Mass Higher Ed Commish, UConn Prez Announce Departures
By John O. Harney
Comings and Goings …
Carlos Santiago
Carlos Santiago, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, announced he will step down in June. Born in Puerto Rico, Santiago became the Bay State’s first Latino higher ed commissioner in 2015 after serving as deputy under former Commissioner Richard Freeland and chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee from 2004 to 2010.
A labor economist, Santiago has been hailed for his agenda focused on racial justice and opportunity.
He oversaw expansion of early college, addressed student homelessness and food insecurity and led the department through new regulations to screen institutions for financial risks and protect students from sudden closures.
University of Connecticut Interim President Dr. Andrew Agwunobi said he is leaving his post as interim leader as well as executive vice president for health affairs at UConn Health for a job at Humana, the private sector healthcare company.
Connecticut Insider reported that UConn’s trustees were expected to name Radenka Maric, UConn’s vice president for research, innovation and entrepreneurship, as the new interim president.
U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) announced in a Providence Journal op-ed that he will not seek re-election to represent Rhode Island’s second congressional district. Paralyzed by an accidental gunshot at age 16, Langevin was elected to the seat in 2000, becoming the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, where he has advocated for people with disabilities and focused on healthcare, cybersecurity and elections security issues.
Corporate attorney Tanisha M. Sullivan, the president of the NAACP’s Boston branch, announced she is running for Massachusetts secretary of state against fellow Democrat William F. Galvin, who has held the office for seven terms.
Bay Path University named Linda Adams-Wendling as chief nurse administrator and director of the university’s doctorate of nurse practitioner program.
Rosemarie Sansone announced she will retire next month as chief executive of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District, which includes the Temple Place headquarters of NEBHE. Before leading Boston’s first business improvement district in 2010 (there are now three), Sansone was a Suffolk University public affairs officer and Boston city councilor.