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Dustin Luca
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SALEM, MASS. – This spring, Salem State University’s Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics is bringing to campus two Fellows who are experts in the fields of politics and public service, both combining for 65 years of experience in serving the public.
The two Fellows will visit campus throughout the coming months for deep and meaningful engagement with students and the campus community through the Berry Institute of Politics (IOP). Fellows will participate in moderated discussions that are open to the public, lead class lectures, coordinate skill building workshops and bring additional guest speakers to campus. Students also have opportunities for personal meetings with the fellows, including one-to-one mentor meetings and casual lunches and dinners.
This semester’s fellows include: Marylou Sudders, a social worker who’s 25-year career includes serving as the Commonwealth’s secretary of Health and Human Services; and James “Jimmy” Hills, a prominent community advocate, self-made talk show host, and critical voice in the Boston media landscape.
The first opportunity for the community to meet the fellows will come at a welcome reception on Friday, Feb 7 from 2-4 pm in the Ellison Campus Center’s Martin Luther King, Jr. room.
“Berry Institute of Politics Fellows are leaders in the field of politics and public service who are able to bring their knowledge, skills, and experience to our students and our campus,” said Hannah Levine, assistant director of the Frederick E. Berry Institute of Politics. “This is a really unique opportunity for students to network with prominent leaders, opportunities that don’t present themselves often.”
The Berry IOP was established in 2019 to engage and inspire the Salem State community, most notably its students, to be active in our democracy and to pursue careers in politics and public service. Salem State University, the Commonwealth’s civic engagement university, is the only Massachusetts state university to have an institute of politics on its campus.
Past fellows have included: Alison King, an award-winning political journalist; Tomás Gonzalez, a social justice advocate, political strategist and entrepreneur; Eugenia Gibbons, a clean energy and climate policy expert; former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift; former Boston Mayor Kim Janey; and Jennifer Levi, a lawyer, professor, and nationally recognized expert on transgender issues.
“When our students come to Salem State, this is often their first experience and introduction to civic engagement and political engagement,” Levine said. “Our goal is to continue to provide these opportunities for engagement, and one way is through hosting these IOP fellows.”
Sudders, a career-long social worker, brings more than 25 years of public service, including having served as Secretary of Health and Human Services for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the entirety of Governor Charlie Baker's eight-year term, from 2015-2023. As the Commonwealth's longest serving Secretary, Sudders oversaw 12 state agencies and the MassHealth program and spearheaded significant investments in behavioral health, such as the Behavioral Health RoadMap. She also directed the state's response to COVID-19, earning the Commonwealth Fund's highest performance among all states and territories in its 2022 Scorecard along with Hawaii.
“We know mental health is a top priority campus-wide, so we were looking for someone in that field,” Levine said. “She’s an excellent person to bring her experience of public service, as well as being a social worker.”
Sudders said it’s “an extraordinary honor to be a Berry fellow in 2025, and I look forward to a robust engagement with the extraordinary students, faculty, and staff of Salem State University.”
Over the course of his 40-year career, Hills has mastered community building and relations by serving in leadership positions in several Boston-based nonprofits and all three levels of government. In 2023 and 2024, he was named one of Boston Magazine's Most Influential Bostonians. Hills is proud to have grown up in the communities he has dedicated his life to advocating for.
Hills said he’s “beyond excited and humbled to join the Berry Institute of Politics as a Spring 2025 Fellow.”
“Coming together with the students at Salem State, who remind me of the communities I grew up in, is an incredible opportunity,” Hills said. “I’ve always believed in the power of storytelling, civic engagement, and showing up for those who need us most — and that’s what I’ll bring to this fellowship. I can’t wait to get things ‘percolating’ to share what I’ve learned and learn from the students as they grow into their roles as the next generation of changemakers.”
Visit the Institute of Politics' Fellows page for more on the program and previous years’ fellows.