Baystate Health Board of Trustees Welcomes New Members
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health announced several transitions of its board of trustees for 2025.
Harriet DeVerry, retired senior vice president and group financial officer at Webster, just concluded her two-year term as chair of the board on Dec. 31 and will continue to serve as a trustee on Baystate Health’s board. Bob Bacon, president of Elm Electrical Inc., who served on the board for the past 10 years and as chair of the board from 2021 to 2022, will be stepping down as a trustee. DeVerry and Bacon were members of the board of trustees at Noble Hospital when that hospital became part of Baystate Health in 2015, and they joined the Baystate Health board of trustees at that time.
Colleen Holmes has transitioned to the role of board of trustee chair from her role of vice chair. She is president and CEO of Springfield-based Viability Inc., an organization that partners with employers to meet their business needs by including the workforce of individuals with disabilities. In this role, she builds on her 30-year career in human services, holding leadership roles in human resources, sales, and marketing.
Holmes joined the Baystate Health board of trustees after serving on the quality committee and currently serves on the executive, human resources, and governance committees. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and an MBA from American International College.
Dr. Akinyele Lovelace, a partner at Family Medicine Associates in Westfield, has been named vice chair. He is affiliated with Baystate Noble Hospital, Baystate Medical Center, and Holyoke Medical Center, and has served as a Baystate Health trustee for five years. He most recently served as the honorary chair, with his wife, Christina Lovelace, at the 58th annual Baystate Noble Ball in November.
Lovelace spent several years in Texas, practicing internal medicine at Hereford Health Clinic. During his time there, he was the Hereford Brand readers’ winner for Best Physician in 2012 and 2014. In addition to his medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, he holds an MBA from Texas Tech University and a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana.
The Baystate Health board of trustees welcomes its newest member, Keith Nesbitt, senior vice president and Business Banking team leader at Berkshire Bank. He has nearly 20 years of experience in commercial lending, portfolio management, and credit administration in regional and community banking institutions. Presently, he manages a team of commercial relationship managers for the Pioneer Valley (Metro Springfield) and Connecticut (Metro Hartford and New Haven) for Berkshire Bank.
Nesbitt earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, his master’s degree from Georgia State University, and his MBA from the Keller Graduate School of Management. He will fill the board of trustees seat vacated by Bacon.