BFIT Board Elects Five New Members

February 3, 2022

Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology has made five additions to its Board of Trustees, who will contribute to the college’s work by bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to training tomorrow’s diverse workforce. These individuals represent a strategic addition by the college to strengthen and nationalize BFIT’s leadership, expand educational offerings, and help successfully guide its move to Roxbury’s Nubian Square.

Rodger Brown: Rodger Brown is managing director of real estate development at the Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a national nonprofit bringing affordable housing to all who need it. He previously served on the board of Boston Architectural College and brings extensive real estate experience to the Board. Rodger Brown first came to BFIT in 2020 as a non-board member, and currently serves as chair of its Real Estate Committee.

Caroline Fay: Caroline is the former Co-Founder and Board Chair of skills-based hiring platform, Skillist, which she recently sold to national non-profit Opportunity@Work. A Boston area-native who now resides in New York City, Caroline is currently on the Product Marketing team for the HR Tech company, Lattice. She holds a Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University. She has mastered the art of storytelling in the workforce space and aims to use that skillset to increase economic mobility for all Americans.

Ekumene “E” Lysonge: Ekumene Lysonge serves as General Counsel at NerdWallet, a personal finance website and app that provides consumers and small businesses with trustworthy and knowledgeable financial information so they can make smart money moves. E’s professional experience as an attorney spans real estate, government affairs, data privacy and intellectual property. With a history and passion for supporting minority-serving institutions, E’s deep knowledge of the financial sector aligns with BFIT’s values of promoting financial literacy and life-long learning for its graduates.  Previously, E served as a trustee of HBCU Kentucky State University for six years and brings important legal expertise and a national perspective to the BFIT board.

Adam Pase: Serial entrepreneur and former member of the Obama Administration, Adam Pase is Co-Founder and Partner at Gemini Ventures, a venture studio dedicated to building and investing in real estate technology companies. Mr. Pase’s deep professional experience in the policy and technology sectors will strengthen BFIT’s strategic partnerships as well as the school’s emphasis on entrepreneurship in an interconnected world.  Adam previously served as Acting President of Business Forward, helping thousands of business leaders across the country advise Washington D.C. on creating jobs and accelerating the economy.

Fernando Rodriguez-Villa: Currently a member of BFIT’s Committee on Industry Partnerships, Fernando Rodriguez-Villa is Co-Founder and CEO of AdeptID, a social impact venture that uses machine learning to identify transferable skills among workers without college degrees. With a goal of identifying and supporting hidden talent in the workforce, Fernando looks to bring career opportunities to skilled workers, thus bolstering the economy. His background and leadership in using data-driven learning to identify business opportunities will enhance BFIT’s goals of continually identifying new career opportunities and building industry partnerships that support the school’s diverse graduates.

“We are thrilled to welcome a broad range of national leaders who bring new perspectives, experiences, and expertise to the Board of Trustees at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology with Rodger, Caroline, E, Adam, and Fernando,” said Dr. Aisha Francis, President and CEO of BFIT. “Their collective belief in BFIT and our mission is indicative of the start of a new era for our 100-year-old college and continuation of our commitment to prepare our students to prosper in high-demand, high-paying jobs in the trades and clean technology industries of tomorrow.”

“Bringing these five new trustees to our Board bolsters our leadership team and propels BFIT’s mission to equip students with the skills that 21st century industries and careers require,” said Turahn Dorsey, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “Their diverse and combined experience in workforce development, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and construction management will serve our students well and better position our leadership team to expand and adapt our educational offerings to needs across these and other industries. This will be particularly important as we prepare the college to move to Nubian Square, where a new state-of-the-art building will allow us to offer more robust education a options to the surrounding community.”

Serving 54 percent first-generation students and 74 percent students of color, BFIT’s programs are focused on skill-building in areas that have strong workforce needs, even in an economy with higher unemployment. As the economy shifts to sustainability and green jobs, BFIT has collaborated with key corporate partners to meet the goals of the evolving industries, establishing a number of new programs and courses to train tomorrow’s clean technology workforce, such as the college’s new Associate Degree in Renewable Energy Technology.

Read more about BFIT’s affordable, high-quality Energy Efficiency Training programs.