February 10, 2023
MCLA will honor the Class of 2023 by bringing together family, friends, and the campus community at its 124th Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at 11 a.m., in the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium.
In addition, MCLA will confer honorary doctorates to four outstanding individuals: Kenneth Turner, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center; Boston Herald Executive Editor Joe Dwinell ’82; and local business owners and philanthropists Brian and Vikki Fairbank.
“We are thrilled that these esteemed guests will be able join us at our 124th commencement, as we honor them for their outstanding contributions to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Berkshires,” said MCLA President James F. Birge. “These individuals are exemplars in their fields and will inspire the class of 2023 as they embark upon this next step of their lives.”
The 2023 Commencement speaker will be announced at a later date.
For more information about MCLA’s Commencement ceremony, visit www.mcla.edu/commencement.
Kenneth Turner, Doctor of Science
Kenneth Turner is president and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC),
an economic development and investment agency dedicated to supporting the growth and
development of the life sciences in Massachusetts. He directs and oversees the center’s
operations, investment strategy, programs, and partnerships.
Prior to joining the MLSC, Turner served as director of diversity and inclusion/compliance with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). He oversaw and managed Massport’s multiple diversity programs, including business and supplier diversity, workforce diversity, and airport concessions, as well as all compliance initiatives associated with the Authority’s disadvantaged/minority/women business enterprise programs.
Prior to this, Turner served as deputy secretary for administration and finance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services. He has more than 20 years of general management and executive experience in Fortune 100 media and package goods companies, including having served as senior vice president of emerging markets at AOL Time Warner and having held marketing positions at Hallmark Cards and Hasbro Toys.
A retired U.S. Navy Captain and submarine nuclear weapons system officer with 26 years of service, Turner holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge.
Joe Dwinell ’82, Doctor of Journalism
Joe Dwinell is a 1982 graduate of North Adams State College (MCLA) and earned a master's
degree in journalism from Boston University in 1988. He is now the executive editor
of the Boston Herald, where he has worked for the past 18 years as both an editor
and investigative/enterprise reporter. He was previously an editor and reporter at
MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Massachusetts, where he won numerous regional
writing and editing awards. He was also a nightly on-air contributor to the former
WB56/Boston "Ten O'Clock News" show and has appeared on CNN, Fox, CBS, MSNBC, ABC
and other cable and radio shows as a segment guest.
Brian and Vikki Fairbank, Doctors of Public Service
Brian Fairbank is chairman of The Fairbank Group, whose portfolio of properties includes
Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort, Cranmore Mountain Resort, and Bromley Mountain Ski Resort.
Brian has served on the board of Berkshire Health Systems for 12 years and has been
the moderator for the town of Hancock for 45 years. In 2006, Brian established a donor-advised
fund with Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, allowing his family to direct gifts
to the charities and causes they support.
Both Brian and Vikki have been longtime supporters of MCLA, its programs, and its students.
About MCLA
At MCLA, we’re here for all — and focused on each — of our students. Classes are taught
by educators who care deeply about teaching, and about seeing their students thrive
on every level of their lives. In nearly every way possible, the experience at MCLA
is designed to elevate our students as individuals, leaders, and communicators, fully
empowered to make their impressions on the world. In addition to our 128-year commitment
to public education, we have fortified our commitment to equitable academic excellence.
For 10 of the last 12 years, MCLA has been named a Top Ten College by U.S. News and
World Report. MCLA also appears on the organization’s list of top National Public
Liberal Arts Colleges. Since the list was created, MCLA has risen to #33 as a Top
Performer on Social Mobility and ranks first among allMassachusetts liberal arts schools,
which measures how well schools graduate students who receive Federal Pell Grants.
Learn more at www.mcla.edu.
