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Rivier University expands Board of Trustees with appointment of local leaders

Rivier has welcomed four new members to its Board of Trustees.

Rivier Trustees

From top left to bottom right – Dr. Marie Elizabeth Ramas, Joseph Bellavance IV, Douglas Barker, Keeva Davis

Expanding its expertise in business strategy, healthcare, philanthropy, and workforce development, Rivier University’s Board of Trustees has welcomed four new members: Mr. Douglas Barker; Mr. Joseph Bellavance IV; Ms. Keeva Davis, Class of 2000; and Dr. Marie Elizabeth Ramas. With its newest members, the Board hosts a full complement of 28 Trustees with experience in a range of disciplines.

“Rivier’s success is due in great part to the wisdom and dedication of our Board of Trustees,” says Sister Paula Marie Buley, Rivier’s President. “I thank our Trustees, both new and longstanding, for their guidance and unwavering support of Rivier’s mission—transforming hearts and minds to serve the world.”

Douglas Barker of Nashua is treasurer of The Barker Foundation, a private foundation that supports non-profit organizations. The Foundation provides funding to social services, education, health, and youth organizations located primarily in Greater Nashua. Mr. Barker has served as a Trustee for Edgewood Cemetery for more than 25 years, as well as having held Board positions at Home Health and Hospice Care and the Hospice House Foundation. He received his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of New Hampshire.

Joseph Bellavance IV of Nashua, New Hampshire is the president of Bellavance Beverage Company, a major distributor of spirits and non-alcoholic beverages for New Hampshire retailers since 1902. Mr. Bellavance has strong ties with the local business community and is well-known for his success in building the Bellavance business. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and his MBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business.

Keeva Davis of Nashua is a federal project officer specializing in workforce development for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. A Rivier alumna, Class of 2000, she has maintained a close and supportive relationship with the University as co-benefactor of the Davis Family Minority Merit Scholarship. In addition to her Rivier undergraduate degree, Ms. Davis holds a master’s degree in Management from Cambridge College.

Dr. Marie Elizabeth Ramas of Hollis, New Hampshire, is the medical director at GateHouse Treatment, an addiction treatment center in Nashua. Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the New Hampshire Endowment for Health and is a member of several New Hampshire state medical and health assessment advisory councils. Dr. Ramas was honored with a Union Leader “40 under 40” Award in 2020. She attended Washington University in St. Louis for her undergraduate studies and earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

With 2,200 students at the baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral levels, and academic programs serving both on-campus and online populations, Rivier’s Board of Trustees provides strategic direction in advancing the University’s core mission and supporting programs of academic distinction and the student experience.