Paul Houlihan

Paul Houlihan has extensive experience in organizational management and consulting. This includes serving as President of The School for Field Studies (SFS), an international, field-based, environmental research and community development organization serving indigenous communities in Kenya, Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia and the British West Indies.

Paul’s career has included: principal consultant to Cambridge-based Clean Energy Solutions, a national energy efficiency consulting firm; Associate Professor/Associate Director of the Gerontology Institute, University of Massachusetts; Vice President/General Manager of the Conservation Services Group; Executive Director of the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, and community organizer in Boston’s South End and Roxbury. In 2018, Paul joined the Board of Directors of The Cape Cod Foundation, where he serves as chair of the annual grants committee.

Paul was born and raised in Framingham and has lived in Sandwich since 2005. He earned a B.A. from St. John’s Seminary College and a Master’s Degree in Urban Sociology from Boston College.

What has inspired you to serve as a member of The Cape Cod Foundation Board of Directors?
“Since moving to the Cape about sixteen years ago, I have heard nothing but great things about The Cape Cod Foundation and its widespread philanthropy. During my career, mainly creating and managing nonprofit organizations, I have had a lot of opportunity to interact with foundations, but always from “the other side of the table.” The creation of The Fund for Sandwich has provided my colleagues and me an opportunity to work closely as an affiliate of the Foundation. As a representative of the Fund it has also provided me an opportunity to join and serve directly on the Foundation’s Board. It is my goal to serve professionally and energetically, with a fair degree of knowledge about the challenges that Cape-based nonprofit organizations face every day. I am excited about the opportunity to do so.”