Education:
- BS Biology, The College of William and Mary
- MA Education, Simmons College
- MS Oceanography, University of Rhode Island
- EdD Northeastern University
Education:
- B.S. Biochemistry, Providence (2000)
- PhD Biochemistry, Brandeis University (2006)
Laurie earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Bowdoin College and her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon completion of her studies, she worked as a research scientist for Honeywell’s Consumer Products Group, where she formulated products used in the car care industry. She is an inventor on four patents related to that work. She taught at Western Connecticut State University and Bridgewater State University before joining the faculty at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. In collaboration with a veteran of the fire services, she co-authored Hazardous Materials Chemistry, 3rd Edition, published in 2018.
Education: PhD Mathematics Education, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth; M.M. Sound Recording Technology, University of Massachusetts Lowell; B.S. Oceanography United States Naval Academy Research/Teaching Interests: My interests center on creating active and safe spaces for students to learn mathematics.
Education:
- B.S., Trinity College;
- M.S., Ph.D., University of Connecticut
Melissa Karam Panchley graduated from BMC Durfee High School in 1991 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Human Development from Boston College in 1995.
After graduating from college, Melissa went to work at the Fall River Housing Authority for six years where she was a Youth Outreach Worker, and then the Elderly Services Coordinator. When she decided to start a family, she went to work for the family business at Karam Financial Group, where she could do bookkeeping work from home while she raised her children.
In 2009, Melissa received a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
In 2011, Melissa transitioned into the role of Senior Property Manager for the adult communities managed by Karam Financial Group. In this role she is responsible for overseeing the management and physical plant of 304 apartment units on the Southcoast and Cape Cod, as well as 44 condominium units.
Melissa served on the Fall River School Committee from 2014-2017. During that time, she chaired the Finance Sub-Committee, as well as the Instructional Sub-Committee. She also served on the Superintendent search committee in 2016. After serving on the Fall River School Committee, she was the Treasurer for the New Durfee Ballot Action Committee, a ballot question committee in support of funding for a new Durfee High School.
Melissa has been involved in numerous organizations as a volunteer, such as the President of the Board of the Ninth Street Day Nursery and Vice President and Treasurer for the Friends of Saint Anne’s Hospital. She currently serves on the Fall River Area Chamber of Commerce’s Sub-Committee on Education, the Board of the Greater Fall River United Way, and Treasurer of the Durfee Hilltopper Athletic Foundation.
Melissa was born and raised in Fall River and currently resides in the city with her husband, Josh and two sons, Thomas and Christopher.
