HOLYOKE — Recently retired Holyoke Community College president Christina Royal has been named to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education by Gov. Maura T. Healey.
Royal, who lives in Northampton, was one of three new board appointments announced Tuesday, along with the reappointment of board Chair Chris Gabrieli.
“Equity is at the center of our administration. I’m proud to be appointing members of the Board of Higher Education who share this commitment and will work to expand access to affordable, high quality higher education for every student,” Healey said in a statement.
The 13-member board is the statutorily created agency in Massachusetts responsible for defining the mission of and coordinating the commonwealth’s system of public higher education and its institutions.
“I am grateful to serve on the Board of Higher Education for Massachusetts and look forward to supporting our system of public higher education in a new capacity,” Royal stated. “As president of HCC for seven years, equity was a significant priority, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue this work at the state level, in support of our students and institutions.”
The two other new appointments to the board are Danielle Allen, a Harvard University professor, and Harneen Chernow, director of the 1199 SEIU Training and Employment Fund.
Royal, who wrapped up her tenure as the fourth president of HCC in July, is the president of Infinite Unlearning LLC.