Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal • February 16, 2014 www.wbjournal.com G ail Carberry knows the kind of difference the right col- lege can make. It was at Spr i n g f i e l d Te c h n i c a l Community College that "I found out I was smart," she said. For a person who struggled with read- ing and other study skills because of undiagnosed dyslexia, that was life- changing to learn. In the decades since those community- college business classes, Carberry has gotten the better of dyslexia — unless she's tired. At a certain point of exhaus- tion, her brain gives out and she might have to stop and ask herself which way the loop goes in a "b" or a "d," she said, breaking into her characteristic bright laugh. Not only is she smart, Quinsigamond Community College's president is thoughtful, direct, driven, joyful, and quick to deflect credit to her team. And she's one to get things done. The evi- dence shows in enrollment figures that are some 50 percent higher than when she took the job in 2006. It shows in new buildings and programs at the flagship campus in Worcester; in QCC's numer- ous close partnerships with local schools and organizations; and in bold new for- ays beyond West Boylston Street. "My team thinks outside the box," she said. "I'm very blessed." Thus, for example, Southbridge now has a QCC campus on old American Optical property. Marlborough has a satellite center at Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School. And since last September in down- town Worcester, across from City Hall in the former Telegram & Gazette building, QCC is preparing students for profes- sions in a range of health fields. They'll earn certificates or associate's degrees, and go on perhaps to good hospital jobs needing to be filled close by, or to other schools of higher learning to advance their skills and credentials. It's that sort of endeavor that under- scores the "Community" in the college's name for area residents and leaders. Carberry said she's constantly aware of the school's community mission; it's one reason she absolutely loves what she does. "I am happy that she is joining us downtown," said Charles F. Monahan Jr., president of MCPHS University. "I know what a big commitment and how hard it is to bring higher education to a downtown campus. Gail has accom- plished this. Her project was a huge organizational challenge, and it will add to a vibrant downtown renewal and will support health care degrees for our city and our region," he said. Monahan noted that a QCC student could, for instance, finish an associate's degree in nursing and move right into the family nurse practitioner program at MCPHS. Also, "Some of our students who needed prerequisites took courses at QCC," he said. Carberry has a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she specialized in orga- nizational development, strategic plan- ning and staff development. A Worcester native, she also holds a bachelor's degree from Worcester State, and a certificate in small business management from Springfield Technical. Her business acumen comes in handy at the president's desk. "We operate in an entrepreneurial way, as any business must," she said. When the current academic year began, state aid contributed only about $17 million out of a $64 million operating budget. And Carberry appreciates QCC's role as part of the region's economic engine. A community college operates locally, she often reminds people. Students come from the Worcester area and tend to stay here, so it's important to all for QCC to 2007 LARGE BUSINESS Frederick Eppinger, Hanover Insurance, Worcester SMALL BUSINESS Ann Gray, Fabrico, Oxford NONPROFIT Francis Saba, Milford Regional Health System, Milford CORPORATE CITIZEN Woodmeister Master Builders, Holden 2008 LARGE BUSINESS Douglas A. Starrett, L.S. Starrett, Athol SMALL BUSINESS James Banks and Christopher Sandusky, Integrated Process Technologies, Devens NONPROFIT Linda Cavaioli, YWCA of Central Mass., Worcester CORPORATE CITIZEN Coghlin Companies, Worcester 2009 LARGE BUSINESS Neil McDonough, FLEXcon, Spencer SMALL BUSINESS Robb and Madeleine Ahlquist, Worcester Restaurant Group, Worcester NONPROFIT Dr. Charles P. Conroy, Dr. Franklin Perkins School, Lancaster CORPORATE CITIZEN Unum Group, Worcester 2010 LARGE BUSINESS Girish Kumar Navani, eClinicalWorks, Westborough P R E V I O U S H O N O R E E S ( c o n t i n u e d ) Continued on page 16 >> Continued on Page 18 BY CAROL MCDONALD Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer P H O T O / M A T T V O L P I N I B U S I N E S S L E A D E R S O F T H E Y E A R << NONPROFIT Gail Carberry, Quinsigamond Community College A businesslike approach for higher education In less than 10 years, Gail Carberry has expanded QCC – and its influence – well beyond its long-time Worcester campus

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