Endicott Appoints New Members to the Board of Trustees and Elects new Board Chair
October 27, 2016 – President Richard E. Wylie announced today the recent election of Samuel Cabot III, Nancy E. Frates, and Steven M. Tadler to the Endicott College Board of Trustees. They were nominated and appointed at the October Board meeting.
The Board also elected new officers during the October meeting; Cynthia Merkle will take over as chair of the Board from Tom Alexander, who served for six years.
Under Alexander’s leadership the College continued to increase enrollments in the undergraduate and graduate school, constructed three residence halls, and constructed the Gerrish School of Business and Judge Science Center as well as the Bourque Arena. Endicott also renovated the Callahan Student Center and the School of Nursing, introduced Doctoral programs at the Van Loan School, and added a number of new undergraduate offerings. The College continued to grow its endowment and receive many honors and recognitions.
According to Dr. Wylie, “Tom was an exceptional leader. I am grateful for his support and his guidance. Under his direction we were able to accomplish, and in many cases, exceed our goals. I am looking forward to working closely with Cindy Merkle as we continue this amazing journey.”
Tom Alexander, of Beverly, is an attorney at Alexander & Femino, also in Beverly. Cindy Merkle is from Swampscott and is an alumna of Endicott as well as the first female Chair of the College. She is currently the President & CEO of Union Savings Bank in Danbury, CT.
In making the announcement of new Board members, Dr. Wylie said, “Endicott is strong because of its exceptional leadership and hardworking employees, and adding these distinguished members to the Endicott Board of Trustees will make us even better positioned for future prosperity. Their backgrounds, strengths, and great respect for the value of education will help Endicott be the best it can be, and I’m beyond excited to see where the College will go under such dedicated guidance.”
Samuel Cabot III is the fourth generation to head Samuel Cabot Incorporated, a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium quality interior and exterior wood care products. Mr. Cabot first joined the company in 1970 as treasurer and director, was named president in 1978, and chairman in 2000. In 2005 he sold the company and retired six months later. Previously, Mr. Cabot had worked for New England Merchant’s National Bank (now known as Bank of America) from 1968 to 1969.
After preparing at St. Mark’s School, Mr. Cabot received a degree in history from Dartmouth College in 1963 and an MBA from Boston University in 1968. From 1980 to 1982, he attended the Harvard Business School’s OPM Program. After graduating from Dartmouth, Mr. Cabot enrolled in the Peace Corps, serving two years in Chile where he became involved in establishing credit unions.
Over the years, Mr. Cabot has volunteered his time in a number of key roles for North Shore United Way, North Shore Music Theater, and the Ducks Unlimited North Shore Chapter. He is currently active as a trustee of Zamorano University in Honduras and is a vice president of the class of 1963 at Dartmouth. In addition, he has served as chairman of the board of directors of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) and as a director of the National Paint and Coatings Association. Mr. Cabot was a paid director of Plasticolors, Inc., an Ohio corporation; Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Massachusetts; Tier Technologies, Inc. of Reston, Virginia; and the Fiduciary Trust Company. He is currently a director of Reed & Barton, Inc. of Taunton, Massachusetts.
Mr. Cabot and his wife Claire reside in Beverly Farms, Massachusetts where they enjoy their six grandchildren, as well as boating, fishing, tennis, and travel.
In March 2012, Nancy E. Frates’ 27-year-old son, Pete, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Since that day, Nancy has immersed herself in the ALS community in an effort to increase awareness about the debilitating disease and raise research funding to find a cure. In the past three years, Nancy has travelled around the country to speak to senators, CEO’s, lobbyists, FDA panels and top doctors about issues that affect the ALS community. She is a well-recognized speaker who shares the motivating message that with support this disease can be conquered. She has developed strong working relationships with ALS Association executives at both the local and national levels, as well as organizations involved in research, patient support, and fundraising. Nancy is a Trustee of the ALS Association’s National Board.
In August 2014, her family and supporters inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which quickly became a viral fundraising phenomenon. The challenge inspired people across the United States and world to help spread awareness of and increase donations to the ALS Association, all through the engaging act of posting videos of participants dumping buckets of ice water on themselves and encouraging friends to do the same. In six months, the challenge raised $115 million for the ALS Association of the United States and over 220 million globally.
Nancy and her husband John are lifelong residents of Beverly, MA, where they are heavily involved in the community. The Frates have three children and three granddaughters.
Endicott recently dedicated its new residence hall to Peter Frates in a September ceremony.
Steven M. Tadler has been the Managing Director at Advent International Corporation since 1993. He joined the Advent International Corporation in 1985 and he focuses on investments in technology, media and telecom, retail, consumer and leisure sectors. He has 30 years of private equity experience.
He served as the Managing Director of the North American Buyouts Group in 1994 and moved to the London office in 1997 to head Advent's European operations before returning to Boston in 2006.
Prior to Advent, he was at Manufacturers Hanover Trust Company where he provided financing for a number of leveraged buyouts, technology-oriented firms, and special situations.
Mr. Tadler has also served as a member of the board of directors of Advent, since 2003, as a member of the board of directors of TransUnion Corp., an information and risk management solutions company, since April 2012, and as a member of the board of directors of wTe Corporation, a metals and plastics recycling company, since 1989. He has been a Director of Bojangles’, Inc. and Restaurants since 2011. Prior to this, Mr. Tadler served as a member of the board of directors of Skillsoft, a software-as-a-service company, and Dufry, a travel retail company. He was also on the Boards of Cade Industries, Inc. and OK International, Inc.
Mr. Tadler received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B. S., with distinction, from the University of Virginia. He resides in Manchester and his daughter Kathryn is a junior at Endicott.