Mark Bilotta, Chief Executive Officer

Mark Bilotta, CEOMark P. Bilotta has served as chief executive officer of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc. since September 2006.

Since his appointment as CEO, Bilotta has led a strategic and aggressive campaign to position Worcester and the region as a premier destination for undergraduate and graduate students as well as college and university faculty and staff. Overall, Consortium institutions boast more than 30,000 students and 16,000 faculty and staff members.

Bilotta has worked extensively on building collaborations between Consortium institutions, the city of Worcester, and key regional constituencies. The following is a sample of some of the partnerships, achievements and initiatives that Bilotta has overseen during his short tenure:

  • An online internship database was launched which is free to both students and employers
  • The Consortium established an annual higher education awards gala/dinner featuring the presentation of the George I. Alden Awards for higher education access and excellence in higher education
  • The Consortium received a $125,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism which was utilized, in part, to produce "Worcester Rocks," a Web-based video promoting Worcester and the region as a vibrant college destination
  • A Task Force on Immigration and Higher Education in Central Massachusetts was convened; report released February 2008
  • The Consortium established the Taste of Shrewsbury Street College Shuffle as an annual event in partnership with the Shrewsbury Street Area Merchants Association
  • Woo Cards, which promote the city's charged cultural scene, are regularly disseminated to students through a partnership with the Worcester Cultural Coalition
  • The Woo Bus, a Friday and Saturday evening shuttle bus service was launched as a means of transporting students to off-campus destinations throughout the city
  • 10 Consortium institutions collectively pledged $950,000 to the renovation of the Hanover Theatre located in the heart of downtown Worcester

No stranger to the Consortium, Bilotta has more than 20 years of experience in the local higher education community. He most recently served as the executive assistant to the president at Assumption College, a cabinet-level position he held for eight years. At Assumption, his primary responsibilities included overseeing the college's marketing and communication efforts, government and community relations and serving as secretary to the Board of Trustees. Prior to Assumption, Bilotta held administrative positions at Worcester State College and the College of the Holy Cross. He is a 1980 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and received an MBA in 1991 from Clark University.

A dedicated community advocate, Bilotta gives extensively of his time and talent to several state and local organizations. He is vice chairman of the Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority, chairman of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Central Massachusetts and Spectrum Health Systems. Bilotta also serves on the boards of Destination Worcester and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau. He is a corporator and/or committee member for the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank.

About the Consortium:

Founded in 1968, the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, Inc. is a not-for-profit association of public and private accredited colleges and universities located in Central Massachusetts. The Consortium is committed to working cooperatively both to further the missions of its member institutions individually and to advance higher education regionally.

Three strategic priorities of the Consortium include: providing academic resources, such as certificates in the study of gerontology and in college teaching, and facilitating cross-registration for all locally enrolled college students; enhancing and promoting the role of the 13 member institutions in the greater Worcester community; and providing access to higher education through its Educational Opportunities Centers, GEAR UP and Educational Talent Search programs in public schools, all of which are federally funded programs.

Consortium member institutions are: Anna Maria College, Assumption College, Atlantic Union College, Becker College, Clark University, College of the Holy Cross, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Nichols College, Quinsigamond Community College, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Worcester State College.