Chamber, Darnell was a senior associate at Rubric Commercial LLC, a full-service, Worcester-based commercial real estate brokerage. There he concentrated on landlord and tenant representation for office and Industrial property in central Massachusetts. Before joining Rubric, he spent nearly a decade in Ecuador providing insightful, data-driven recommendations to real estate clients from North America, Europe, and Asia at Abundant Living Ecuador, a real estate brokerage and property management firm he co-founded.

He earned a BA in Economics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  Darnell is a resident of Waltham, Massachusetts, and sits on the board of the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency (MassHousing) and the Worcester Economic Club.

Mr. Dunn joined the Worcester State Board of Trustees in March of 2025

Kristen Garvey is Vice President of Corporate Communications and a member of the executive leadership team at Waters Corporation. Garvey oversees Waters’ communication strategy across multiple stakeholder groups and oversees public relations, corporate branding, community involvement, and executive and employee communications. She leads the effort to drive affinity and awareness for the Waters brand globally.

Before joining Waters, Garvey led employee communications at EMC and Dell Technologies, playing a significant role in the communication strategy for the largest technology merger in IT history. A marketer at heart, Garvey has held various marketing leadership positions at Chadwick Martin Bailey and DataViz.

Garvey serves on the Board of The New England Council and is an active member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. She earned a B.A. in communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Peterson graduated from Worcester State University in 2003 with a degree in communications and went on to become the director of marketing for the DCU Center for nearly 10 years before joining the City of Worcester’s Office of the City Manager. In her role with the city, Peterson is responsible for the city’s internal and external communications strategies, public relations efforts, brand development, and digital media management.

She has deep ties throughout the community, working closely with neighborhood and small business associations as well as partners including the Worcester Red Sox/Polar Park, DCU Center/Worcester Railers, Union Station/Worcester Redevelopment Authority, Union Station/MBTA, and Worcester Regional Airport/Massport.

As a civic leader, Peterson has been at the forefront of promoting Worcester’s many cultural, economic, and civic assets. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Discover Central Massachusetts, the marketing committee of the Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, and as a partner to the digital storytelling platform Food & Convo. In 2016, the Worcester Business Journal recognized Peterson among its 40 Under Forty.

She has been active as a member of the Worcester State University Alumni Association’s Advisory Board, and in 2019, she was recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award for Outstanding Young Alumna. Amy was newly appointed to the Board of Trustees in July 2022.

Alumna Maureen Power, M.Ed. ’05, has spent decades serving the city’s youth as an elementary educator in the Worcester Public Schools. During her 15 years as a classroom and special education teacher at the Vernon Hill School, Power was one of six teachers district-wide named to Unum’s Educators Hall of Fame Starting Six, and she earned an M.Ed. from Worcester State University in Leadership and Administration.

Power has served in elementary school administration since 2008, first as an assistant principal, then as principal, from 2017-2022 at the Lake View School, and since 2022, at the Roosevelt School. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Wheelock College and is a resident of Shrewsbury, Mass. She was appointed to the Board of Trustees in January of 2023.

Dr. Lawrence (Larry) Sasso ’90, M.S. ’13, was appointed to the Worcester State University’s Board of Trustees in January 2021.

A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Sasso has been a 30-year financial services professional, is the owner of Larry Sasso Insurance & Financial Services, serving clients in Massachusetts, Florida, Maine, and Rhode Island. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Worcester State University, and graduated from Northcentral University with a DBA-Doctor of Business Administration, specialization-Organizational Leadership. He holds the professional designations of Certified Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant, and Registered Health Underwriter.

In his spare time, Sasso enjoys teaching, coaching, and working with young adults. His passion for sports and finances led him to a head softball coach position at Anna Maria College, and a book entitled Get in the Game: A young adult’s guide to baseball, softball, personal finances and a balanced life. A native of Worcester, Sasso now lives in Grafton, Mass., with his wife, Susan, and two children, Erika and Thomas.

Marina Taylor is Senior Vice President at Fidelity Cooperative Bank. She has been a commercial lender since she completed her degree in accounting. Marina worked for six years in New York City and moved to Massachusetts in the early 2000’s. She has been working for local, community banks ever since. It is very important to Marina to give back to her community. She has been a volunteer at the Center for Women and Enterprise, a mentor with Girls Inc, a board member with Dress for Success, and is currently a board member with the Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC), where she serves as a treasurer.

Ms. Taylor is a graduate of Nassau Community College, Garden City, New York, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Dowling College in Oakdale, New York. She is a resident of Sutton, Massachusetts.

Ms. Taylor joined the Worcester State University Board of Trustees in November of 2015.

Mr. Tuttle was appointed to the Board of Trustees in June of 2016.

He is a graduate of Worcester State earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. Presently, he is retired. Formerly, he was employed as the Superintendent/Special Sheriff at the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department in West Boylston, Massachusetts, previously serving as the Chief Deputy Sheriff, and has been employed there from 2011 until 2024. He also served as the Executive Director of the Molly Bish Center & Government Relations at Anna Maria College; the State Director for Rural Development for the US Department of Agriculture in Amherst, MA; State Representative for the 5th Worcester District for the Massachusetts General Court from 1997-2001; and served from 1993 to 1996 as a Congressional Aide for the 3rd Congressional District of the United States House of Representatives. Mr. Tuttle also served from 2006 to 2016 as a Selectman for the town of Barre, serving on the finance committee as chair. A member of the United States Army Reserves/Massachusetts Army National Guard, he served as an infantry medic and as a leader, providing supervision and oversight of a six-person medical squad.