NEC Welcomes New Trustees (2023-2024)
NEC welcomes Becky Bermont, Kennett F. Burnes, Uzochi Erlingsson, Anna Goldenheim, and Kim McCaslin to the Board of Trustees.
Andrea Kalyn, President of the New England Conservatory of Music, and Thomas W. Blumenthal, Chair of the Board of Trustees, are pleased to announce that NEC has welcomed five new Trustees who are beginning their terms in the 2023–2024 academic year.
Board Chair Thomas Blumenthal notes, “On behalf of New England Conservatory, we are thrilled to welcome Becky Bermont, Ken Burnes, Uzo Erlingsson, Anna Goldenheim and Kim McCaslin to NEC’s Board of Trustees. Each brings an important perspective and skill set that will collectively enhance the work of advancing the future of music education.”
Trustees
Becky Bermont is a Partner at IDEO and a Managing Director of their North American business. In addition to her management of IDEO, she partners with leaders to create design-led approaches to innovation, growth, and organizational change. Her work focuses in higher education but spans industries. She has worked with NEC in her role at IDEO, and also other universities like Cornell, Dartmouth College, NYU, Penn, Bowdoin College, and the Harvard Library to design strategies, brands, and new student experiences.
Prior to IDEO, Becky spent six years at the Rhode Island School of Design, leading the marketing and communications group and serving in President John Maeda’s Cabinet. She led innovation partnership programs between academia and corporations at both the MIT Media Lab and RISD.
Becky has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BA in Psychology from Wesleyan University. She co-authored the book Redesigning Leadership with former RISD president John Maeda, and was published alongside him in Design Observer and the Harvard Business Review.
Becky spends the rest of her time raising kids in Lincoln, MA, skiing, and on the beach. She serves on the board of the Lincoln METCO Coordinating Committee, as well as the Advisory Board of the deCordova Sculpture Park & Museum and the Trustees of the Reservations.
Kennett F. Burnes ’22 Hon. DM is re-joining NEC's Board of Trustees. Mr. Burnes previously served on the Board for twelve years, and spent the last year as a member of NEC's President's Council. Mr. Burnes graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He practiced corporate law at Choate Hall & Stewart for twenty years. He then joined the Cabot Corporation, a NYSE-listed manufacturer of specialty chemicals and performance materials, and retired from Cabot as CEO in 2008. Following his retirement from Cabot, Burnes served as lead director of State Street Corporation until he retired from that position in 2020.
Mr. Burnes served as Chair of the New England Conservatory Board of Trustees from 2014 to 2022. Throughout his leadership, Mr. Burnes has made an immeasurable impact on NEC, including overseeing the construction of the Student Life and Performance Center, the Presidential Search, and many other areas that have benefited the Conservatory.
Uzochi Erlingsson is a professionally trained medical doctor specializing in rare genetic and metabolic disease research. Currently she is the Managing Partner of Haegrun Holdings and part time lecturer at the Harvard Medical School. She and her husband Erik and two children reside in Boston, spend their summers in Wings Neck, Pocasset MA, Bear Lake, Utah and Oslo, Norway and their winters up at Alta, Utah.
Anna Goldenheim is a Preparatory School alumna and current parent of four budding Prep musicians. While she spends her weekends at the New England Conservatory, on weekdays she is a general pediatrician at Woburn Pediatrics. As a student at Prep, Anna played the violin and viola, studied voice and music theory, and participated in both small and large ensembles, including the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. Anna received her undergraduate degree at Harvard, and she received her medical and master's degree in health policy and management from Boston University. Anna is deeply committed to making high-quality musical education accessible to as many children as possible.
Kim McCaslin is a Partner at Bain Capital in Boston, where she is Head of the North America Portfolio team in Private Equity. At Bain Capital, Kim and the team partner with management teams to help build and grow great companies, and Kim also serves on the Board of selected businesses in the portfolio. Kim joined Bain Capital in 2006, after previous executive roles in M&A at Capital One Financial, and in consulting at Mercer Management Consulting and Accenture, where she advised companies across a variety of industries.
Kim is a graduate of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University where she received her MBA, and did her undergraduate studies at Wake Forest University, where she received her BS in Business with a Music Minor.
Kim is also a member of the Honorary Board at Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island, previously having served seven years on the governing Board, including two years as Chair.
Kim was active in music throughout her early years, studying piano and flute. She has long had a passion for music and music education, particularly in providing opportunity and increased access to musical education and experiences for youth in our communities.