October 2, 2009
Westfield State College welcomes three new members of its Board of Trustees. Appointed by Gov. Deval L. Patrick and sworn in Tuesday, Sept. 29, are Judge Terry M. Craven of Milton, Christel Ford Berry of Hartford, an attorney and financial planner; and Ryan F. Meersman of Charlton, student representative to the board.
“Both Judge Craven and Christel Ford Berry have deep and significant ties to the college and we are grateful they are returning to contribute their leadership skills as members of the Board of Trustees,” said Evan S. Dobelle, president of Westfield State. “Ryan Meersman also promises to be an outstanding representative of the student body, and we wish him well.”
Craven, associate justice for the Suffolk County Juvenile Court, is a 1973 graduate from Westfield State with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the college in 2008 for her service in juvenile justice. She received her juris doctor degree from New England School of Law in 1987.
She is renowned as an expert in juvenile and family law. Besides being founding director and co-clerk of the Juvenile Bar Association, she has served on its board of directors for more than a decade. She designed and implemented the first diversion program for female offenders at Boston Juvenile Court.
Other honors she has received include citations from both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate for her work with delinquent children and their families, and she was the 2006 recipient of the Juvenile Bar Association’s Judge Leo Lydon Award.
Craven also has worked as probation officer, teacher in the Boston school system and director of the Herrick Center for Girls. She is married to Christopher Aylward, assistant chief probation officer in the Norfolk County Juvenile Court, and the couple has one son and grandchild.
While at Westfield, Craven was president of the Student Government Association and was a member of a presidential search committee.
“I’m just thrilled to be back here and to hopefully give back to the college that gave me so much,” Craven said. “If it hadn’t been for the foundation I received here, I don’t think it would have been possible to be in the position I’m in now in the court system. I would put my education up against any of the private schools. Westfield State is really the diamond in the crown of state schools.”
Craven said she was the first member of her family to complete college, but both her parents, now deceased, were major influences on her ability to succeed. Both were World War II veterans and while her father, James J. Craven Jr., served stateside, her mother, Olivia Bartels, served in the Women’s Army Corps in the South Pacific.
“She saw all the major battles and became one of the most decorated women in Massachusetts,” she said.
James Craven was a longtime state legislator, representing Boston and it was that connection that eventually led the future judge to Westfield State. The state representative from Westfield at the time, James Adams, enlisted his colleague, Craven, to support a vote to approve a student activity center at the college in 1968.
“My dad did a lot of research on the college, and was so impressed that he strongly lent his support,” Craven said.
Berry has been the head of Ford Berry Associates in Hartford for more than 25 years as part of her successful career as an attorney and financial planner. She previously was an associate attorney with the Hartford law firms Hebb & Gitlin and Shipman & Goodwin.
She has also been active in professional and civic organizations. She is a board member of the Hartford Courant Foundation, treasurer and board member of Connecticut Landmarks and a member of the Hartford Association for Women Attorneys. She is also on the Board of Trustees of Friends of Elizabeth Park, a senior fellow of the American Leadership Forum and an incorporator of the Hartford Seminary in Hartford and the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford.
She and her husband, Thomas I. Berry Jr., have three children. She has a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and a juris doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
However, Berry has strong family ties to Westfield State. Her father, Donald A. Ford Sr., worked at Westfield State for more than 20 years, retiring in 1991. His career included serving as associate dean of students, director of the Campus Center and director of Affirmative Action.
“I came to know a lot of the professors here,” she said, becoming familiar with the college while she and her family lived in Chicopee. In later years, she was supportive of the Westfield State and played golf in some of the college’s fundraising tournaments.
“It was because of my parents’ interest and strong belief in education that I had the opportunities that some others did not. I think the opportunity to serve on Board of Trustees is a wonderful way to give back and help make a difference.”
Berry said her family experience also allowed her to appreciate the college’s goals of respect for diversity and international awareness. Before coming to Westfield State, her father had a career in the Air Force, retiring as a senior master sergeant.
“We traveled all over the world,” she said. “I learned that exposure to a diversity of people and cultures enhances one’s life”
Berry said that as board member she hopes contribute to the quality of education at Westfield State, as well as encourage a more diverse faculty and student body.
Meersman is a sophomore at Westfield State majoring in history and secondary education. A 2008 graduate of Shepherd Hill Regional High School, he became active in college life as a freshman, being selected as all-college representative for the Student Government Association. He was elected by the student body last spring to represent them on the Board of Trustees.
“I hope I will be a good voice on the board for the students and hope to bring the student voice to any decision that has to be made for the school,” he said.
Meersman praised his high school history teachers for inspiring him to study history in college, and said he is happy with his decision to come to Westfield.
“I liked the fact that the school was fairly small and I had heard great things about its education department and I wanted to be a teacher. After visiting the campus, I loved the appearance and the people everywhere I met were very nice and helpful.”
Meersman said he also gained an interest in politics through his uncle, Joe Petty, a city councilor in Worcester. “I enjoyed helping him in his campaigns,” he said.
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