Board of Trustees

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.

Karen LaFond is an officer of the firm Fletcher Tilton and a member of the firm’s Transactional Group. She concentrates her practice in commercial lending and also practices in business, corporate law, and commercial real estate law. She earned a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and a B.S. from the University of New Hampshire. She was named among the top Massachusetts lawyers by Boston Magazine and Law & Politics Magazine. Karen is a resident of Worcester, Massachusetts, and was appointed to the Board of Trustees in November of 2015.

Ms. LaFond joined the Worcester State Board of Trustees in November of 2015 and serves as the chair of the Academic and Student Development Committee and also sits on the Planning and Development  Committee.

Dina Nichols is a graduate of Lesley University and is a full-time licensed Massachusetts real estate salesperson with Coldwell Banker Realtors. She was a Massachusetts Department of Public Welfare Social Worker for over six years, after which she had a successful career in human resources for a Boston-based financial services company. Dina has had broad experience serving on many boards, currently serving on the Worcester Academy Board of Visitors and the Shrewsbury Development Corporation. In addition, Dina is a 15 -year elected town meeting member in her home town of Shrewsbury.

Ms. Nichols joined the Worcester State Board of Trustees in December of 2015 and serves as the chair of the Human Resources Committee and also sits on the Finance and Facilities Committee.

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.

Kyram R. Pou Jr., a senior at Worcester State University, is pursuing a major in Communication with a concentration in Digital Media Production and a minor in Theatre. He is a Worcester native who graduated from Worcester Technical High School in 2021 with a trade certificate in Painting and Design.

Pou has served in various leadership roles as a student, beginning his first semester, when he became the vice president of the Intercultural Student Alliance. He has also served as treasurer of the Student Government Association, supervisor for Conference and Events Services, orientation leader, and secretary of the Worcester Student Government Association. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2024, where he intends to be a voice for all students with an emphasis on food insecurity and civic engagement.

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.