Baystate Health is announcing the following transitions of its Board of Trustees:
Harriet DeVerry, retired senior vice president and group financial 0fficer at Webster, concluded her two-year term as Chair of the Board on Dec. 31, 2024, and will continue to serve as trustee on Baystate Health’s board. Bob Bacon, president of Elm Electrical Inc., who served on the board for the past 10 years, since 2015, and as chair of the board from 2021-22, will be stepping down as a trustee. DeVerry and Bacon were members of the Board of Trustees at Noble Hospital when that hospital became part of Baystate Health in 2015 and they joined the Baystate Health Board of Trustees at that time.
Colleen Holmes has transitioned to the role of board of Trustee Chair from her role of vice chair. Holmes is the president and CEO of Springfield-based Viability Inc., an organization which partners with employers to meet their business needs by including the workforce of individuals with disabilities. Holmes joined the Baystate Health Board of Trustees after serving on the Quality Committee and currently serves on the Executive, Human Resources and Governance Committees. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master of business administration degree from American International College.
Dr. Akinyele Lovelace, a partner at Family Medicine Associates in Westfield, has been named vice chair. Lovelace is affiliated with Baystate Noble Hospital, Baystate Medical Center, and Holyoke Medical Center, and has served on the Baystate Health Board of Trustees for five years. He most recently served as the Honorary Baystate Noble Ball Chair with his wife, Christina Lovelace, at the 58th annual Baystate Noble Ball in November 2024. Lovelace spent several years in Texas, practicing internal medicine at Hereford Health Clinic. In addition to this medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Lovelace holds a master of business administration degree from Texas Tech University and a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana.
The Baystate Health Board of Trustees welcomes its newest member, Keith J. Nesbitt, senior vice president and Business Banking Team leader at Berkshire Bank. Nesbitt has nearly 20 years of experience in commercial lending, portfolio management and credit administration in regional and community banking institutions. He manages a team of commercial relationship managers for the Pioneer Valley and Connecticut for Berkshire Bank. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, master of science from Georgia State University and master of business administration from the Keller Graduate School of Management. Nesbitt will fill the Board of Trustee seat vacated by Bacon.
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Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and Rep. Natalie M. Blais, D-Deerfield, each received the 2025 Municipal Advocate Award from the Massachusetts Municipal Association at its 2025 Annual Conference.
Comerford and Blais were recognized by the MMA for passing legislation to establish a state program for disaster relief and recovery. The two legislators filed legislation in the wake of the devastating 2023 floods in the Connecticut River Valley when they recognized that Massachusetts was one of a very few states with no such program. The legislation filed by Blais and Comerford served as a framework for Gov. Maura T. Healey’s Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund proposal, which passed into law in the fiscal year 2025 budget and was capitalized with $14 million. The governor’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal includes a further $15 million capitalization. The program provides municipalities with emergency relief funding to recover from disasters that may not qualify for federal funds.
Comerford and Blais also filed legislation to create a Municipal and Public Safety Building Authority, which is a priority bill for the MMA.
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Caring Health Center in Springfield announced the appointment of Maria A. Coppenrath as its new Chief Financial Officer. She has more than 30 years of experience in health care finance.
“We are thrilled to welcome Maria to our leadership team,” said Tania M. Barber, President and Chief Executive Officer of Caring Health Center. “Her deep financial expertise, strategic insight, and dedication to the mission of FQHCs will be instrumental as we continue to grow and enhance access to high-quality healthcare for our community.”
A graduate of Bryant College, she has held CFO roles at Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Worcester. Coppenrath is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In 2023, she was honored by the National Association of Community Health Centers with the Jeffrey T. Latman Award for excellence, leadership and integrity in fiscal management. Additionally, she serves as treasurer for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and as a board member of Capital Link.
Coppenrath is succeeding longtime CFO Frank J. Kostek, who is retiring after working for nonprofits for 40 years, including 14 years with Caring Health Center.
