Saint Anselm College announced the appointment of four new members to the Board of Trustees on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.
The four Trustees include Eleanor Wm. Dahar, Alison L. McCarthy ’98, John P. Morey ’85, and Brother Thomas Lacourse, O.S.B. ’15. Each new member brings a wealth of professional expertise, leadership experience, and personal connection to the College’s Catholic, Benedictine mission.
“These four Trustees bring diverse professional backgrounds to this role,” said President Joseph A. Favazza, Ph.D. “Together, the embody the values and spirit of our beloved Saint Anselm. We look forward to their guidance as we move the college forward with Ascent to the Hilltop, our five-year strategic plan.”
Eleanor Wm. Dahar
Eleanor Wm. Dahar is an accomplished attorney at Dahar Law Firm in Manchester, N.H., where she practices with her two brothers at the firm founded by their late father.
A graduate of Wheaton College (magna cum laude, 1984) and Boston College Law School (1987), she has built a distinguished career in personal injury, family, and bankruptcy law. A past president of the New Hampshire Bar Association and the first woman from the state appointed to the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, Dahar has been a leader in both legal and civic communities.
She has served on numerous nonprofit boards across healthcare, youth development, and the arts, and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the college’s Center for Ethics in Society.
Alison L. McCarthy ’98
A 1998 Saint Anselm alumna, Alison McCarthy is counsel at Troutman Pepper in Boston, where she represents clients in complex patent litigation and strategic intellectual property management.
Recognized among Boston Magazine’s Top Lawyers for Intellectual Property Rights, she has also served as an adjunct professor at New England Law.
McCarthy is married to Brendan E. McCarthy ’96, Founding Principal of McCarthy Financial, LLC. The couple live in Wellesley, Mass., with their two children.
Deeply engaged in her community, McCarthy serves as a representative for the Wellesley Special Education Parent Advisory Council, supporting inclusive educational initiatives.
John P. Morey ’85
A 1985 graduate of Saint Anselm, John Morey brings decades of executive leadership in global investing, banking and wealth management. Most recently, he served as Chief Client Officer at Fiduciary Trust Company before retiring in 2022. His distinguished career also includes senior roles at GMO LLC, Putnam Investments, and BankBoston.
A 2024 graduate fellow of the University of Notre Dame’s Inspired Leadership Initiative (ILI), Morey continues to exemplify his commitment to service through extensive board involvement. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies, University of Notre Dame, as well as the boards of Bethany Land Institute, Horizons for Homeless Children and the Brockton Sports Foundation.
A dedicated Anselmian, he remains actively engaged with his alma mater and currently serves on the Alva De Mars Megan Chapel Art Center Advisory Board.
Brother Thomas Lacourse, O.S.B. ‘15
Brother Thomas Lacourse, O.S.B., a monk of Saint Anselm Abbey, graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2015 with a degree in politics and later earned a Ph.D. in political science from Trinity College in Dublin.
After joining the monastery in 2021, he returned to serve the college community as assistant director for student support in the Academic Resource Center and as an adjunct professor in the first-year experience program, Conversatio.
His appointment to the Board reflects the Abbey’s continued and integral role in guiding the mission and spiritual life of the college.