University Congratulates Alumni in Key Leadership Roles

A&F Secretary Kristen Lepore, Auditor Suzanne Bump, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Secretary of State William Galvin, district attorneys, and Robert Caret, the next University System of Maryland chancellor

Suffolk University congratulates several alumni who are among those moving into new leadership positions or continuing important service.

Kristen Lepore, BS ’92, MPA '97, has been named secretary of administration and finance in Governor Charlie Baker’s administration. Lepore joins the Baker cabinet from her position as vice president of government affairs at Associated Industries of Massachusetts. This is a return to the State House for LePore, who was deputy chief of staff for former Governor Paul Cellucci. She also was the New England regional representative for the U.S. Department of Education during the Bush administration and served as assistant executive director for the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Elected officials

Robert DeLeo, JD '76, HLLD '09, was reelected speaker of the Massachusetts House in the new legislative session. He has been elected to 13 consecutive terms as representative of the 19th Suffolk District and served as House Ways and Means chair for four years before being chosen as speaker in January 2009.

William Francis Galvin, JD ’75, HLLD ’04 is beginning his sixth term as Massachusetts Secretary of State. He has kept a strong focus on issues that affect the average citizen, including fraud in the finance industry, credit card pressures on students, and HMO costs. Galvin previously served as state representative from the Allston-Brighton district, having won a special election the same year that he graduated from Suffolk Law School. As a legislator, he chaired the House Committee on Government Regulations.

Suzanne M. Bump, JD ’88, is in her second term as state auditor. She is the first woman to serve as Massachusetts auditor, a role that entails financial and other assessments of programs, departments, agencies, authorities, contracts, and vendors with the goal of uncovering any problems and making recommendations for improvement. Bump previously served in former Governor Deval Patrick’s cabinet as Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development, and she had represented Braintree for eight years in the House of Representatives. In the private sector, she worked as a business advocate and legal counsel.

Higher education

Congratulations also are in order for Robert Caret, BA '69, DHL '96, who is leaving his position as president of the University of Massachusetts to become the next chancellor of the University System of Maryland. This is seen as a homecoming for the onetime Towson University president, executive vice president, provost, and dean, as Towson is an institution within the Maryland system. While in Massachusetts, Caret was a strong voice for higher education, and his voice is sure to be heard on a national level in his new leadership position.

District attorneys

Congratulations to Suffolk County District Attorney and University Trustee Daniel Conley, JD '83, who was appointed to his post in February 2002, elected the following November, and reelected three times since.

Other alumni district attorneys beginning new terms are Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett, JD '83; Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey, JD '85; Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz, JD '84; and Thomas Quinn, JD '88, who recently was appointed as Bristol County district attorney.