Directory

• Bachelor of Business Administration from University of Massachusetts, Amherst
• Master of Business Administration from Babson College
• Business Administration Coordinator teaching a wide range of business subjects at Cape Cod Community College
• Visiting lecturer at University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth and Bridgewater State University

Brian J. Connor - Bio

Brian is currently in his 9th year as a member of the Board of Trustees at Massachusetts Maritime Academy, appointed by Governor Baker for two consecutive terms. During his tenure, he has served as Board Chairman for the past three years as well as Chair of the Facilities & Finance Committee, Audit and Governance Committee, and currently serves as Chair of the Education Committee.

Brian began his career as an EMT at age 19, following his graduation from the Northeastern University EMT Program in 1979. He was hired as an EMT for Armstrong Ambulance Service, one of the oldest family-owned businesses in Massachusetts. He served in many clinical and managerial positions throughout the next 26 years, ultimately serving as the Chief Executive Officer for the last ten years while employed at Armstrong.

On April 25, 2006, Brian established LifeLine Ambulance Service. LifeLine quickly became one of the largest privately-owned ambulance companies in New England, with 13 offices located throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire, 400 employees, and a fleet of more than 160 vehicles. Collectively, LifeLine transported over 350 patients each day. LifeLine was awarded the “Pacesetters” award from the Boston Business Journal in April 2013 and was featured in the Boston Business Journal on January 25, 2013. On July 1, 2015, LifeLine and its subsidiaries were sold to Kaymlon Capitol. Brian remained on as a Senior Advisor and Consultant and retired on January 1, 2017.

During his 38-year career in EMS, Brian also served as President of the Massachusetts Ambulance Association for 14 years, served on many local and state EMS committees and advisory boards, and founded the “Emergency Medical Coalition of Ambulance Providers” in 2002. EMCAP became a nationwide organization advocating at the federal level for what is now known as the Nationwide Medicare Fee Schedule Program.

During his time at LifeLine, he employed many MMA Cadets. This relationship progressed into the founding of the MA Maritime EMS Service in 2012, a cadet-operated class one ambulance service. LifeLine donated the first Class One and Class Five ambulances, as well as an EMS golf cart. MMA-EMS is the only college-based, 100% student-run ambulance service in Massachusetts and one of only a few nationwide.

MMA EMS Cadets, certified as EMTs, provide emergency and non-emergency coverage to the Academy’s campus, responding to and transporting injured or ill persons directly to local hospitals. In recognition of his leadership and service, Brian was awarded the Massachusetts Maritime Medal of Valor by Admiral Richard Gurnon on June 13, 2013.

In 2018, through a $100,000 grant from the Connor Family, MMA-EMS purchased a new ambulance and expanded coverage beyond campus. In recognition of his continued leadership and support, Brian was named an “Honorary Member of the Regiment” and awarded a second Medal of Valor by Admiral Francis McDonald in 2019.

Aside from EMS, Brian serves on many boards and foundations. He is a former Scoutmaster and Eagle Scout and was recognized for his service by the Boston Council Boy Scouts. He is also an advocate for public housing and currently serves as Chairman of the Arlington Housing Authority, appointed by Governors Romney and Baker.

Brian continued his education following retirement, completing four additional master’s degrees (five total) and attending his first year of law school. He also holds a Master 100-ton Captain’s License from the USCG and founded the Massachusetts School of Boating, where he instructs novice boat owners.

As the first official “Triple Buc” at MMA, he hopes to enroll in the future Doctorate Program in Maritime Strategy & Security currently being pursued by the Academy.

Brian resides in Arlington with his wife Michele and their two children, Elizabeth and Patrick.

• Bachelor of Science from St. Xavier's College, India
• Master of Science in Statistics from Indian Statistical Institute, India
• Ph.D in Economics from Princeton University, USA
• Professor Ani Dasgupta teaches Microeconomics, Finance and Quantitative Methods of Management. He also serves as the faculty advisor of the Academy's Business/Investment club. He joined the Academy at the time of the inception of the International Maritime Business department and served as its first chairperson. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Economics Department at Boston University, where since 2004, he has taught graduate statistics and econometrics courses. In the past, he has served as full-time faculty at Penn State University, visiting faculty at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and adjunct faculty at Tufts University.
• Outside academia, Dr. Dasgupta has worked as the chief economist of a dotcom, and provided consulting services in the areas of economics and operations to companies. His research publications have appeared in prestigious journals such as Management Science, Journal of Economic Theory and International Journal of Game Theory, and he is involved with ongoing research projects in the areas of Game Theory and Labor Economics.
• Beyond professional activities, he plays the guitar and drums, writes fiction and poetry and manages to waste countless hours playing chess on the internet.

• Bachelor and Master of  Arts in Economics from Jadavpur University, India.
• PhD in Economics from Victoria University, Australia
• Research interest includes demand estimation and pricing issues of ports, environmental economics, international trade and maritime business.
• Founding member of the International Maritime Business Program and has taught at Massachusetts Maritime Academy (MMA) since 2000. 
• Prior to joining academia, she worked as an economist in the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industries in India and BHP in Australia.
• Her teaching interests include Organizational Behavior, Macroeconomics for Business, Business Ethics and Negotiation, International Business and Ocean Shipping and  Sustainable Blue Economy..
• Dr. Ghosh served as the sea term coordinator and  the Experiential Learning coordinator for the department. She also serves as a member of the All University Committee of MMA. 
• Her research interests include Study of demand estimation and pricing issues of large queuing facilities such as ports, using a combination of simulation and econometric tools. International economics, Environmental Economics, economic principles of maritime trade and trading patterns..  
• Her significant accomplishment as department chair was to lead the IACBE accreditation initiative for the IMB department.
• She is also instrumental in conceptualizing the IMB Experiential Learning program that takes students to different maritime hubs around the world, gaining cultural and practical exposure to the business of shipping in a global context.

• LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bani-ghosh-739719122/

James F. Kane serves as Senior Vice President of Real Estate and Operations for the A.D. Makepeace Company, a land holding company in southeastern Massachusetts.  In that role Jim oversees all facets of land use planning, permitting and plan implementation whether it is a residential, commercial, conservation/open space or a renewable energy use. He is also responsible for all infrastructure planning, development and execution to serve company and regional needs for water, waste-water, property and open space management as well operational profit and investment for each division.

Jim has worked cooperatively and successfully with the many towns in which the company owns land to develop and implement innovative zoning by-laws to guarantee conservation of critical open space habitats that serve to protect unique landscapes while allowing for the development of traditional New England villages.  

While with Makepeace, Jim undertook and completed an extensive analysis of alternative energy opportunities within the Company’s holdings.  Project and market viability analysis included large-scale solar, hydro-electric generation, geothermal and wind energy.   

Prior to returning to Massachusetts and joining the A.D. Makepeace Company, Jim served as Deputy Executive Director/CFO of the Republican Governors Association in Washington DC where he was responsible for all financial and administrative operations and national polling and political advertisement.   In the years before joining the RGA, Jim served in various senior roles in the Weld/Cellucci administration, first in the Governor’s office as Deputy Chief Policy Advisor and at the Massachusetts Government Land Bank where he oversaw the merger of two quasi-public agencies, Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency and Massachusetts Government Land Bank into MassDevelopment, and the redevelopment of Fort Devens.  He later served as Chief of Operations at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

Jim earned an undergraduate degree in economics and political science from College of the Holy Cross and a master's degree in public administration from Clark University and is in his third term as a member of the Shrewsbury Board of Selectmen, and presently serving as Chairman of the Beal Early Childhood Center Building Committee.   Jim resides in Shrewsbury with his wife Hannah and three wonderful children.