Our Staff

Linda M. Noonan, Executive Director

Linda M. Noonan joined MBAE as Executive Director of MBAE in June 2005, where she is responsible for advancing MBAE’s mission to ensure a high quality public education that will prepare every child in Massachusetts for success in college, career and citizenship. Previously, Linda served as Executive Director of The Alliance for the Commonwealth (currently the AIM-International Business Council), a nonpartisan research and educational foundation established by Associated Industries of Massachusetts to help companies increase their global competitiveness in order to create and maintain jobs locally.

Linda has also served as State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business in Massachusetts and as Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She began her career as a policy analyst with the U.S. government at the Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Her civic and volunteer activities include serving on the Westwood School Committee and on the town’s Permanent Building Committee, during which time three schools were renovated and expanded, and a new high school was approved and designed. She was also a member of the Westwood Finance Committee and the Economic Development Advisory Board.

Linda is currently a member of the Teachers21 Board of Directors, the Steering Committee of Global Education Massachusetts, the Accountability and Assistance Advisory Council to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, The Commonwealth Institute and other boards and advisory committees. Linda holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Chicago.

Brian H. Pingree, Deputy Director
Brian H. Pingree joined MBAE as Deputy Director in October 2009, where he is responsible for projects related to school finance; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM); and the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act economic stimulus funding for education in Massachusetts.  Previously, Brian held positions at Goodwin Procter LLP, a Boston, MA law firm, as a summer associate and in 2007 at Sprenger & Lang, PLLC, a Washington, D.C. law firm, as a law clerk. Prior to law school, Brian managed complex research projects as a project coordinator for Leadership in Medicine, Inc. in White River Junction, Vermont.  Brian holds a juris doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center and a degree from Dartmouth College.

Laurel D. Ferretti, Director, Policy and Development
Laurel Ferretti joined MBAE as Director of Policy and Development in January 2010. Previously, Laurel was a Director in the Business Development Group at Babson Capital, an investment firm, where she was a relationship manager for the firm’s largest accounts and product specialist for the firm’s hedge fund strategies. Laurel’s prior experience includes positions at Newport Asia, an international equity manager, servicing their high net worth and institutional clients; and at Newport Pacific, a subsidiary of Columbia Management Group, on the sales and marketing team.  Laurel began her career at Brown Brothers Harriman in the Global Custody Group. She is engaged as an active volunteer in many area nonprofits including the Steppingstone Foundation and Crossroads For Kids.  Laurel holds a B.S. in Marketing from Boston College and an M.B.A. from Babson College.

Anti-Discrimination Employment Policy

The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.