Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | October 2, 2023 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M A S S I N B R I E F V E R B AT I M QCC vacancy? "For personal family reasons he has made the difficult decision to con- sider another possible professional opportunity that is closer to his fam- ily. Regardless of the outcome, this in no way will impact the amazing work that the president, college administration, faculty, and staff have accomplished and will continue to accomplish in the days and weeks ahead. The QCC Board of Trustees fully supports President Pedraja." Linda Maykel, chair of the Quinsigamond Community College board of trustees, on QCC President Luis Pedraja being named as one of three finalists for the top leadership position at The College of Marin in California. Pictured is Pedraja. New CEO "I am so humbled and grateful for this opportunity. In many ways, this is a full circle moment for me, as Girls Inc. of Worcester was my first ever job many years ago. I look forward to collectively building a vision for Girls Inc. inclusive of our girls, staff, families, and community partner voices." Tiffany Lillie, who on Oct. 25 will begin her tenure as the new CEO of nonprofit Girls Inc. of Worcester, after the previous CEO was suspended amid allegations of racism New battery facility "This is just the beginning of an entirely new industry in the United States. For every new EV battery gigafactory that is built, we will need to build a new battery recycling facility to process manufacturing scrap and end-of-life batteries." Mike O'Kronley, CEO of Westborough electric vehicle battery recycling firm Ascend Elements, which partnered with South Korean firm SK ecoplant to build a $65-million lithium-ion battery recycling facility in Kentucky, adjacent to Ascend's $1-billion battery materials factory BY TIMOTHY DOYLE WBJ Staff Writer N ichols College has asked its president, Glenn Sulmasy, to stay away from all college personnel as it looks into an increasing number of allegations against him as part of a CNN investigative report into improprieties at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where he has been banned since Sept. 12. "During this investigation, President Sulmasy is to have no contact with Nichols faculty, students or staff; he is cooperating with these arrangements," Suzanne Hofmann, Nichols College vice president for marketing and communications, wrote in a Sept. 25 email to WBJ. Sulmasy took a leave of absence as Nichols' president earlier in September following a July investigative report by CNN, claiming he had discouraged a woman from pursuing rape allegation against another cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. en, on Sept. 21, CNN reported Sulmasy exchanged racy texts with a female USCG student during his time at the academy, some suggesting favoritism. Sulmasy's attorney said the texts were consensual. On Sept. 22, CNN published a new report, saying when Sulmasy was serving as provost of Bryant University in Rhode Island in 2016, Bryant placed Sulmasy on probation aer the Coast Guard revoked its previous recommendation of Sulmasy for Byrant's provost position. Sulmasy was serving as Bryant's provost when he was hired as Nichols' president in 2021. e CNN report didn't indicate whether Bryant made Nichols aware of these issues prior to him being hired as president. When reached by WBJ, Nichols declined to comment on whether it was aware of the Coast Guard's concerns when the school hired him. "As we stated previously, by policy the College doesn't comment on personnel matters or ongoing investigations. We can confirm that President Sulmasy remains on a leave of absence while the College completes a third-party investigation into his conduct while employed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy," Hofman said. "The College will have a reply once our investigation has concluded." Bryant University did not respond to WBJ requests for information. After the allegations last week, Nichols College also removed from its website the president's blog – Direct Connections From The Hill – in which Sulmasy last posted in 2022. Following the July reporting of a CNN, the United States Coast Guard Academy issued a barment order to Sulmasy on Sept. 12, wrote Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy public affairs office in a Sept. 26 email to WBJ. When contacted by WBJ, Sulmasy's lawyer Jeffrey Robbins had no comment on the Coast Guard ban. Nichols' Vice President of Advancement Bill Pieczynski is the acting president while the Sulmasy matter is being investigated, according to Nichols. Sulmasy prohibited from Nichols College contact, as Coast Guard Academy bars him from campus amid investigation Nichols College President Glenn Sulmasy has taken a leave of absence. W PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT

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