WELLESLEY HILLS, Mass. (July 2019) – MassBay Community College is pleased to announce that Governor Charlie Baker has appointed Dune Thorne of Lincoln, MA, and MassBay alumni, Mikael Pyrtel of Franklin, MA, and Rodolpho Sanz of Framingham, MA, to the MassBay Board of Trustees.
“I am delighted to welcome Mikael, Rodolpho, and Dune to the Board,” said Thomas E. Peisch, Chair of MassBay’s Board of Trustees. “They are replacing three superb trustees whose terms have expired and they have big shoes to fill. Both Mikael and Rodolpho attended MassBay and were nominated by the MassBay Alumni Association on the basis of their accomplishments and dedication to the College’s mission. Dune brings to the Board extensive private sector experience as well as a deep commitment to underserved populations. All three members are already hard at work, as the College embarks on a new chapter in its history.”
![Mikael Pyrtel]( "Mikael Pyrtel")
Mikael Pyrtel is the Founder and CEO of Pyrtel Global, an international management-consulting firm. Previously, he was a research assistant at the Center for Governance and Sustainability at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and a Graduate Assistant in Commercial Diplomacy and International Business for the Embassy of Iraq in Washington, DC, where he supported strategic management, research methods, and communications in economics, international public law, and trade and investment facilitation. Earlier, he served as a Graduate Assistant and Interim Trade Officer in Agricultural Affairs and Trade at the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia. As a student at MassBay, Pyrtel was inducted into the 2014 Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and worked as a master tutor and mentor, all while studying Global Affairs. He had previously received his associate degree in General Studies from Parkland College, Champaign, IL, a bachelor’s degree in International, Resource, and Consumer Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and a master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy from George Mason University, where he focused on Global Finance, Trade, and Investment. Pyrtel is also a veteran of the United States Navy and a recipient of the Southwest Asia Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Navy and Marine Corps Meritorious Unit Commendation. He is a resident of Franklin, MA.
“I am thankful for and humbled by Governor Baker’s appointment and the support from the community,” said Pyrtel. “The network of higher education institutions in Massachusetts is among the strongest in America, and I look forward to serving on the board to sustain and grow this amazing college.”
![Rodolpho Sanz]( "Rodolpho Sanz")
Rodolpho Sanz holds an associate degree in General Studies from MassBay Community College, a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Economics from Tufts University, and a master’s degree in Project Management from FGV, IBS Business School, Brazil. While in college, Sanz was highly involved in student organization groups, serving as a member of the Student Government Association, and was elected as a MassBay Student Trustee. Sanz has developed and worked on many non-profit programs, such as the Student Outreach Program in Constanta, Romania, which he created while he was a student at MassBay, and Brazilian Big Brothers, developed to inspire and motivate Latino students to pursue a higher education in the United States, which he created while attending Tufts. He subsequently worked on several projects abroad, such as in a tin mining plant in the Brazilian rainforest, real estate development in southeast Brazil, and on a $150 million solar energy project for the government of Peru. Sanz is currently the president and cofounder of BRZ Insurance, an independent insurance agency, with locations in Framingham and Malden, founding partner of Agya Construtora, a real estate development company in Brazil, and co-founder of Plexo Solar, a solar development company in South America. In May 2018, Sanz was invited to present his solar development project at the United Nations in the Palace of Nations in Geneva and his project is included in the United Nations database of sustainable development projects of success and endorsed to be replicated around the globe.
“I feel truly honored to have the opportunity to serve again on the Board of Trustees for MassBay Community College,” said Sanz. “I hope to apply my knowledge and experience in order to help the Board of Trustees achieve its goals and to contribute to MassBay’s overall success.”
![Dune Thorne]( "Dune Thorne")
Dune Thorne is a partner and member of the executive team at Brown Advisory where she is also Head of the Northeast. She was honored as a one of the 2013 World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and was named one of the Top 50 Women in Wealth by AdvisorOne. She is passionate about supporting women’s leadership in financial services. She founded a non-profit organization, Invest in Girls, which focuses on financial literacy for young women, and she gave a Tedx talk on the importance of gender inclusion in the workplace. She serves on the boards of The National Center for Economic Education, the U.S Ski & Snowboard Foundation, and Milton Academy, where she is also a member of the Investment Committee. She formerly served on the board and chaired the Investment Committee of the deCordova Museum & Sculpture Park, and served on the Investment Committee for Planned Parenthood. Thorne received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a focus in Art History from Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in Cambridge. She is a married mother of three and resides in Lincoln, MA.
“I am proud and honored to join the MassBay Community College’s Board of Trustees,” said Thorne. “MassBay gives students the educational opportunities to succeed, while also helping them to build a secure financial future. I am excited to contribute to the MassBay community and look forward to working with the College.”
Pyrtel and Sanz’s appointments fill the vacant alumni member positions of Daniel Juliani and Katherine Tonelli, whose terms expired in March 2019. Thorne’s appointment fills the vacant member position of Jamie Hoag, whose term expired in March 2019. Their first board meeting was September 10, 2019. Their terms will expire in March 2024.
For more information on MassBay Community College, visit www.massbay.edu.
MassBay Community College is ranked by the Brookings Institution as one of the top schools for value added and earned salaries in the workforce. Ranked #1 for two-year colleges in Massachusetts, #2 in New England, and #16 nationally. The College’s facilities in Wellesley Hills, Framingham, and Ashland house day, evening and weekend classes that meet the needs of degree-seeking students and career minded life-long learners. Online options provide convenience and allow faculty to facilitate the learning process. Since its founding in 1961, MassBay has been accredited by several governing bodies and strives to meet the needs of the diverse local communities it serves.