Plainfield, Vt. — Goddard College announced today the addition of three new members to its Board of Trustees.
Mario Borunda, Hubert “Tino” O’Brien and Jane Vella will oversee activity at the activist college in rural Vermont through 2014. “These three individuals have varied professional experiences, but share a commitment to lifelong learning,” Goddard College President Barbara Vacarr said. “Their expertise and passion for nontraditional study and professional development will greatly enhance the educational environment at Goddard.”
Mario Borunda serves on the faculty of Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass., and was appointed to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2008. As Dean of Lesley’s School of Education, Borunda oversaw the largest expansion in the school’s history. He previously worked with schools and nonprofit school reform organizations as Vice President of the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. He has also served as Dean of the Graduate School of Wheelock College in Boston. Borunda earned an Ed.D. from Harvard University.
Hubert “Tino” O’Brien retired after 30 years in management and organizational development. As senior consultant at the Brimstone Consulting Group, he trained managers and executives for a wide range of international clients including Ford Motor Co., Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and Royal Dutch Shell. Previously, he served as Manager of Human Resources for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade. He has also taught and consulted with schools, nonprofits and small businesses in New England. He has a B.A. from Princeton University and a M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts. He lives in Montpelier, Vt.
Jane Vella is an educator, author and developer of the theory and practice of Dialogue Education. Much of her research was conducted in rural communities in Tanzania, where she also served as a professor at the Institute of Education of the University of Dar es Salaam. After teaching at the North Carolina State University School of Education and University of North Carolina School of Public Health, in 1981 Vella started Jubilee Popular Education Center, now known as Global Learning Partners, Inc. She has also worked as Director of Training for Save the Children and as an Education Specialist at Bread for the World in Washington, D.C. She has published eight books and has two more in progress. Vella has a M.A. from Fordham University and an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts. She lives in Raleigh, N.C.
About Goddard College
Goddard College was chartered in 1938 at its Plainfield, Vermont campus by founding President Royce “Tim” Pitkin. Its mission is to advance the theory and practice of learning by undertaking new experiments based upon the ideals of democracy and the principles of progressive education asserted by John Dewey. In 1963, Goddard College became the first U.S. college to offer adult-degree programs, and now specializes in MA, MFA, BA and BFA low-residency education. Offering accredited degree programs from campuses in Plainfield, Vermont and Port Townsend, Washington, Goddard’s low- residency format offers the best of on-campus and distance education, with experienced faculty advisors, rigorous on-campus residencies, and the freedom to study from anywhere.
