“I miss her dearly,” said a mourning coworker about Gina Cappello, the University of Massachusetts Boston vice chancellor who tragically passed away on June 2 from injuries sustained two days prior, when she and friend Daniel Sullivan were struck by a car while walking in Oxford, MA.
The mourning coworker is Paula Popeo, assistant vice chancellor of leadership and capital. She described Cappello as having a ready humor and an unusual ability to sense the positive attributes in people.
“Gina was a dear friend and colleague, as well as our office leader, for more than 8 years.”
In photos Cappello has brown hair that reaches just past her shoulder in loose curls, hazel-grey eyes, and a warm smile. She looked Italian—and sometimes acted Italian.
Once, when Popeo introduced her boss to a chairman of one of Boston’s larger firms, Cappello reached out and pinched the man’s cheek, a common Italian gesture. The man was stunned before everyone started laughing.
“She put us all to shame with her arrival at the office every morning by 7:30, even with a commute that could be up to two hours depending on the weather,” said Popeo.
“Many nights she worked late on various visits and events with the chancellor.”
Cappello first came to the university in 2007 to take the position of assistant vice chancellor for major gifts. After working a variety of leadership roles, she became a vice chancellor in 2012.
“I remember how humble she was about her candidacy for vice chancellor. She had her doubts, even though she had done a hell of a job for more than a year serving in an interim role,” said Popeo.
“I think she was so proud to assume the permanent position when she finally did.”
Elizabeth “Betsy” Doherty, associate vice chancellor for alumni relations and the Just Imagine Fund, worked with Cappello for just over three years.
“Gina was my boss first and foremost, but we were of a similar age, had similar life experiences, and older children, and had a lot in common with each other,” Doherty explained.
Sometimes the two talked about country music. Once, after traveling to California for a business trip, in a similar state of exhaustion, they shared a knowing glance, hair frazzled and eyeliner needing a touch-up.
“You know those moments when you are sitting in airports and you have been traveling for days,” Doherty said. “I think Gina and I had a mutual understanding.”
Cappello and Doherty worked together to transform the old UMass Boston Fund into the new Just Imagine Fund, a change which occurred just over a year ago. The Just Imagine Fund has raised about 70 million dollars towards its goal of 100 million dollars.
The donated money falls under two categories: current use funds, which can nimbly be allocated to university priorities, and restricted funds that build interest over time, put towards things like scholarships.
Doherty said that development professionals in high-level administrative positions can be almost aggressively gregarious, but Cappello had a quiet manner and kindness about her. Although a successful manager, she did not wallow in public recognition.
“When she passed, even after working with her every day, I was taken aback by the number of people who reached out, saying how she touched their lives.”
Doherty said that she does not know who will be taking over the position of vice chancellor for university advancement in the interim, nor does she know what the process will be for selecting someone in the long-term. Senior leadership is currently deliberating.
At 11:15 am on May 31 the Sturbridge Police Department responded to a four-car collision in Oxford, MA, according to a press release issued later that day by the Massachusetts State Police. Preliminary information indicated that the operator of a Lexus lost control while traveling from the Route 395 Southbound ramp onto Sutton Avenue, crashing into a Toyota Corolla which then struck the pedestrians Daniel Sullivan and Gina Cappello.
Sullivan was pronounced dead at the scene, while Cappello was brought to the University of Massachusetts Medical School for treatment of serious injuries, which she later passed away from. The cause of this crash remains under investigation.
In a letter sent to the campus community on June 2, Chancellor Keith Motley gave his appreciation for Cappello, as well as his condolences to her family and friends.
“I am extremely grateful for the support she provided my office and her devoted service to our entire community of students, faculty, and staff.”
When asked if the UMass Boston infrastructure and programming funded by Cappello’s efforts and leadership were a form of legacy, Betsy Doherty replied, “Yes. Absolutely.”
“Gina was the principal fundraiser.”
“Her efforts, hard work, passions, everything that goes into baking that cake, she had a hand in.”