July 11, 2024 (Haverhill, MA) – The Northern Essex Community College Foundation Board is pleased to welcome four new members.

John Burcke of Portsmouth, NH is the President and Chief Lending Officer at Newburyport Bank. He has partnered professionally with the college, saying that the bank has worked with NECC’s Career Services to hire students and graduates for open roles. The bank was also instrumental in supporting the college’s new Seacoast Promise Program which launched this past spring.

Burcke is the board chair for the local breast cancer charity Ink4Pink and has previously served on the advancement committees at Wentworth Douglass Hospital and Exeter Hospital.

Tobit Garcia is a senior tax manager and partner at JBS Tax Corp in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Garcia took several classes at Northern Essex and has family members who are alumni. He says he’s also familiar with the college through partnerships with JBS. Garcia attended Fordham University and earned a certificate in financial accounting through Harvard Business School Online.

Garcia is a Lawrence YMCA Board Member; Lawrence Partnership Network Committee Member; Leads Fellow and Network Member; Community Inroads: Cultural Inclusion Fellow; and Advocate for Esperanza Academy. He currently lives in Haverhill.

Gregory Shaw is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Haverhill Bank. The Manchester, NH resident says he learned a lot about Northern Essex from his time coordinating workforce training for a previous employer- and that he found the program to be very beneficial.

Shaw is also a board member of Penacook Place and Family Services of the Merrimack Valley. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Vermont.

Steven Smalley is a Government Affairs Manager for National Grid. As a resident of Georgetown, he is familiar with Northern Essex from partnerships across the Merrimack Valley. Smalley holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Providence College.

Smalley is a former member of the Salem, MA Zoning Board of Appeals.

The NECC Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that supports the college and its students. Incorporated in 1972, the Foundation assists NECC by connecting with the business community, foundations, and other potential revenue sources. It additionally hosts fundraisers and special events.

Funds raised are used for student scholarships, equipment purchases, program revitalization efforts, faculty and staff development, and other needs as they arise and as approved by the Foundation Board of Directors. Board members are appointed to multi-year terms.

For more information about the NECC Foundation, Inc. or giving to NECC, contact Allison Dolan-Wilson, vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of NECC Foundation, Inc., at 978-556-3624 or adolanwilson@necc.mass.edu.