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Annual Conference
June 19, 2015 @ 8:00 am - 10:00 am
A Conversation with the Cabinet: Priorities of the Governor’s Economic Development Team
Click here to view photos from the event.
Click here to read the Executive Summary of the event.
Click here for our video coverage of the Annual Conference.
Click here to read Denterlein’s blog and here to read Mass It’s All Here‘s blog, highlighting the Conversation with the Cabinet.
Panel
Secretary Ash is responsible for directing and executing Governor Charlie Baker’s agenda on housing and community development, job creation, business development, consumer affairs, and business regulation. He previously served as the city manager in his native Chelsea, a position he held from 2000 to 2014, where his leadership produced both economic expansion and fiscal stability. He grew the city’s housing stock by over ten percent, expanded its commercial base with two dozen major projects, led all Gateway Cities with a 15% increase in new employment, developed 10 new parks, secured five credit rating increases, and won two All-America City designations for Chelsea.
Secretary Beaton oversees the Commonwealth’s six environmental, natural resource and energy regulatory agencies: the Departments of Environmental Protection, Public Utilities, Energy Resources, Conservation & Recreation, Agricultural Resources and Fish & Game. Prior to this appointment, he served as a State Representative for the Eleventh Worcester district, and in the private sector, Beaton worked as an environmental engineer and sustainability consultant.
Secretary Pollack serves as Secretary and CEO of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation which was formed in 2009 by the merger of the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works and its divisions with the MA Turnpike Authority, the MA Highway Department, the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the MA Aeronautics Commission. She also serves on the boards of the MBTA and Massport. Prior to joining the Baker Administration, Secretary Pollack has worked on transportation policy, finance and equity as Associate Director for Research at the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.
Undersecretary Neal-Johnson is charged with assisting Secretary Ronald Walker, II, in carrying out Governor Baker’s agenda on Workforce Development. She combines her expertise as an attorney with her vast knowledge of public policy to advance the objectives of EOLWD which is focused on bridging the gap between businesses looking for skilled employees and workers who need additional training to fill the jobs of the 21st century. Prior to this appointment, she served in several key leadership positions at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, MBTA, and the Massachusetts state Senate.
Moderator
Geri Denterlein provides strategic communications counsel to leaders of the region’s corporations, nonprofits, colleges, and healthcare organizations. Prior to launching Denterlein, Geri was editorial director at WBZ-TV, where she led the station’s government outreach, as well as on-air political analysis. Her governmental experience extends to work as Communications Director for the Department of Mental Health and as an Associate Press Secretary for former Governor Michael S. Dukakis. She is also the author of a guidebook for young professional women.
Conference Partners: MEDC, NAIOP, AIM, CoreNet Global NE
Thank you to our sponsor: BSC Group
Thanks to Flybridge Capital, tickets were available at no cost to full time Massachusetts college students.
