On Tuesday May 2, at 3 p.m., Student Government (SG) and The Spectrum will hold a panel discussion in the Schine Auditorium with Sacred Heart University’s Board of Trustees, hosted by SG President and The Spectrum’s Spotlight editor, Alejandro Ramos, and The Spectrum’s Editor-in-Chief, Mia Sansanelli.
The three trustees that will be attending this event are Frank R. Martire ‘69, Pamela Miller, and John M. Vasquez MBA ‘93.
“This event came from a mission and culture initiative that has been underway for the past semester,” said Ramos. “We are looking for students to be aware of who the governing board is, and what exactly it is that they do.”
Martire is a Bridgeport native who graduated from SHU with a bachelor’s degree in economics, according to a SHU press release. He has been a member of the board since 2005 and has two major locations on campus that bear his name: the Frank and Marisa Martire Center for the Liberal Arts and the Martire Family Arena.
Poster advertising the Board of Trustees Colloquia event at Sacred Heart University.
Source: Instagram, @shustudentgov_prez
Additionally, he is the executive chairman of NCR Corporation and a director of Cannae Holdings, a publicly traded company. A SHU press release also reported that he created an investment firm called Bridgeport Partners, and holds various other leadership roles and board positions for nonprofit organizations, including the Mayo Clinic Leadership Council.
“I am most excited to get to try and talk to the trustees a little after the panel,” said sophomore Isabella Mulholland. “I think it is cool that I can meet Frank R. Martire, who has buildings named after him and his family.”
Miller, who joined the SHU Board of Trustees in 2020, is an attorney and is president and chief executive officer of Summit Global Strategies, Ltd., according to a SHU press release. With expertise in health insurance, policy, strategy, sustainability, business development and energy transactions, she also serves on the CarePlus New Jersey Behavioral Health Board of Trustees and is a member of the nonprofit National Medical Fellowship.
Vasquez, who is the chairman of the Board of Trustees, received his Master of Business Administration in Finance from SHU. With over 25 years of experience in the real estate and corporate services industries, he previously served as the Vice President of Real Estate and Corporate Services at MetLife, in addition to positions at Edwards and Zuck Consulting Engineers (now Stantec), JP Morgan Chase & Co., and IBM, according to The Org.
“I am excited to be able to get to meet some of Sacred Heart’s trustees,” said sophomore Sebastian Ford.
According to Ramos, this is the first time the trustees have ever done an event like this.
“I hope that the moderators are able to do a good job at asking the questions,” said sophomore Sebastian Ford. “I hope they are able to pick the best questions to ask that are sent in, like the ones that will really make the trustees have to think. I would really hate to see a bunch of fluff questions asked.”
Ford is among those who sent in possible questions for the Board to address during the event.
“I am definitely going to try and go, this seems like a really cool event,” said Ford. “I hope that some of the questions that I sent in get picked, and I am also really intrigued to see what other questions are asked by students.”
Sophomore Chris Simpson is also excited for the event and to speak to the Board of Trustees, especially because this is a very rare opportunity.
“It gives students a chance to see and speak to the people who are at the top of this school. I feel like I kind of have to go,” said Simpson. “It would be a shame to miss out on a chance to meet the trustees, and it will be cool to be able to put a face to the name Martire.”
Jeff Miller contributed to this article.
