The Northern Essex Community College Foundation Board recently welcomed two local leaders with deep roots in the Merrimack Valley as its newest members.
Francis J. Bevilacqua III graduated from Northern Essex in 2000 and then earned his bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College. He’s the president of Bevilacqua Builds, which focuses on real estate construction and development. Bevilacqua’s grandfather, Francis J. “Bevi” Bevilacqua, was a state representative in the 1960s and 1970s and was instrumental in bringing Northern Essex to Haverhill in 1961 and later establishing the site for the current Haverhill Campus.
New Foundation member Bevilacqua has long supported the United Way of Merrimack Valley and Mass Bay and is a board member of the Greater Haverhill Boys and Girls Club, Greater Haverhill Chamber and Greater Haverhill Foundation. He lives in Haverhill with his family.
Diane Martin is senior vice president and chief pharmacy officer for Greater Lawrence Family Health Center. Martin has expanded the health center’s pharmacy services from one pharmacy site in Lawrence in 2005 to six in Lawrence, Methuen and Haverhill in 2020. She heads the Health Center’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program, which has administered the vaccine to tens of thousands of residents across the Merrimack Valley. Martin partnered with Northern Essex to hold several vaccine clinics on the Haverhill and Lawrence campuses.
Martin is the recipient of multiple awards, including the HRSA Outstanding Executive Leader Award 2011, the HRSA Life Saving Patient Safety Award Executive Leader 2010, 2011 and Team Leader 2009 and the 2011 Technology Innovator of the Year award given by the Pharmacy Times and Parata Systems. She volunteers with Partners in Development, traveling to Haiti and Guatemala and is committed to providing pharmaceutical services and clinician support to areas impacted by natural disasters. A native of Lawrence, Martin now lives in Windham, N.H., with her husband.
The NECC Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the college and its students. Incorporated in 1972, the Foundation assists the college by connecting with the business community, foundations and other potential revenue sources. It additionally hosts fundraisers and special events.
Money raised is used for student scholarships, equipment purchases, program revitalization efforts, faculty and staff development and other needs as they arise and as approved by the Foundation Board of Directors. Board members are appointed to multi-year terms.