Forsberg Named Anna Maria Business Dean

PHOTO/COURTESY David P. Forsberg

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By Rick Saia

David P. Forsberg, the former Worcester city councilor who helped shape the Worcester Business Development Corp. (WBDC) into an economic development force, has been named dean of the business school at Anna Maria College, the school announced Tuesday.

Forsberg, who left the WBDC last year before becoming interim president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of New England Inc., in Worcester, will begin his new job July 1 at the Paxton campus.

The business school was launched last year. Its first dean, Lloyd Hamm Jr., of Upton, a long-time banking industry executive, left earlier this year to take over as CEO of the Grafton Suburban Credit Union.

In his new role, Forsberg will help continue the business school's development, which will include the addition of new majors, business concentrations and areas of study; identifying ways to incorporate global perspectives into the curriculum; and growing industry opportunities for student internships, according to a statement from Anna Maria.

Forsberg's career spans more than three decades of public administration and service, beginning as an at-large, then a district, city councilor. In 1989, he served as the New England Regional Administrator-Regional Housing commissioner for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1990, Forsberg was appointed secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the state and, in 1992, he returned to Worcester as the city's chief development officer.

Later, as WBDC president, he was responsible for directing strategic development initiatives to meet its business goals, as well as developing alliances with the regional business community. He has led such key projects as Gateway Park and the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts.

"I am very pleased that David has decided to join the Anna Maria College community as our new dean," said Anna Maria President Jack P. Calareso. "He brings such a wealth of knowledge, experience and business savvy to the position that I know our students will benefit greatly from his leadership. I have also had the pleasure of working with David over the past two years as he has served on the college's board of trustees. I have come to admire his passion for the AMC mission and values, his strong work ethic and professional judgment and his spirit of innovation and creativity."