Kathy Vazquez
Katherine (Kathy) Vazquez is a collaborative financial professional with 35+ years of corporate finance experience. Most recently she has retired from her position as US Deputy CFO – Novartis Corporation after 20 years with the company. While at Novartis she worked in many different positions, but is most proud of her work as Global Head of Finance for the Cell and Gene business unit – which was the first in US to get FDA approval for cancer-curing gene editing therapy. She also was instrumental in developing the Novartis Beacon of Hope program – which works with historically black colleges to ensure health equity in clinical trials and medical education. She recently served on the non-profit Boards for Junior Achievement of Central New Jersey and Deirdre’s House in Morristown, New Jersey. She was a CPA in New York (inactive) and received an MBA from University of California, Berkeley. Kathy is relatively new to Cape Cod, having purchased a home in Orleans with her husband Marcelo in 2013; more recently, they have settled full-time in Orleans. She enjoys all of the beauty the Cape has to offer; boating on Pleasant Bay, combing the beaches and walking her dog Crosby on the numerous conservation trails. She has 2 adult daughters who live off-cape but visit often. She is currently volunteering in the PathMakers program with WECAN of Harwich, MA and is looking for additional avenues to give back to the Cape community she now calls home.
Rory Conolly
Rory Conolly was born in London, England and raised in Canada and the United States. He received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Harvard College in 1972 and a doctorate in physiology/toxicology from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1978. His professional focus has been on the biological determinants of the shapes of dose-response curves, the development of computer models of this biology, and the use of the models to predict the likelihood of health risks due to toxicant exposures. Rory was a member of the Toxicology Faculty at The University of Michigan School of Public Health from 1979 through 1986 and worked with the U.S. Air Force Toxic Hazards Research Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio from 1986 until 1989. In 1989 he joined the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology and worked there until 2005, when he joined the U.S. EPA. Rory retired from the EPA in 2020 and has since worked part time for an environmental health consulting company.
Rory’s wife Julia has long-standing family ties to Cape Cod. As retirement neared, they purchased a home in South Orleans, in 2018, and moved there full-time in 2022. Rory’s background in the health risks of chemicals (and his enjoyment of swimming in Crystal Lake) lead to his interest in working with the OPC to help protect the quality of our lakes and ponds. His technical knowledge of how toxic chemicals exert health effects and his years of experience in communicating research results, both orally and in writing, should enable him to serve as a productive member of the OPC.
John Dugan
I am a retired anatomic pathologist and have been living full time in Orleans with my wife, Carol since Spring, 2020. Professionally, I worked at Lahey Clinic (now Beth Israel Lahey Health) in Burlington, MA for almost 34 years before retirement after completing residency and fellowship training at the University of Pennsylvania. I have 3 adult children who all live west of the Mississippi River, as well as 3 “grand-puppies.”
We chose to live in Orleans because of the natural beauty of Cape Cod and its waters, as well as for the community’s respect for and commitment to protecting this invaluable resource. As enthusiastic kayakers, bikers and hikers, we try to enjoy outdoor activities every day. I have been a member of OPC for about 10 years and have been engaged in water quality sampling programs for the past 3 years: cyanobacteria testing at Cedar Pond, the PBA estuary testing at Lonnie’s Pond, and the biannual SMAST testing effort at Meadow Bog, Uncle Seth’s and Uncle Israel’s Ponds. I would like do more to advance the mission of OPC, by enhancing the quality and sustainability of Orleans’ waters.
Thank you again for providing me the opportunity to join the Board of OPC.