The right place; the right time. How often do we credit that combination for success in life?
For Dr. Nate Bryant, a respected leader in public higher education, the popular idiom can’t be overplayed.
“You never know when an opportunity is going to arise,” said Bryant, who can pinpoint two critical moments that led him to where he is today. The first was when Coach Tom Thibodeau recruited him to Salem State University for basketball, and the second was when a Salem State admissions director offered him a job.
And now, opportunity has knocked for a third time.
Pending approval by state Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Carlos Santiago, Bryant will become interim president of North Shore Community College (NSCC), effective in July when current president Dr. Patricia A. Gentile retires.
A Salem resident, Bryant has more than 30 years’ experience in higher education with senior level leadership in enrollment management, student support services, fundraising, crisis communications, strategic planning and project management. In his current role, he serves as vice president and chief of staff to Salem State President John Keenan.
Keenan encouraged Bryant to apply when news broke of Gentile’s retirement.
“I’m glad this opportunity came up,” said Keenan. “I’ve always encouraged him to achieve his goals and I’m thrilled for him and for North Shore Community College. I’ll miss him — especially since his office is 6 inches from mine — but he’s not going that far. It’s for the betterment of the students and the region.”
“My biggest cheerleader has been John Keenan,” said Bryant. “Outside of John, I probably had 15 to 20 people calling or emailing me, telling me I might want to think about applying.”
NSCC’s board of trustees interviewed Bryant in a virtual public meeting on April 9 and voted to support his candidacy on April 14.
“What appealed to me was being president at a place that’s the right fit,” said Bryant. “Students at North Shore Community College are not that different a population from Salem State students.”
“We serve a very similar demographic and get a lot of transfers, so it’s a feather in his cap to already have an understanding of the school and the culture,” added Keenan. “He can hit the ground running.”
Bryant, who grew up in New Britain, Conn., is the youngest of five in what he describes as a blue-collar family. He graduated from E.C. Goodwin Technical High School and thought about going directly to a career in carpentry, but basketball led him to college. He earned an athletic scholarship to Norfolk State University, starting there before transferring to Salem State as a sophomore.
“One of the Salem State coaches — Tom Thibodeau — was from New Britain and he reached out and encouraged me to take a look,” said Bryant.
Thibodeau, a respected NBA coach, is a Salem State alumnus who helped the school earn its first NCAA Div. 3 Tournament bid. He became an assistant coach after graduating in 1981, and in 1984, at age 25, he became head coach. While still an assistant, he went to one of Bryant’s high school games.
“His leadership ability really stood out,” said Thibodeau. “The way he interacted with his teammates, you could tell he wasn’t afraid to lead. There was also a calmness that he had, and the ability to do everything well.”
Bryant met with him, liked what he saw at Salem State, and never left.
The 6-foot-5-inch Bryant played every position, starting as a guard and ending as a center/forward when he graduated in 1987.
“That goes to the point of him being selfless,” said fellow teammate and tri-captain Dave Fazio. “He always put the team in front of anything he could accomplish individually. Vocally and by example, he was such a great leader.”
Bryant played for three head coaches at Salem State – Lynn’s Arthur Fiste, Thibodeau and Dana Skinner.
“We were trying to get the program off the ground and Nate was a big part of the growth of that team,” said Thibodeau, who spent the next four seasons at Harvard University before entering the NBA in 1989 and launching a career highlighted by stints with the Knicks, Celtics, Bulls and Timberwolves. “He’s a very driven, caring person. Everyone who’s been around him has great fondness for him.”
“He was terrific,” said Skinner, who retired after more than 30 years as athletic director at UMass Lowell, but still teaches at Merrimack and Endicott colleges. “I believe example is everything, and Nate was such a thoughtful, calm and steady presence, especially during a time of a lot of transition. Tom had recruited most of them and then I stepped in, so I counted on Nate a lot from a leadership standpoint. He’s always been a step ahead in terms of his level of maturity, confidence and responsibility.”
The team compiled a 22-6 record under Skinner’s coaching and won the 1986 MASCAC championship. Trailing Clark University by 8 points with 58 seconds to play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, the Vikings rallied behind Bryant, Fazio and Terry Jackson to pull out a 73-71 win and advance to the second round.
Months before graduating, Bryant was approached after a game by David Sartwell, the director of admissions at the time, explaining there was an opening in the department, and he would like to have a conversation.
“He had seen me play, heard me speak and reached out,” said Bryant. “I met with him and the position just kind of fell in my lap. I’ve had a lot of good fortune, but I always say, you never know who’s watching or listening. Obviously, someone noticed me enough to connect about a job, and the rest is history.”
Bryant was hired as an admissions officer, for what was meant to be a temporary, six-month opening. Instead, the person who previously held the job decided not to return from maternity leave, and he was given a more permanent role. Bryant stayed in admissions for 20 years, working his way up from officer to associate director to director. He co-created the multicultural student recruitment initiative, which brought in excess of 500 underrepresented students onto campus each year — resulting in a 50-percent increase in student diversity.
In 2006, Bryant was named assistant dean of students. He helped to successfully negotiate an increase in need-based institutional aid for enrolled students and helped increase enrollment in the honors program by 20 percent.
He subsequently was named assistant dean of the Center for Academic Excellence — a new division created by then-president Dr. Patricia Meservey. He established the Student Academic Support Services Advisory Committee and established a partnership with Verizon Wireless to provide SAT tutoring to students in Lynn Public Schools. He was named vice president and chief of staff in 2017.
“Two weeks after John got the job, I got a message to meet him,” said Bryant. “At first I was thinking ‘what did I do wrong?’”
“One of the reasons I tapped him for the position was that he bleeds Salem State orange,” said Keenan. “He’s become a great friend, and he’s allowed me to get my sea legs in this role. I couldn’t think of a better partner to have. He’s really been much more like a co-president, quite frankly.”
That, says Bryant, is exactly what has prepared him for the next step.
“I have to thank Salem State, and John in particular, for putting me in the position to make decisions that a president would have to make,” said Bryant. “Plus, through osmosis, I see what John is doing day-to-day.”
Few are amazed that Bryant not only remained loyal to Salem State for so many years, but that he moved up the ranks.
“It doesn’t surprise me, even a little bit,” said Fazio, the highly successful basketball coach at Andover High School. “Our whole program looked up to him. I knew he’d continue to rise. He was Mr. Salem State. He loved being there.”
“He was a big part of the fabric of that school,” said Thibodeau. “He never had a reason to leave until this opportunity came up. To get this position, I’m really, really proud of him. He’s earned it.”
“He’s got the pulse of a college community and he sees the value of public higher ed and how it has the power to change lives,” said Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, who graduated from Salem State two years after Bryant.
Bryant, who holds a bachelor’s in business administration and master’s in education from Salem State, earned his doctorate in higher education from the UMass Boston four years ago.
Even though Salem State gave him two of his degrees and his career, it also gave him his family, as his wife, Joy, was a senior when he arrived on campus. The two started dating and got married in 1991. The couple has two daughters, Jasmine and Alix — both of whom excelled in soccer, basketball and track.
“He’s as committed as a parent as a professional,” said Keenan. “It’s important to have that balance in life, and he’s led by example.”
Bryant has also been firmly rooted in the community, volunteering at Haven from Hunger food pantry and serving on the boards of North Shore Medical Center, Salem Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem. Additionally, he is a member of the executive committee of the Salem Partnership, a corporator of Marblehead Bank, a member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials and a member of the Agganis Foundation Scholarship Committee. He also served on the Salem School Committee for eight years.
Beyond the School Committee, Driscoll’s path crossed with Bryant through the refereeing circuit — something she stepped away from about 20 years ago. With this background, she shares his emphasis on the importance of positioning and timing.
“To be a good referee, you have to think strategically,” she said. “You have to be in the right place at the right time. Your feet have to be in the right position and your head is always up, looking forward. The same is true if you want to advance professionally.”
Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, superintendent of Lynn Public Schools, recognizes that Salem’s loss is Lynn’s gain.
“I met with him even before this to talk about a relationship with Salem State and he came across to me as a wonderfully genuine educator, focused on students’ well-being and growth,” said Tutwiler. “He clearly has an eye for partnership and embraces the idea that it takes a village. I really look forward to working with him and having an incredible relationship with NSCC.”
Bryant says he is excited to strengthen the pipeline between the public schools and the college, and is eager to take on the challenge of connecting with NSCC staff.
And, of course, his ultimate focus will be on students.
“The college environment is fun,” he said, explaining his unwavering commitment to higher education. “You have a hand in helping students achieve their goals and find a better way for themselves, their family and their community. Given the opportunity, so many students who have the drive and determination will far exceed all expectations.”
Coming from someone who grabbed hold of every opportunity that came his way, there’s no arguing that.
