Gov. Baker Appoints 2 New Members to the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

In full transparency, the following is a press release from the Governor’s office.

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MALDEN  –– Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker today, July 27, appointed two new members to serve on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and work to strengthen the Commonwealth’s K-12 public education system: Farzana Mohamed, an author and management consultant, and Tricia Canavan, CEO of Tech Foundry.

Canavan is a senior executive and former community college adjunct faculty member who currently serves as the chief executive officer of Tech Foundry, an economic development nonprofit which focuses on connecting underserved and underrepresented adults to training and placement in the information technology sector.

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She has provided leadership to education, workforce development and community projects in the Springfield area for many years, including serving as the co-chair of Springfield Business Leaders for Education. She was also a member of the “Portrait of a Graduate” strategic planning initiative for Springfield Public Schools.

Previously Canavan was an executive vice president of corporate relations and advocacy at United Personnel Services/Masis Staffing in Springfield. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and conducted graduate studies in American history at Boston University.

Mohamed is the author of “How to Negotiate Your First Job,” which aims to help college graduates and young professionals negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment.

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Mohamed is a management consultant with expertise in healthcare information technology. Currently she is a managing partner at Process Improvement, LLC, which advises global clients on process improvement, change management, employee engagement and corporate governance.

Previously, she was the chief of staff and director of strategic planning at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham where she was on the hospital’s senior management team with primary responsibility for organizational governance.

Mohamed holds a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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 “Both Ms. Canavan and Ms. Mohamed bring a unique combination of management expertise and experience in the education sector that will benefit the Commonwealth’s schools and the students they serve,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We are grateful for their commitment to help create strong educational starts for children and families in schools throughout Massachusetts.”

“Ms. Canavan and Ms. Mohamed have developed strong community partnerships and have engaged businesses to help strengthen educational progress in their communities,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are very pleased they will now bring their experience and commitment to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.”

Ms. Canavan and Ms. Mohamed replace board members Amanda Fernandez and James Morton, who completed their five-year terms on June 30.

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 “James and Amanda have been outstanding contributors to our work by providing hands-on leadership across a range of critical policy issues, and more importantly they always put the interests of children and equity front and center, for which I am truly grateful,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. “We welcome Tricia and Farzana to the Board and look forward to working with them.” 

The Board will meet on Monday, August 15 at 12 p.m. at DESE headquarters in Malden