Three Prominent Community Members Join McLean’s Board

The McLean Board of Trustees recently welcomed three new members: Michelle Williams, PhD, Josef H. von Rickenbach, and Gloria Cordes Larson, Esq.

Michelle Williams, PhD

Williams is an internationally renowned epidemiologist and public health scientist and the dean of the faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Much of her research is in the field of reproductive and perinatal epidemiology, which has led to a greater understanding of the causes and disease processes of several dangerous conditions endured during pregnancy.

Williams has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s degree in civil engineering from Tufts University, and Master of Science and Doctor of Science degrees in epidemiology from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

“I am thrilled to be joining McLean’s board and contributing to the hospital’s mission to advance the science of psychiatric care, improve people’s lives, and raise public awareness around mental health.”

Josef H. von Rickenbach

von Rickenbach recently retired as chairman and chief executive officer of PAREXEL, the company he founded in 1982 that has grown to be one of the top clinical research organizations (CRO) in the world. CROs provide clinical trial and other research support to pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies. PAREXEL estimates that it has contributed to the development of 99% of the best-selling biopharmaceuticals in the world.

von Rickenbach has a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the Lucerne University in Switzerland and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

“Mental illness is a formidable challenge for health care, and McLean is a beacon of hope not only for patients and their families, but for the entire field. It is a great honor and highly inspiring for me to be a part of the leadership of this institution.”

Gloria Cordes Larson, Esq.

Larson is a prominent lawyer, public policy expert, and business leader who recently stepped down from her role of more than a decade as president of Bentley University. As Bentley’s first female president, Larson launched the Center for Women and Business, an initiative dedicated to advancing shared leadership among women and men in the corporate world and developing women business leaders.

Larson has held numerous roles in both the public and private sectors focusing on economic policy, consumer affairs, business regulation, education, and job creation. She has served in the Patrick, Weld, and Romney administrations and managed a practice at Foley Hoag, LLC, that covered a range of federal, state, and local regulatory and business development issues.

A graduate of Vassar College, Larson earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and received honorary doctorates of law from Northeastern University in 2005 and Mount Wachusett Community College in 2003.

“As a university president, I have experienced the escalating behavioral and mental health needs of students. Few schools have the capability to adequately address these needs, and I look forward to working with McLean to forge new partnerships in this arena. On both this front and more broadly, I am tremendously excited to do all I can to support the hospital’s critically important work.”