Former MA Governor, Clean Energy Expert Salem State Spring Fellows

SALEM, MA — Former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift and clean energy policy expert Eugenia Gibbons are this spring's Salem State University fellows at the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics.

Swift and Gibbons will deliver guest lectures, coordinate workshops and meet with students multiple times during the upcoming semester.

"I am thrilled to be a Berry IOP Fellow and to share with students my passion for public service and to provide them with insights, tools and advice to launch a career in politics," Swift said.

Swift became the first woman governor in state history in 2001 when Gov. Paul Cellucci was appointed as the ambassador to Canada. She was the acting governor through the end of Cellucci's term, while also serving the state as secretary of consumer affairs and business regulation and as a state senator.

Since leaving public office, she has held roles in the private sector focused on education as a chief executive officer, an adviser to entrepreneurial education companies, a board member and committee chair for public companies, and a partner in a venture capital fund.

She is currently an operating partner at The Vistria Group and founder of Cobble Hill Farm Education & Rescue Center.

Gibbons was a member of the Gov. Maura Haley-Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll transition policy committee for climate readiness, resiliency, and adaptation and served on the Commission on Clean Heat, convened by Gov. Charlie Baker.

She is a former member of the Global Warming Solutions Act Implementation Advisory Committee and was the Massachusetts Director of Climate Policy for Health Care Without Harm.

"I'm humbled and excited to bring a climate and equity lens to my participation as an IOP Fellow," Gibbons said. "This is a unique opportunity to both share my experience with and learn from future leaders as they move through Salem State."

The Berry IOP fellowship was launched in 2022 with Former Boston Mayor Kim Janey and transgender rights advocate Jennifer Levi serving as inaugural fellows.

"The fellowship program allows students to connect one-on-one and in small groups with leaders who have succeeded in careers of politics, law, advocacy and other forms of public service," said Samantha Giffen, assistant director of the Berry IOP. "Many of our students are committed to making a difference in their careers, and these fellows open their eyes to the many ways in which that can be achieved."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)