Four community leaders have recently taken on new roles at The Cape Cod Foundation. Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria of Mashpee and William Trachsel of Chatham have joined the Board of Directors. Two existing Board members were elected into new officer positions. Dr. Sharon Nunes of Falmouth was elected to the Chairman’s position, and Ramani Ayer of Orleans was elected Vice Chairman. Mark Quinn of Dennis was re-elected Treasurer, Larry Thayer of Barnstable was re-elected Clerk, and Henry R. Holden, the Immediate Past Chairman and a resident of Chatham, will remain on the board.
Dr. Dana Mohler-Faria served as the eleventh president of Bridgewater State University from 2002 until his retirement in 2015. Prior to becoming president, he served as the institution’s vice president for administration and finance for 11 years. He also held numerous senior administrative positions at Mount Wachusett Community College, Bristol Community College, and Cape Cod Community College. Between 2007 and 2008, he served as Governor Deval Patrick’s special advisor for education.
Mohler-Faria holds a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in history from Boston University, and an associate degree from Cape Cod Community College.
William Trachsel moved to Chatham upon his retirement from United Technologies Corporation (UTC) in 2007. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from The University of Florida, he spent his entire career with UTC, starting as an engineer at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft in East Hartford, Connecticut in 1965.
In 1971, Trachsel earned a JD degree from The University of Connecticut School of Law and joined the Pratt and Whitney legal department. He was later appointed Vice President and Division Counsel at Hamilton Standard and Vice President for UTC’s automotive business in Dearborn, Michigan. He returned to corporate headquarters in Hartford as Deputy General Counsel in 1983. In 1998, he was elected Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and General Counsel.