Forget the past—the pandemic is over, and Boston is shuttling toward the future. So who’s steering the ship in this brave new world? Buckle up, because influence is shifting. Today and in the future, building giant office towers may not be as important as creating affordable housing. And getting the T to run on time might (finally) be more important than a championship season.
Enter the power duo: Governor Maura Healey and Mayor Michelle Wu. These two women are leading the charge, and they’re at the top of this year’s list of the 150 most influential Bostonians. Why? Because if Boston is going to be a more affordable, prosperous, fun, and equitable city, all of our futures hinge on their every decision. But they’re hardly alone.
This year, our list features a kaleidoscope of Bostonians, some well-known, others hidden gems. They hail from government, science, finance, healthcare, education, entertainment, and everywhere in between. And they’re all playing a part in shaping a new and vibrant Boston. So love ’em or hate ’em, these rankings are sure (we hope!) to stir the pot. After all, everyone’s got their own definition of influential. Is it the movers and shakers behind the scenes? The folks fighting in the streets? Maybe it’s the community leader making your neighborhood a better place. Influence comes in all shapes and sizes, and this year’s list is just a starting point—let the debates begin! —David Bernstein
Pictured above from left to right: Sheena Collier, Eric Papachristos, Vikki Spruill, Ed Kane, Kevin Churchwell, Bob Rivers, Makeeba McCreary, Arthur Jemison, Lee Pelton, Christy Cashman / Photo by Ken Richardson
1. Maura Healey
Governor of Massachusetts
Sure, it’s easy to find people who disapprove of particular Healey policies—on the migrant crisis, taxes, and plenty more—but you don’t see many standing in her way. The governor’s consolidation of power has been so swift, thorough, and painless that it’s hard to believe it’s been just over a year since she took office. Her seemingly secure political position has enabled her to make some controversial moves: pardoning misdemeanor marijuana convictions, for instance (anathema to tough-on-crime advocates), and freezing state hiring during the budget shortfall (poison to many liberals). Another reason she can do those things? Goodwill from the money she gets to hand out across the state, such as the $2.9 million she recently showered on 20 organizations addressing substance abuse. And when it comes to star power, few, if any, bring it like Healey wherever she appears.
2. Michelle Wu
Mayor of Boston
Boston’s youngest, most progressive mayor has found that the city doesn’t easily bend to her will. Yet she’s proven to be no pushover, with her popularity helping get more allies elected to the city council—and you don’t see a line of people eager to run against her next year. Plus, considering the amount of time nearly every local decision maker spends talking about Wu—love her or hate her—the city’s big boss is the very definition of influential.
3. Jim Canales
President, Barr Foundation
Canales’s biggest impact is doling out nearly $150 million a year in grants, much of it directly improving the lives of Bostonians. In fact, he hands out so much money that if the Barr went away, so would many high-profile nonprofits. But he’s involved in plenty of other important things around the city, including his new role as a Boston Public Library Trustee, adding to roles with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Eastern Bank Foundation. Bonus points for getting invited to the White House to participate in a summit on arts and culture.
4. Linda Pizzuti Henry
CEO, Boston Globe Media
She stewards and helms the region’s dominant media outlet. She assembles the city’s annual summit of power players, as well as its most coveted closed-door gatherings. She’s got skin in the Red Sox, a soccer club in Liverpool, the PGA Tour, and has invested in the coming women’s soccer team. She supports nonprofits helping local kids and families through the Boston Globe Foundation. In other words, she’s one of the city’s MVPs—and Boston would be a whole lot worse without her.
5. Bob Rivers
Chairman and CEO, Eastern Bank
His bank has been busy this past year, merging with Cambridge Trust and moving to a new High Street headquarters. But it’s Rivers’s generosity with his time and resources, whether on advisory boards or through donations, that people mention most when explaining his influence in Boston. And his behind-the-scenes work on issues ranging from the looming commercial real estate crisis to childcare to racial equity means he’s helping steer sound decisions in every corridor of power.
6. Lee Pelton
President and CEO, the Boston Foundation
Pelton’s Boston Foundation administers and manages a ton of grant money, making him among the most-sought-after people in town. He’s also made equity a major focus of the organization, incorporating work, housing, health, finance, and education. And whereas some important Bostonians are wary of calls for racial equity programs when they come from politicians, it seems they all want to be seen working with Pelton on the issues. Did we mention he fast-tracked a Steve McQueen exhibition into the Gardner Museum earlier this year? Now that’s juice.
7. John Fish
Chairman and CEO, Suffolk Construction
Since last year, Fish made national news for innovations in robotics and artificial intelligence for construction; expanded the Home Base center for veterans facing traumatic injuries; raised $110 million for a venture capital fund supporting construction technology startups; launched a dedicated sustainability group within Suffolk; and created an endowment for the head football coach at Bowdoin College, where he once played offensive tackle. Oh, and he’s building millions of square feet of housing, office, and retail space in and around Boston, too.
8. Katherine Clark
U.S. Representative
Veteran Beacon Hill watchers know that Clark has been passionately pushing women’s issues since her days as a back-bencher in the state House of Representatives. Her feisty rhetoric on abortion access and affordable childcare carries an awful lot more weight now as a minority whip in DC. And make no mistake, if Trump wins the election, it’ll be on her shoulders to rally Democratic lawmakers around the issues that matter most.
9. Thomas O’Brien
Founding Partner and CEO, HYM Investment Group
O’Brien’s One Congress tower is now open; there’s a green light for his firm’s mixed-use Roxbury development; and now the mega-developer has a stretch of Southie’s Dorchester Avenue in his sights. But the project everybody’s watching, of course, is O’Brien’s massive redevelopment of Suffolk Downs. The first residences are slated to open there this year.
10. Jonathan Kraft
President, the Kraft Group and New England Patriots
With legendary Patriots coach Bill Belichick gone, Kraft is expected to have more influence over team operations—and fans’ heartstrings—than he could with Belichick around. But it’s not all about football (and soccer): Kraft continues his philanthropy and community involvement, including his ongoing role as chair of Mass General’s Board of Trustees. Let’s not forget the 25,000-seat stadium for the New England Revolution he’s getting closer to building in Everett—and that he’s hosting seven World Cup matches in 2026?
11. Ayanna Pressley
U.S. Representative
Every time her constituents look up, they see her fighting: for student loan relief, birth control access, and even to keep open a Roxbury Walgreens. Sure, she earned some blowback last October over what some saw as a too-quick call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. But with a recent appointment to the powerful Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, it seems her party is standing by her.
12. Abigail Johnson
CEO, Fidelity Investments
Despite the fact that Johnson’s personal wealth is estimated at roughly $30 billion, give or take, she remains frustratingly low-profile—but behind the scenes is still one of Boston’s heaviest hitters, well connected with the city’s business and political elites. And she’s using those connections to put her money to good use, giving tons to local causes and institutions—though anonymously, of course.
13. Anne Klibanski
President and CEO, Mass General Brigham
Klibanski’s clout on Beacon Hill stems not just from her company’s position as a healthcare provider to more than 2.5 million patients a year but also its role as the state’s largest private employer, with 82,000 people on the payroll. A recent report commissioned by MGB claims it has a $10 billion annual economic impact for Massachusetts. And that impact is poised to get even bigger, as Klibanski has announced ambitious plans to better integrate the two flagship hospitals under her control three decades after two of Boston’s biggest healthcare brands merged into one corporate identity.
14. Sandy and Paul Edgerley
Cofounders, the ’Quin House
The city’s current “it” couple wanted to create a new Back Bay social club where people would clamor to meet and connect, and that’s exactly what’s happening today. How much buzz does the ’Quin have? Well, Barron’s wrote about its art collection. The Boston Globe wrote about its record collection. Travel + Leisure recommended that readers get a non-resident membership for their visits to Boston. Axios illustrated an article about race in Boston with a photo of former mayors Ray Flynn and Kim Janey being introduced by Sandy Edgerley at, you guessed it, the ’Quin. We could go on and on.
15. Brian Moynihan
Chairman and CEO, Bank of America
Apparently, running one of the world’s biggest financial institutions; chairing the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council; and serving on legions of local, national, and global boards isn’t enough for Moynihan. So beginning in July, the powerhouse CEO will also become chancellor of Brown University’s governing body. Because running an Ivy League school is nothing but fun these days, right?
16. Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator
Like Ted Kennedy, it seems that once Warren’s presidential ambitions were dashed, she became a better senator for her home state. Funding for the Cape Cod bridges, battery manufacturing, and clean water infrastructure are just a few of the recent big-ticket items Warren can take some credit for. She’s on track for reelection this November to her third six-year term, and she shows no signs of slowing down.
17. Jim Rooney
President and CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
When Rooney weighs in on issues, it has an outsize effect: Witness his support of Governor Healey’s tax reforms. And to boost that influence, last year, Rooney helped band Massachusetts’ chambers of commerce into a state-wide network. It seems the penchant for improving the Hub runs in the family—Rooney and his 10 brothers were recently given a spe-cial award by Boston Irish magazine, honoring their service to the city.
18. Reshma Kewalramani
President and CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
To say Kewalramani has pull in the pharma industry would be an understatement: With Vertex’s stock soaring, the exec recently led her company over the $100 billion market-cap milestone, making it the third-most-valuable public company in the state. Meanwhile, Kewalramani continues to expand her community involvement, most recently joining the Year Up board of directors.
19. Arthur Jemison
Chief of Planning, City of Boston
In a recent round of media interviews, the man entrusted by Mayor Wu with development in Boston emphasized his two biggest goals: solve the housing crisis and protect the city’s coastline from the effects of climate change. So yeah, he’s kind of important. He’s also one of only a handful of Wu lieutenants who has the respect of developers, and he serves as a much-needed bridge between members of the business community and the administration. Lucky for us, he’s hitting his stride, increasing the BPDA staff by nearly 25 percent last year and beginning Boston’s first major rezoning effort in ages.
» Can This Man Blow up City Development without Destroying Boston?
20. Sarah Iselin
President and CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Iselin’s company insures nearly half of the state’s residents, which gives her tremendous clout over people’s lives, employers’ policies, and, of course, Beacon Hill policy. On that last score, Iselin has the chops: She played central roles in drafting and implementing both RomneyCare and ObamaCare for the state—so her recent warnings about healthcare costs are carrying real weight.
21. Corey Thomas
Chairman and Ceo, Rapid7
In keeping with Boston’s history as a computer-technology hub, Thomas keeps leading his cyber-security company into the future. He’s also frequently sought after for advice, whether on panels around the city; at Pillar VC, where he is a founding partner; in his role chairing the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston; or even at the White House, where he serves on President Joe Biden’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee.
» No, Cybersecurity Expert Corey Thomas Will Not Tell You His Mother’s Maiden Name
22. Andrea Campbell
Attorney General
Campbell’s star continues to rise, thanks in part to her ability to effectively tackle hot-button topics like police reform and gun violence prevention without making many enemies. The first Black woman elected statewide in Massachusetts, she’s also been willing to step into high-stakes issues, suing Milton to enforce the state zoning law designed to aid the housing crisis and pledging to keep a close watch on troubled Steward Health Care.
23. Jaylen Brown
Guard, Boston Celtics
When Brown inked his new $304 million contract last summer, he made it clear that Bostonians would share in the bounty: His 7uice Foundation focuses on tackling the city’s opportunity gap, primarily through his Bridge Program with MIT, and he has his sights set on the wealth gap, too. In other words, he’s spreading optimism and opportunity all over the city—and all the while, proving on the court that he’s worth every penny.
24. Jim Davis
Chairman, New Balance
The New Balance headquarters—and surrounding Boston Landing infrastructure—won’t be Davis’s only lasting mark on the city. With a $10 million pledge to UMass Boston, he recently ensured the future of a New Balance Institute for Innovative Leadership in Sport. Davis is also continuing his quest to push local politics in a less liberal direction: Two City Council candidates he backed financially through a super PAC last year both won seats.
25. Kimberly Budd
Chief Justice, Supreme Judicial Court
Budd continues to shape Massachusetts life by handing down decisions from the state’s highest court—and given that she’s only in her 50s, she’s poised to have a huge impact well into the future. Case in point: She recently wrote a landmark decision that made Massachusetts the first state to raise the minimum age to 21 for prison sentences of life without parole.
26. Ed Kane
Owner, Big Night Entertainment Group
Would Boston even exist after sunset if not for Kane? Maybe, but it wouldn’t be nearly as cool, and we doubt it would have a super-fun new dining-and-gaming spot in the West End. Adding to Mystique, the Grand, Empire, Scorpion Bar, Big Night Live, and Memoire, Play Boston comes on the heels of Kane’s Seaport collaboration with restaurateur Nia Grace—which is such a hit they’re already bringing a second Grace by Nia jazz bar and supper club to the Foxwoods casino.
27. Marty Meehan
President, University of Massachusetts
When Meehan speaks—as he does in his annual State of the University video—hundreds of thousands in the UMass community listen. But he also has the ears of policymakers and money movers, as shown in his success lobbying for more state funding for financial aid. Meehan is also reaching younger Bay Staters with his new program allowing high schoolers to earn credits at UMass colleges.
28. Kendalle Burlin O’Connell
President and Ceo, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
Burlin O’Connell has made it clear that she plans not just to maintain Boston’s status as the nation’s premier biotech hub, but to expand it. How? By opening MassBio’s first workforce training center, and entering into a new funding agreement with Mayor Wu to train hundreds of Bostonians for biotech employment.
29. Bruce Percelay
Founder and Chairman, Mount Vernon Company
The successful developer and N Magazine publisher is publicly flexing his muscle more than ever. Worried about the city’s direction, he’s working to bridge the divide between City Hall and those in the business community. Worried about the very survival of American democracy in an age of unprecedented partisanship, there he is, launching initiatives aimed at reducing tensions in the U.S. Senate as chairman of the board at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.
30. Phillip Eng
General Manager and CEO, MBTA
So much of Boston’s success depends on improving public transport, and that’s exactly what Eng has been tasked with as the recently appointed MBTA head. His moves so far, including shaking up top management and hiring a new safety chief, have some commuters feeling (cautiously) optimistic for the first time in years. And if he succeeds in getting rid of slow zones on the T, he’ll arguably be the most important person in New England.
31. Martha Sheridan
President and CEO, Meet Boston
Sheridan has officially secured seven World Cup matches for Gillette Stadium in 2026. Now she must raise the money and make the plans for hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors for each of those games. She’ll do that through her tourism bureau and the Boston Soccer 2026 board she’s on, plus the kind of back-door outreach to Boston’s power players she’s proven so effective at. Meanwhile, Sheridan continues to redefine the job at Meet Boston, most recently by sponsoring NESN’s Meet Boston with Billy & Jenny show (sense a theme?), which showcases things to do in the city.
32. Segun Idowu
Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, City of Boston
Idowu is a big part of the city’s business-development establishment now, but he still acts with the boldness of his advocacy days. He recently drew attention, for instance, with news that he and the Wu administration are looking into a universal-basic-income policy for the city’s poorest residents. Idowu also continues pushing to help businesses led by people of color, particularly as suppliers to the city government; as part of that effort, in October, he used American Rescue Plan funding to launch a program providing training and assistance to small companies.
33. Jeremy Sclar
Chairman and CEO, WS Development
It’s official: Four parcels covering 5 acres within spitting distance of Fenway Park will be transformed by a partnership led by Sclar after the $1.6 billion project was finally given city approval. Sclar also continues to put his stamp on Chestnut Hill—where he’s spearheading a major expansion at the Street shopping complex—and the Seaport. Oh, and Amazon just signed a 630,000-square-foot lease for the One Boston Wharf Road property he’s developing.
34. David Fialkow
Cofounder and Managing Director, General Catalyst
Fialkow’s VC firm sought to raise $6 billion in investment funds last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Then it announced plans to run its very own “Amazon ecosystem of healthcare,” dedicated to transforming the industry. But that’s not all: This Renaissance man also won an Emmy as an executive producer of the documentary How to Survive a Pandemic.
35. Ayo Edebiri
Actress and Comedian
Locals were gripped with Ayo fever after watching the Dorchester native scoop up a Golden Globe and an Emmy for her portrayal of sous chef Sydney on Hulu’s The Bear. How Boston is Edebiri? The Boston Latin alum has developed a running joke about being from Ireland, that’s how Boston. She’s hitting the big screen again next as the voice of Envy in this summer’s Inside Out 2.
36. Vanessa Calderón-Rosado
CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
A ubiquitous presence in Boston’s diversity and equity circles—particularly when it comes to housing—Calderón-Rosado was an unsurprising selection for the 2023 Eastern Bank Foundation’s Social Justice Award. She’s an adviser to Governor Healey, and she now has Boston’s movers and shakers pitching in to fund IBA’s planned Center for Arts, Self-Determination, and Activism (La CASA), which will provide performance and education space for Latino kids in Boston.
37. Roger Crandall
Chairman, President, And CEO, MassMutual
Crandall continues to diversify and expand MassMutual, and it shows: The company just passed the $1 trillion mark in life insurance issued. He also continues to push the company’s support of equity programs, including a $3 million grant to launch an Economic Justice Hub at Boston Medical Center, and a second MassMutual Catalyst Fund investing $100 million in Black-led startups.
38. Sally Kornbluth
President, MIT
University leaders hold a major place of power in Greater Boston—if they can navigate the minefields of the job. Kornbluth, who survived the infamous Congressional hearing that led to the resignations of two other Ivy League presidents, has done so, and her local status has grown. She’s continued the MIT tradition of swinging big, creating a new Climate Policy Center, intended to deliver ““technological, behavioral and policy solutions to the world.” Ditto with the Shaping the Future of Work Initiative she launched in January.
39. Susan Collins
President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Not even two years into her job as the region’s top banker, Collins has built such a reputation as a key maker of U.S. economic policy that her every public comment makes national news. That hasn’t stopped her from actively engaging in the community, making appearances from Boston to Springfield.
40. Herb Chambers
Owner & President, Herb Chambers Companies
Not only is Chambers still running, and expanding, his auto empire, he intends to keep doing so for a while—when opening his latest, the octagenarian cited its place in the com-pany’s “long-term strat-egy.” You can’t argue with his success: annual sales approaching $3 billion and one of the “25 Greatest Superyachts of the Past 100 Years,” according to the Robb Report.
41. Stephen Davis
President, the Davis Companies
As a key supporter of Governor Healey’s ambitious state housing plans, Davis is leading his development company in big directions. Specifically, in December, his company acquired a 100-acre parcel in Everett near the border with Boston—the former Exxon Mobil “tank farm”—with plans to create a development featuring housing and office space. The deal will also have the benefit of cleanup for Boston Harbor and the Mystic River.
42. George Regan
Chairman And CEO, Regan Communications Group
As his company celebrates its 40th anniversary, Regan is still going strong. The business remains among the biggest PR firms in the area, with clients including the Boston Celtics and the Mandarin Oriental (and others you’ll never know about, because Regan excels at keeping people out of the news when trouble brews).
43. Peter Palandjian
Chairman and CEO, Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation
Palandjian’s development empire is growing nationwide and here in town (see: the new million-square-foot complex he’s built in South Boston). But it’s his ubiquitous charitable involvement that has made Palandjian and his wife, actress Eliza Dushku Palandjian, among the biggest movers and shakers in the city. They recently donated $7.5 million to Brigham & Women’s Hospital to support substance-abuse treatment.
44. Colette Phillips
CEO, Colette Phillips Communications
Boston’s greatest connector is in greater demand than ever thanks to her new book, The Includers. In fact, these days, the Get Konnected! creator has others arranging events for people to network with her. Among Phillips’s many accolades (including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award and Emerson College’s Distinguished Alumna Award), here’s one you might not know about: The Brookline Commission for Women recently named her a Woman of the Year for her role founding Brookline News.
45. Stéphane Bancel
CEO, Moderna
When your first product helps stem a global pandemic, what do you do next? A vaccine for RSV, naturally—at least, that appears to be the first of several products working toward the market for the pharma company that Bancel leads. His bigger impact, though, might come from Bancel Philanthropies, which is prioritizing local organizations—including Pine Street Inn—to receive the largesse of his newfound success.
46. Jason Robins
CEO, DraftKings
In their first year of legal online sports betting, Massachusetts gamblers showed love for the industry’s hometown team: Robins’s Boston-based DraftKings took nearly as much of the in-state wagers as all of its competitors combined. With more than 4,000 employees and 2023 revenue of $3.6 billion, the company is now among Massachusetts’ biggest, and Robins has the influence to match.
47. Niraj Shah
Cofounder and CEO, Wayfair
These days, billionaire couple Niraj and Jill Shah make the biggest local impact through their Shah Family Foundation. From a guaranteed income program in Chelsea to an online resource for parents about social media and and teen mental health, the foundation has found innovative ways to help the area’s children. And Shah’s online retailer, though down from its pandemic-fueled peak, remains one of the state’s most important employers.
48. Glynn Lloyd
Executive Director, Mill Cities Community Investments
The City Fresh Foods founder was recently a big part of the team that saved Boston’s main Black newspaper, the Bay State Banner, by purchasing it from the retiring owner. Lloyd’s Foundation for Business Equity, meanwhile, helps Black and Latino entrepreneurs scale their businesses. And at Mills Cities, he just secured a line of credit through Brookline Bank to support its equity-driven small business loans.
49. Noubar Afeyan
Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering
Best known as the cofounder and chairman of Moderna—for good reason—Afeyan has developed more than 100 scientific ventures through Flagship that promise to work on cutting-edge innovations for years to come. And that’s not the only way he’s contributing to the health of the region: His family foundation gives out millions to local beneficiaries each year.
50. Joseph Aoun
President, Northeastern University
As many other major university presidencies have recently changed hands, Aoun has become, in his 18th year at Northeastern, the old guard of local academic institutions. Under his leadership, Northeastern received more applications than any other private university this year. And few other leaders can match Aoun’s $1.3 billion fundraising campaign, which he intends to use for scholarships, research, and extending the university’s global presence.
51. Lisa Wieland
President, National Grid New England
It’s hard to match the influence of heading the Massachusetts Port Authority, which was Wieland’s previous job—but providing electricity to more than a million Massachusetts customers sure comes close. Wieland will play a huge role in the state meeting its clean-energy net-zero emissions goal by 2050, and National Grid also just inked a deal to keep LNG flowing for gas customers for another six years.
52. Kevin Churchwell
President and CEO, Boston Children’s Hospital
Amid the national handwringing about the rise in children’s mental health issues, Churchwell is making it his mission to increase the quality—and quantity—of behavioral health services for Boston’s kids. Under his watch, Boston Children’s is acquiring Franciscan Children’s with a plan to upgrade facilities and hire additional staff. Another innovation under Churchwell’s watch: an award-winning content partnership with the Wall Street Journal.
53. Melissa Gilliam
President, Boston University
Gilliam, who starts her job this summer, is just the 11th president in BU’s 185-year history—they tend to stay and make their mark on the city, as well as the campus. We expect no less from the university’s first woman at the helm, who’s taken charge of more than 37,000 students, 10,000 faculty and staff, and a gazillion dollars’ worth of primo real estate right in the heart of Boston.
54. Kevin Phelan
Boston Office Cochairman, Colliers International
His office continues to serve as the financial linchpin for real estate deals in Brookline, the Fenway, Cambridge, and Everett. But if you really want to understand Phelan’s influence, picture one of his “Boston Breakfast Club” meetings, where he convenes power players to discuss issues facing the city. In addition to that, Phelan remains a fixture on various boards, from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston to the Archdiocese of Boston—and he remains known for giving generously of his time despite all of these
55. Betty Francisco
CEO, Boston Impact Initiative
Francisco is all about getting capital into the hands of entrepreneurs who lack access to it—particularly Boston’s Latino population. To support that mission, Francisco is raising money for a $20 million fund, in increments as low as $1,000 to include middle-class Bostonians who want to help community-focused entrepreneurs. No wonder so many leaders have sought advice from Francisco or named her to a board.
56. Jenny Holaday
President, Encore Boston Harbor
Five years after opening, Encore is now a big part of city life thanks to Holaday, and the casino continues to expand with exciting new food and beverage options. She and the resort are also making a positive impact beyond their walls: Her charitable collaboration with nonprofit the Pack Shack, for instance, saw employees and volunteers pack one million meals for distribution to needy families. Encore also hosts Northeast Arc’s annual fundraising gala for people with disabilities or autism, and Holaday has now joined that group’s board of directors.
57. Michael Fallon
CEO, The Fallon Company
Now at the helm of his father’s successful development company, the younger Fallon is set to begin building on the family’s final Fan Pier parcel, the last piece of the Fallon Company’s transformation of the South Boston waterfront from parking lots to the community we know today. But don’t worry—he’s not through improving Boston yet. Fallon just received approval for a major development in Charlestown and is also working on a life-sciences complex for Wentworth Institute of Technology in the Fenway.
58. Miceal Chamberlain
President, Bank of America Massachusetts
Through Bank of America, Chamberlain made the Enchanted Trolley Tour and tree lightings roll in December. He’s made the bank the title sponsor of the marathon, selecting the 160 organizations that benefit from the event through the bank’s charity program. And then there’s his personal community work, which led the Bridge Over Troubled Waters to make him its 2023 Distinguished Honoree.
59. Wyc Grousbeck
Lead Owner, Boston Celtics
Someone has to save us from our four-year streak without a duck-boat parade, and as of this writing, Grousbeck’s Celtics may be fans’ best bet. But that’s just one way Grousbeck is influential: He’s a partner at the VC firm he cofounded, a Mass Eye and Ear board member, and a frequent donor to charities. And, yes, the new NBC show Extended Family is executive produced by him and draws from his life.
60. Sheena Collier
CEO, Boston While Black
Collier isn’t just about helping the city’s Black community thrive—though she’s having a game-changing effect in that regard through her membership network, which connects Black Bostonians and hosts events. She’s also expanding her reach as one of Governor Maura Healey’s new appointees to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority board, where she’s in charge of the search for a new executive director.
61. Nancy Barnes
Editor, the Boston Globe
In her first year, Barnes has put additional focus on multimedia investigations, hiring a head of audio and expanding the Spotlight team. When the Globe, using those resources, unveiled a deep, multimedia reexamination of the 1989 Carol Stuart murder and its fallout, all of Boston was suddenly talking about the controversial case: Mayor Michelle Wu even offered a long-overdue apology to two wrongfully accused Black men. Expect more lapel-grabbing stories with podcasts and visual elements in the Barnes era.
62. Aaron Michlewitz
State Representative
As chairman of the House Committee on Ways & Means, Michlewitz heads the budget-writing process. So it was a very big deal when he declared recently, in regard to declining state revenues: “Winter isn’t just coming, folks; it’s here.” Widely believed to be the next speaker when Ron Mariano retires, Michlewitz is keeping a close watch over the state’s dwindling purse, which has restricted the governor’s ability to spend.
63. Jimmy Hills
Host, “Java with Jimmy”
Hills is no longer a hidden-gem streaming-talk-show host—he’s become a must-follow for every Bostonian who wants to keep up with the state of the city. On his daily program, Hills has interviewed Mayor Wu, Governor Healey, Congresswoman Pressley, and seemingly every community health and social justice leader in town. And now he has a monthly show broadcasted from the GBH studio that’s reaching an even wider audience.
64. Imari Paris Jeffries
Executive Director, Embrace Boston
The Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King sculpture is a permanent part of Boston now, but Jeffries’s work is far from done. He’s been deeply involved in Boston’s ongoing reparations discussions. He’s also leading Embrace Boston in hosting the Embrace Ideas Festival this summer, and raising money for the National Embrace Center coming to Roxbury in a couple of years.
65. Langley Steinert
Founder and Chairman, CarGurus, TripAdvisor, and ApartmentAdvisor
Having launched two local breakout successes—TripAdvisor and CarGurus—Steinert is working on a hat trick. The third company with blockbuster potential is ApartmentAdvisor, headquartered in Cambridge. Across the river in the Back Bay, it’s Steinert’s desire for a new CarGurus HQ that has driven the big Back Bay tower being built over the turnpike, which will also house the newly Bostonian company Lego. And he’s generous with his business and tech advice, for which he is much valued and sought after (he’s recently been posting “startup rules” on LinkedIn and X).
66. Michael Curry
President and CEO, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
In his role on the national NAACP board, Curry was instrumental in bringing that group’s convention to Boston last summer—a huge step in his efforts to help the city get past its racially divided history. At the Mass League, meanwhile, he’s teamed up with Mass General Brigham to pump millions of dollars into substance-abuse treatment programs.
67. Robert Reynolds
Chair, Great-West Lifeco
For years, Reynolds built himself up as a major force in Boston business, finance, and public policy as head of Putnam Investments. After the nearly $1 billion sale of that business last year, which left him as chair of the parent company, he’s continuing that engagement: Those who work with him at such influential organizations as the Massachusetts High Technology Council and the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership say Reynolds is as involved in local matters as ever.
68. Josh Kraft
President, New England Patriots Foundation
All Josh Kraft does is make friends throughout Boston’s many nooks and crannies. Much of that is due to his full-time job overseeing a suite of family philanthropies, as well as his participation in nonprofit organizations, including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston and the Urban League—all of which have earned him visibility and appreciation.
69. Rob Hale
Cofounder and President, Granite Telecommunications
When UMass Boston’s 2023 graduating class heard their commencement speaker would be Hale, they likely expected life and career advice from the self-made billionaire and Celtics co-owner. They probably didn’t expect $1,000 each—half for themselves, half to give away. It was in line with Hale’s reputation in town, though: He has personally donated more than $300 million to charitable causes, according to Forbes, and annually convinces high-profile Bostonians—including current and former governors—to get their hair shorn at his “Saving by Shaving” fundraiser, which this year raised $3.5 million for Boston Children’s Hospital.
70. Steven Samuels
Founder, Chairman, and Principal, Samuels & Associates
Samuels’s ambitious development has com-pletely remade the Fenway over the past 20 years, and apparently, there’s still more to be done: He’s set to build a life-sciences complex where the Star Market has long stood next. It’s not just that neighborhood he’s transforming, either. Samuels is building in the Back Bay, South Boston, Dorchester, and even as far away as Lynn.
71. Darryl Settles
President and Managing Partner, Catalyst Ventures Development
Settles has so many titles—restaurateur, real estate developer, investor, mentor—that we
sometimes forget his role in Boston’s music scene. He founded the (now defunct) Beantown Jazz Festival, after all, and recently spearheaded a tribute concert in honor of the legendary 1968 James Brown broadcast that calmed Boston after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. BECMA—the economic empowerment organization he cofounded—just honored Settles with an Icon Award, while the Men of Color Conference gave him its Trailblazer Award; both terms are certainly appropriate for this much-loved Bostonian.
72. Grace Lee
Eastern Massachusetts Regional President, M&T Bank
In her first full year atop the little bank that could, Lee’s institution was named the number one Minority Lender of the Year in Massachusetts. But she’s doing more than handing out money: Lee has recently joined the boards of directors at both South Shore Health and the MassINC policy center. And while others have reduced their office space, Lee’s bank is growing: She recently signed a lease for bigger digs at Winthrop Center.
73. Damian Wilmot
Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Bridgebio
Over the past few years, Wilmot has used his contacts and influence in Boston’s business and charitable worlds to bolster the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, which he cocreated and chairs. Thanks to Wilmot’s reach, that entity has raised more than $40 million—and invested $13 million of it into 150-plus organizations.
74. Brooks Tingle
President and CEO, John Hancock
Named a year ago as successor to Marianne Harrison, Tingle now has the reins at one of Boston’s most iconic corporations (even if it is now owned by Canada’s Manulife). He’s determined to use that power to help Bostonians live longer, and is currently expanding the insurance giant’s local partnerships—including with MIT’s Age Lab and the City of Boston’s Age Strong Commission—to research and promote longevity.
75. Ruthzee Louijeune
City Council President
Boston’s political insiders say that this 37-year-old Hyde Park resident is Boston’s brightest rising star since Ayanna Pressley, so it makes sense that everybody in town is trying to attach themselves to her. The top vote-getter in November’s elections, Louijeune will soon show the city what she can accomplish on the fractious council, especially when it comes to priorities such as housing and economic inequality.
76. Quincy Miller
President, Vice Chair, and COO, Eastern Bank
Miller added chief operating officer to his title after Eastern’s merger with Cambridge Trust, but everybody knows he’s really CEO-in-waiting some time in the future. He’s also expanding his national profile as the new chair of the Consumer Bankers Association. But his influence is felt all over Boston, in the multitude of nonprofit and business organizations he takes part in.
77. Sam Kennedy
CEO, Fenway Sports Group
That’s a brand-new title for the fearless leader and CEO of your Boston Red Sox—a job he’s retaining while taking the helm of the team’s parent company. Kennedy has also made fans happy by bringing former Sox general manager (and Brookline High teammate) Theo Epstein back into the fold. Off the field, his community involvement remains unquestioned, as seen in his work with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Camp Harbor View, the Base, and other organizations.
78. Matthew Teitelbaum
Director, Museum of Fine Arts
The leading voice of the city’s cultural institutions, Teitelbaum continues to keep the MFA fresh nearly a decade into his tenure—witness the current “Hallyu! The Korean Wave” exhibition or the long lines for free entrance on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He’s also led the way on ethical issues surrounding art collections, removing sacred Native American objects from display, returning allegedly smuggled antiquities, and reaching a settlement for a Nazi-stolen painting.
79. Jane Steinmetz
Boston Office Managing Principal, Ernst & Young
They know her in the Fortune 100 executive suites, in the halls of Beacon Hill, and in the boardrooms of the city’s biggest nonprofits. Steinmetz, the first and still only female head of a Boston “Big 4” accounting firm, has been especially involved in helping women: That includes teaming up with the Boston University School of Public Health to study the current state of online women’s health resources and improve health equity. Not only that, but the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts also just gave her a Leading Women Award.
80. Sam Slater
Managing Partner, Tremont Asset Management
The real estate guru’s investments in Boston keep growing—he just snapped up a $15 million, eight-story Fort Point office build-ing on Summer Street and unveiled the new Babcock Place apartments in Coolidge Corner. But Slater—who moonlights as a Hollywood producer—is just as known around town for his involvement in nonprofits and the parties he hosts.
81. Kirk Sykes
Managing Director, Accordia Partners
Sykes is still fighting, as he has for years, for more equitable development in Boston. Case in point is his ambitious Dorchester Bay City development on Columbia Point, which just got approval from the city. The $5 billion, 21-building plan is expected to be transformative, resulting in more than 15 acres of publicly accessible space, including a 2.7 acre water-front park—to say nothing of the financial benefits for UMass, which owns and will receive lease payments on much of the land.
82. Demond Martin
Cofounder and CEO, Wellwithall
After 22 years leading Adage Capital Management—and using much of his resulting wealth for philanthropy—Martin has started a new venture. WellWithAll sells health supplements, with 20 percent of profits going to fight racial health inequities. As you would expect given Martin’s years of well-placed networks, he has great partners, including the Dimock Center, and huge ambitions of investing $300 million over 10 years into the community.
83. Susan Goldberg
President and CEO, GBH
As Goldberg continues to put her stamp on the ever-expanding public broadcasting giant, she has brought aboard new heads of fundraising and editorial projects. She also launched the first new GBH News radio show in a decade—The Culture Show—and promptly received a $5 million grant from the Fiducia Fund to support it. Another grant, from the Barr Foundation, helped Goldberg create an Equity and Justice reporting unit.
84. Elizabeth Lowrey
Principal, Elkus Manfredi Architects
An industry leader in designing collaborative workspaces, Lowrey is in high demand as Boston businesses try to create (and fill) the offices of the future. Third Rock Ventures in the Fenway, Goulston & Storrs at Post Office Square, and AEW Capital Management in the Seaport are among the companies that have relied on Lowrey’s expertise lately.
85. Julie Kim
u.s. Business Unit President, Takeda
Called “one of the biggest decision-makers in pharma” by an industry publication, Kim has become a high-demand national speaker on drug development, management and leadership, and diversity and inclusion. She’s also heavily involved in growing and diversifying life sciences here in Boston, including her work with Governor Healey on expanding the Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative, which supports underrepresented life-sciences entrepreneurs.
86. Margaret Low
CEO, WBUR
What happens when an award-winning journalist like Low runs a public radio station? Just take a look around WBUR’s newsroom, which cranks out some of the best reporting and commentary around—not just for Bostonians, but nationally with On Point and Here & Now. Low also loves to use the station to spark local conversations; in May 2025, to mark the station’s 75th birthday, she’s hosting a three-day public festival at its CitySpace events venue.
87. Tracy Campion
Principal and Owner, Campion and Company
Number one in Boston again. Top ten in the country again. Campion’s perch atop the local real estate market remains untouched and untouchable even as going rates for properties have skyrocketed. Speaking of which, if you’ve got $35 million to spend, she can show you the two-story penthouse of your dreams.
88. Yamini Rangan
CEO, HubSpot
Rangan’s success at HubSpot—the biggest software company in Massachusetts—has made the exec a much-sought-after speaker across the Hub (see her recent MIT Sloan School of Management keynote). And she’s not done yet: Rangan’s already started work on the company’s next act, which involves an AI-driven tool dubbed ChatSpot that helps connect businesses and customers.
89. Makeeba McCreary
President, New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund
The New Commonwealth Fund leader’s stature in the nonprofit funding community has made her a go-to for advice among the city’s biggest names and organizations. McCreary’s method, which involves a more-open application process and lots of legwork with grassroots organizations, has now been adopted by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
90. Yvonne Greenstreet
CEO, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Named the 2024 Woman of the Year by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, Greenstreet continues to earn accolades for running a model workplace while developing cutting-edge drugs. The Cambridge company had a setback with its heart disease drug trials last year, but given the positive news on its treatments for hypertension and type 2 diabetes—and its $1.2 billion in net revenue last year—it’s clear Greenstreet is poised for big things in the years ahead.
» The Interview: Biotech Leader and Alnylam CEO Yvonne Greenstreet
91. Raj Sharma
Founder and Managing Director, the Sharma Group, Merrill
Sharma is, above all, the market analyst who wealthy and powerful Bostonians pay close attention to. But he’s not just Forbes’ number 10 wealth advisor in the country, or a Barron’s Hall of Fame superstar—he’s also a philanthropist and community leader who just received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the New England Choice Awards gala.
92. Ben Mezrich
Author
It’s exhausting just to contemplate what Boston’s bestseller factory has done this year: His latest page-turner, Breaking Twitter, outlines headline-grabber Elon Musk’s battle with Twitter. The movie Dumb Money, about the GameStop investment saga, is the latest Hollywood treatment of one of his books. His upcoming historical novel involves Bostonians Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere. And last year, he and his wife, Tonya, published the fourth installment of their Charlie Numbers children’s book series. A prolific storyteller, he tackles big subjects in a way anyone can grasp.
93. Glen Thornborough
President, TD Garden
Promoted in October to succeed powerhouse Amy Latimer, both as head of the Garden and COO of the Bruins, Thornborough has been busy: opening the Bruins Heritage Hall centennial exhibit; hosting the Women’s Beanpot for its first time at TD Garden; and welcoming the arena’s first house artist. Also worth noting: As of this writing, the Bruins and Celtics had won around 75 percent of their home games since Thornborough became head of TD Garden, and nothing’s more important than that.
94. Jackie Jenkins-Scott
Interim President, Roxbury Community College
Jenkins-Scott’s yearlong 50th-anniversary celebrations at RCC have reminded Bosto-nians of the vital role the institution plays in the city. And “interim” or not, she’s building and planning as aggressively as she did while head of the Dimock Center and Wheelock College: She just announced a new Business Innovation Center and a Center for Economic and Social Justice at the school.
95. Vikki Spruill
President and Ceo, New England Aquarium
As far as we’re concerned, keeping sea lions out on Central Wharf Plaza is a big enough contribution to Boston’s civic life. But Spruill has a lot more in mind: most notably, activism to protect and save Boston’s waterfront from the effects of climate change. That includes introducing new eco-conscious harbor tours, lobbying on Beacon Hill for “blue economy” policies, and working with the Environmental Protection Agency on preserving coastal habitats that naturally remove harmful carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
96. Ernie Boch Jr.
President and CEO, Subaru of New England
Having sold most of his car dealerships (though not his ever-expanding collection of automobiles), Boch is increasingly known for his philanthropy. Whether personally or through his Music Drives Us foundation, Boch spreads his money around while making his mark on New England life and culture through the Boch Center’s shows, education programs, and Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame.
97. Monica Tibbits-Nutt
Secretary and CEO, Massachusetts Department of Transportation
Tibbits-Nutt has proven her chops since taking the state’s top transportation job last September: She’s accelerated T repairs, coordinated quick recovery on the roads after October’s flood damage, and created a dedicated office to make the MBTA and highways more resilient to climate change. But it’s her ability to get federal funding that has been the most pleasant surprise: $108 million for east-west railway infrastructure, $335 million for the Allston turnpike mega-project, and $372 million (so far) for replacing the Sagamore Bridge are some of the biggest-ticket items she’s scored.
98. Andrew Meyer Jr.
Founding Partner, Lubin & Meyer
There are few greater friends to patient and public safety than Meyer. Case in point: When Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly announced the inaugural members of its new Hall of Fame last fall, among the judges, professors, and big-firm legends was malpractice attorney Meyer. The newspaper cited not just the hundreds of millions of dollars he’s won for clients, but the “life-saving changes” he’s forced hospitals and manufacturers—and the state’s Board of Registration—to implement.
99. Nicole Obi
President and CEO, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA)
Everybody wants to team up with Obi, who has quickly become the city’s most visible advocate for racial equity since taking the helm of BECMA in 2022. She was recently named to the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative Advisory Board and the New England Aquarium Board of Trustees, and Governor Healey just made her chair of the Diverse and Small Business Advisory Board at the state’s Supplier Diversity Office.
» The Interview: Black Economic Council of Massachusetts Head Nicole Obi
100. Noemi “Mimi” Ramos
Executive Director, New England United 4 Justice
Ramos is certainly not new to Boston grassroots activism, but her influence—on issues ranging from transportation to childcare to limiting the Uber/Lyft “gig economy” model—has recently reached another level, in part because of her relationship with Mayor Wu. Ramos’s fingerprints have been all over Wu’s policy initiatives since she cochaired the transition committee. She was also recently chosen by the Boston Foundation to receive sustained funding, and helped organize a city tour when the NAACP National Convention came to town last summer.
101. Alastair Bell
President and CEO, Boston Medical Center Health System
Bell is still pretty new as the head of this local healthcare institution, but he’s already scored some impressive wins. He opened a rehab clinic at South Bay; got approval from the state to develop a recovery campus near Franklin Park; and landed multimillion-dollar gifts from MassMutual and philanthropist Ted Truscott. Also, a few months ago BMC became the first-ever hospital to offer newly developed gene therapies for sickle cell disease. Not bad for his first year on the job.
102. Chris Jamison
CEO, COJE Management Group
Yvonne’s, Lolita, Ruka, Mariel, Coquette, Caveau (and the modern Chinese restaurant Mr. H coming soon)… Jamison’s gorgeous, eclectic, and always delicious nightspots have people using terms like “glam” when talking about the city after dark. If that’s not proof of influencing Boston life, nothing is.
» How COJE Restaurants Put the Sizzle Back into Boston Dining
103. Christine Schuster
President and CEO, Emerson Health
As head of one of the few independent hospitals still standing in the state—one that recently received national accolades for its quality of care and safety record—Schuster has some ideas about how Massachusetts should face the healthcare industry’s challenges. She’s using her perch with the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association and the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission to speak up—and policymakers are listening.
104. Julie Jones
Chair, Ropes & Gray
Jones presides over a firm of nearly 1,500 lawyers, with annual revenues in the billions. She negotiates multibillion-dollar business deals. And her leadership has been recognized in top-three rankings for the most innovative and well-rounded law firms. So when Jones announced that she would require employees to be back in the office four days a week, it sparked a reassessment of WFH culture among Boston’s top corporate executives.
105. Maggie Gold Seelig
Founder, MGS Group Real Estate
With nearly $200 million in deals last year, Seelig continues to show her ability to match multimillion-dollar homes with Boston’s power brokers. She’s had, and continues to have, some of the most spectacular listings in and around the city, including a huge penthouse at the Tudor downtown, a Weston estate with an indoor basketball court, and a spread in Needham featuring a medieval-themed bar.
106. Annissa Essaibi George
President and Ceo, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston
The unsuccessful mayoral campaign of 2021 is long behind her, but the contacts, goodwill, and savvy built during her political career remain. Essaibi George recently teamed up with her former fellow City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, for instance, to secure $250,000 from the federal government for the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston’s mentoring work. And even before Mayor Wu came up with free museum days, Essaibi George had convinced the Museum of Science to offer free access to the 1,200 girls she serves, and their mentors.
107. Yolanda Coentro
President and CEO, Institute for Nonprofit Practice
Many of the area’s most effective social-impact leaders point to Coentro as inspiration and a source of their success. She has, after all, worked with their organizations to make them more effective and more diverse. Besides, her Institute for Nonprofit Practice trained many of them personally—including Coentro herself, who went through the INP program and later came back to run the place. That’s why this January, on a snowy Gillette field, Josh Kraft presented Coentro with the CVS Health Female Leader of the Year Award.
108. Sean O’Brien
General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
In a viral video from a Capitol Hill hearing last November, an Oklahoma senator had to be restrained from physically assaulting a union leader who was calmly taunting him. To plenty of Bostonians, that pugnacious union leader was a familiar face—after all, O’Brien, who previously led Charlestown’s Teamsters Local 25, has been battling politicans for years. And they know he usually gets what he’s fighting for, as he did with a new UPS contract in 2023.
109. Patrick Lyons
Owner, Lyons Group
If you’ve had drinks at Alibi, Italian cuisine at Scampo, bowled at one of the many Kings, or hit Bleacher Bar before a game, you have Lyons to thank—and those are just a few of the dining and drinking venues from Boston’s food and fun impresario. His iconic Sonsie restaurant on Newbury, meanwhile, recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and is still going strong—as is Lyons himself, who was recently captured on national TV sitting next to Larry David at a TD Garden NCAA game.
110. Michael Carucci
Executive Vice President, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
The Realtor delivers concierge service to Boston’s elite power brokers and has more than $2 billion in sales to back it up. And an A-list Rolodex, too: Carucci’s happy clients include Ernie Boch Jr., Lydia Shire, Bruce Percelay, Herb Chambers, Nick Varano, Michael Dell, and plenty of other movers and shakers around town.
111. Anthony Davis Jr.
Founder and Ceo, the Davis System
Ask local insiders the secret weapon of recent political campaigns, and they’ll point to Davis and his organizing skills. He formed his company after playing a key role in Michelle Wu’s successful 2021 mayoral campaign; Governor Healey and Ayanna Pressley are among those who have turned to him. And he now does much more than political campaigns, including organizing the citywide NAACP Day of Action & Service during the big convention last summer.
112. Beth Boland
Partner, Foley & Lardner
With Barbara Lee easing into retirement, Boland stands as Greater Bos-ton’s next biggest proponent of, and fundraiser for, women in politics—serving as Governor Healey’s finance cochair was only the most visible example of the extensive work that she’s done to create the female leadership you see today. But that’s just a piece of what’s put Boland into the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame. There’s also her litigation and corporate governance work at Foley & Lardner, and her advocacy for women in the law profession.
113. Yvonne Garcia
Chief of Staff to the CEO, State Street
Garcia is everywhere around Boston these days. There she was at the JFK Library, giving a speech to newly naturalized citizens; at the Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Network event accepting a Pinnacle Award; and standing with Governor Healey as a member of the Advisory Council on Latino Empowerment. Garcia’s extensive local involvement almost makes you forget her global stature—until you see her at the World Economic Forum in Davos, presenting a report on inclusionary practices for the tech industry.
114. Diana Hwang
Founder and Executive Director, Asian American Women’s Political Initiative
Through her work with political organizations representing women and people of color, Hwang’s stature was already growing in Massachusetts. But when she turned to empowering, training, and funding Asian-American women in politics, she filled a national niche and became a powerhouse. In Politico’s 2023 Recast Power List, Hwang was included beside the Democratic leader in the U.S. House, the vice president, a Supreme Court Justice, and Bad Bunny.
115. Pamela Everhart
Head of Regional Public Affairs, Inclusion, and Impact, Fidelity Investments
Abigail Johnson may be the brains of Fidelity, but Everhart is the company’s public face: She’s the one who sits on nonprofit boards all over town, the one who advises Governor Healey, and the one you’re likely to catch giving an inspiring or educational speech. Everhart was also the one who recently introduced Fidelity’s $250 million Invest in My Education program to assist students of color, and now oversees the company’s diversity and inclusion office.
116. Denella Clark
President and CEO, Boston Arts Academy Foundation
Thanks to Clark’s funding efforts, the city’s public school for visual and performing arts has a new building, a wealth of institutional support (check out the local heavy hitters who attend the annual October BAA Honors event), and tons of talented students. Just this past year you could catch a fashion technology exhibit, a Shrek musical, a “Day of Dance,” and a special Spiritual Ensemble performance at the JFK Library.
117. Tamara Small
CEO, NAIOP Massachusetts
As head of the commercial real estate trade association during a tough time for the industry, Small finds herself fighting for those who develop and lease office buildings. Fortunately for her members, Small has a big voice in public policy at both the state and local levels. She helped shape Governor Healey’s $4 billion housing-bond bill and got provisions for real estate developers included in tax-relief legislation. But she’s not shy about bringing heat to public officials on behalf of her powerful members, as she recently did when Mayor Wu proposed raising taxes on commercial properties.
118. Herby Duverné
CEO, Windwalker Group
Businessman, developer, investor, governor’s appointee, volunteer, inspirational speaker—movie mogul? Through RISE Development and Construction, Duverné has plans to bring a large film studio to Braintree. We’ll see if that is as successful as everything else he does. Regardless, his housing and commercial real estate empire keeps growing in and around the city, and his connections are outstanding.
119. David Nagahiro
President and CEO, CBT Architects
As head of one of Boston’s biggest design firms, Nagahiro is in the middle of dramatically changing the exterior look and interior workspaces of the city. His sleek, curving designs for Bulfinch Crossing are now under construction, and many of his buildings, such as 121 Seaport, are similarly distinctive. Nagahiro is also committed to Boston’s arts community and the betterment of the city as a whole, serving on the advisory board for Artists for Humanity, as well as the board of the Boston Preservation Alliance.
120. Billy Starr
Founder and Executive Director, Pan-Mass Challenge
Starr’s annual community bike ride has, through the force of his own personality and perseverance, become an iconic symbol of both Boston’s charitable spirit and its elite medical status. The event is the most successful athletic fundraiser in the world and provides the largest share of funding for both the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Now in its 45th year, with thousands of cyclists covering routes all over the eastern half of the state, it’s expected to surpass $1 billion raised in total for cancer research and treatment this year.
121. Chanda Smart
Cofounder and CEO, Onyxgroup Development and Realty
With her firm focused on affordable housing, Smart is helping design a major Nubian Square development, as well as housing in Brockton and Foxborough. She has also become indispensable to city and state leaders on both sides of the political aisle, including Charlie Baker (who appointed her to the MBTA Board of Directors) and Michelle Wu (who put her on Boston’s Rent Stabilization Advisory Committee).
122. Jessica Tang
President, Boston Teachers Union
Roughly 10,000 current and former teachers belong to the BTU, but if anything, that underestimates the power of the group—and the woman behind it. Tang won big concessions in the last three-year contract with the city, and successfully lobbied for more education funding in the latest state budget. Then she scored a big victory this year when she unionized one of the city’s oldest charter schools—a feat her predecessors have struggled to achieve. Other labor organizers and progressive leaders in the city see Tang as a strong ally, which means they’ll have her back in the new contract negotiations just under way with the Wu administration.
123. Moddie Turay
President and CEO, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation
Many people say that we need more housing stock; Turay is the guy actually getting it done. Last year, he raised $42 million from some of Boston’s biggest financial institutions to invest in housing development; some of that money is now being used to build a 47-unit complex on Northampton Street in Lower Roxbury. Now, through a partnership with the state’s quasi-public MassHousing, Turay has another $50 million to put toward loans for housing developers from socially and economically disadvantaged communities, with plans to raise another $25 million.
124. Ibram X. Kendi
Founder and Director, Center for Antiracist Research, Boston University
After a rocky few months last fall, Kendi is continuing his work at his BU center, so don’t expect the antiracism guru’s star to fade any time soon. In fact, Kendi remains in high demand and maintains tremendous sway over the crucial public dialogue on diversity and equity. For instance, he recently landed highly respected Los Angeles Times journalist Jamil Smith as editor in chief of the center’s digital publication, The Emancipator.
125. John Valverde
President and CEO, YouthBuild USA
Known as an inspirational leader and speaker, Valverde has bigwigs like Bank of America’s Brian Moynihan and U.S. Senator Ed Markey directing funds and assistance toward his Roxbury-based nonprofit to provide education, job training, and opportunity to thousands upon thousands of young people all over the world. You’ll find YouthBuild members doing construction and community service around Boston, in Lowell, and nearly 280 other cities around the globe.
126. Jay Bernhardt
President, Emerson College
The school’s newly inaugurated leader says the world needs more “Emersonians,” and he fully intends to fashion some, all while presiding over a real estate empire thanks to the school’s holdings around Boston Common (including the prized Emerson Colonial and Cutler Majestic theaters). At the same time, Bernhardt is focused on prepping for the institution’s 150th anniversary in 2030, continuing Emerson’s pursuit of climate sustainability, and filling a slate of senior administrative positions.
127. Danielle Kim
Executive Director, the Boston Foundation Asian Community Fund
Kim has powerful connections around town, including inside City Hall. Case in point: she and Mayor Wu hosted an impressive AAPI arts-and-culture gathering in September. But it’s through her work at the Boston Foundation Asian Community Fund that she’s really making an impact: More than three dozen local organizations, ranging from Boston Little Saigon to the Chinatown Project, received grants last year to promote arts, health, leadership, and entrepreneurship in the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
128. Marcelo Suárez-Orozco
Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Boston
Suárez-Orozco must have serious juice: after all, he has people and institutions lining up, money in hand, to partner with UMass Boston. He recently received $10 million from New Balance to fund a sports leadership institute, another $10 million from Mass General Brigham to expand a training program for nurses from underrepresented communities, and $5 million from tech entrepreneur Paul English for an artificial intelligence institute. Even the city is getting in on the action: At a press conference with Suárez-Orozco, Mayor Wu committed $2.5 million to a collaboration that will place UMass Boston–trained mental health practitioners at Boston Public Schools.
129. Jon Chesto
Reporter, the Boston Globe
“Chesto Means Business,” proclaims the slug atop his column, and that’s what pretty much everybody in town thinks as well. Following stellar stints at the Patriot Ledger and the Boston Business Journal, Chesto arrived at the Globe and became the must-read on all of the city’s life-science companies, C-suite turnovers, and clashes between developers and politicians. And, of course, everybody wants not only to get mentioned in Chesto’s “Bold Types” column, but also to get an accompanying Chris Morris illustration.
130. Christopher Dagesse
President, DCD Automotive Holdings
There’s a strong lineage of high-powered car dealers making their mark on the local scene, and Dagesse appears to be the next in that line. Several years after buying most of the Boch auto dealerships, Dagesse has renamed them Nucar—part of a corporate growth effort that includes online car buying and expansion into New Hampshire and beyond.
131. Steve DiFillippo
Owner, Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
DiFillippo does more than just run his Italian steakhouses, of which there are now 11 nationwide. He also influences the gastronomic conversation in other ways, whether he’s cooking up dishes on the local news or acting as “honorary chef” for a New England Patriots fundraising event. And given that the dining-industry vet literally wrote the book on how to treat guests, it’s no wonder he’s in demand as a speaker for aspiring restaurateurs.
132. Pratt Wiley
President and CEO, the Partnership
As head of a leadership development organization that connects Boston-area multicultural professionals with employers and opportunities, Wiley is leading the conversation on the city’s diverse future. And we do mean that literally: He’s been called upon for speaking engagements lately by everyone from real estate bigwigs to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
133. Rachel Flor
Executive Director, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
It’s hard to overstate the power of Kennedy connections in Boston, and as the leader of the JFK Library Foundation, Flor stands at the center of those networks. Her work was especially felt of late, with a special exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of JFK’s death and events here and in Ireland to mark his visit there as president. Flor is such a key convener, she hosted the Get Konnected! Includers event at the library this spring.
134. Teri Williams
President and COO, OneUnited Bank
Running the daily operations of the country’s largest—and growing—Black-owned bank is, for Williams, a way to improve the financial lives of Black Bostonians. And those beyond Boston, too; in all, she has provided close to $1 billion in loans to people in low- and moderate-income communities. But it begins here at home, where the former BECMA chair recently received that organization’s Icon Award.
135. Eric Papachristos
CEO, A Street Hospitality
Papachristos didn’t just bring his own restaurant business back from the challenges of the pandemic; he dispensed advice, assistance, and encouragement for other Boston hospitality companies to recover and thrive. Now he has two exciting projects on the horizon: a rebuild of the beloved Venetian restaurant in Weymouth, which he’s completely redoing as part of his transformative plan for Jackson Square, and his hotly anticipated collab with chef Jody Adams, La Padrona in the Raffles Boston hotel.
136. Lyndia Downie
President and Executive Director, Pine Street Inn
Downie, who leads the largest service organization addressing homelessness in New England, has been expanding rapidly lately to keep up with the growing need. She recently renovated the organization’s South End shelter for women; is building a new housing development in Jamaica Plain; and is planning 99 new housing units for the elderly in Dorchester. She can do that in large part because she seems able to get everybody in town to help, from the Yawkey Foundation making a huge donation to Cardinal Sean O’Malley shaking hands with residents on Christmas Day.
137. Frank DePasquale
Owner, DePasquale Ventures
The unofficial Mayor of the North End opened Umbria, an Italian steakhouse, last summer and announced the expansion of his Dolce gelato and coffee shop this year. One estimate says he now has more than 20,000 square feet of businesses in the crowded neighborhood. No wonder that when BBC News did a recent travel guide of the North End for Brits, it went straight to DePasquale for advice.
138. Christy Cashman
Actress and Author
Just to be clear: While Cashman and her husband do own a 12th-century castle in Ireland, the socialite, philanthropist, and style leader is still very much a Bostonian. She remains deeply involved with the Associates of the Boston Public Library and other local organizations, and even credits a writing workshop in Boston for helping her pen her first novel, published last August (and being made into a movie). In fact, her YouthINK mentoring nonprofit offers creative retreats and workshops in her two hometowns.
139. Nick Varano
Owner and CEO, the Varano Group
When Mariah Carey finished her TD Garden Christmas performance, she dined at Strega by Nick Varano. Not much of a surprise, considering that celebs and sports stars drop by the North End stalwart all the time. Not one to rest on his laurels, though, Varano recently closed one of his other restaurants, Rina’s Pizzeria, with a promise to deliver something “new and exciting” at the Hanover Street site soon.
140. Julia Mejia
City Councilor at Large
Mejia has called herself “the loudest voice on the council” fighting for equity and justice issues, and few would disagree. Successfully transferring her activist roots into City Hall, she has made Boston’s disaffected feel genuinely seen by their government—often literally, as Mejia invites allies like the Chica Project to the council chamber. She’s also been effective enough to chair three important committees: one on education; one on economic development; and one of her own creation on government accountability, transparency, and accessibility.
141. Marlo Fogelman
Founder and CEO, Marlo Marketing
The marketing maven for such local names as Zoo New England, Narragansett Beer, and all of COJE Management Group’s nightclubs and restaurants has been remaking her own brand lately. Positioning herself as a one-stop, outsourced chief marketing officer for businesses, Fogelman launched two new divisions last year, one focused on hospitality and the other on senior living. Ahead of the curve and leading the way, as usual.
142. Jean Dolin
Founder, Boston LGBQT+ Museum of Art, History & Culture
Displayed on the Common and City Hall Plaza, Dolin’s “Portraits of Pride” public art exhibition drove home how much LGBQT+ history and culture resides here. It also garnered attention for Dolin’s bigger plan: a museum dedicated to that idea. The planned Boston LGBQT+ Museum of Art, History & Culture officially registered as a nonprofit in October and held its first fundraiser in February.
143. David Altman
Managing Partner, Altman Nussbaum Shunnarah Trial Attorneys
You may have seen his face on one of the hundred wrapped Ubers driving around town. Altman, who’s emerged as Boston’s powerhouse personal injury advocate, recently partnered with two other top barristers to form a law firm with a presence in 11 states (six offices in Massachusetts) that has collectively recovered more than $1 billion for their clients. A third-generation lawyer, Altman also gives back, including serving on the host committee of the David Ortiz Children’s Fund.
144. Karilyn Crockett
Professor of Urban History, Public Policy & Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Crockett’s expertise on 20th-century urban land use continues to inform the city’s policy on transportation, housing, and more. Former Mayor Marty Walsh brought her into City Hall as the city’s first chief of equity, but these days, Crockett is driving the conversation from the outside: She recently organized an MIT hackathon on Boston’s racial wealth gap and is leading an initiative around the 50th anniversary of BPS desegregation that examines the educational inequities yet to be solved.
145. Greg Hill
Host, The Greg Hill Show
Bostonians love talking about sports, and WEEI’s top brass has made sure Hill continues driving that conversation by putting him on weekday mornings and signing him to a multiyear contract. He’ll keep landing the big interviews and asking the provocative questions, and you can be sure he’ll continue raising and distributing money through the Greg Hill Foundation, too, which will celebrate its 15th anniversary next year.
146. Liz Cheng
General Manager for Television, GBH
The television exec is in charge of all the programming you and your kids enjoy on the local PBS stations, their streaming platforms, and GBH’s World channel. In fact, she’s created quite a few of those programs herself. You can also now hear her on GBH radio, cohosting Stories from the Stage series. And away from the studios, Cheng makes her impact through organizations such as Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
147. Steve Walsh
President and CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
First, Walsh brought community hospitals into his already-powerful association advocating for the state’s hospitals. Now, with staffing shortages and other issues causing capacity problems at Massachusetts hospitals, he’s allied the state’s insurers, nursing homes, and state regulators on his plan to ease the crunch. Walsh is also showing his coalition-building skills as he tackles everything from health equity to cyberattacks.
148. Andrew Gilman
Chief Marketing Officer, NWN Carousel
With lots of help from Gilman, the tech company is providing collaboration services for some of the area’s biggest entities: networking for Eversource Energy, for example, and cloud communications for Boston College Athletics. And after NWN’s recent acquisition by American Securities, the company plans to grow even faster, tripling annual revenues. Gilman also puts NWN’s good works in the spotlight, partnering with Year Up and the Pete Frates Family Foundation, and the Joe Andruzzi Foundation.
149. Marty Walsh
Executive Director, National Hockey League Players’ Association
This isn’t necessarily where Walsh really ranks among the city’s power brokers, but since so much of his influence is exercised under the radar, it will have to do for now. Maybe it’s a coincidence that Boston was just selected as the host city for next year’s first-ever “NHL 4 Nations Face-Off” tournament. But we don’t think Walsh leaves much to chance when it comes to Boston; even three years after his mayorship ended, he’s still living here and remains involved behind the scenes. He certainly has no shortage of powerful allies willing to help him accomplish his goals—here and in the White House, where President Joe Biden recently appointed him to the Postal Service’s Board of Governors.
150. Patriots Quarterback TBD
By the time you read this, the mystery may be solved; the NFL draft, scheduled for late April, is likely to bring us a QB on whom we can place our hopes for a fresh start. Or maybe we’ll find ourselves cheering a veteran via free agency or trade. All we know is that this city hasn’t been the same since the end of the you-know-who era, and we need a reason to root for the home team again.
Photo Credits: Ken Richardson (Healey, Pizzuti Henry, Rivers, Pelton, Jemison, Idowu, Churchwell, Francisco, Phillips, Kane, Holaday, Sheridan, Barnes, Collier, Miller, McCreary, Jenkins-Scott, Spruill, Papachristos, Cashman); Mona Miri (Wu, Obi); Matt Kalinowski (Canales, Clark); Suffolk Construction (Fish); The HYM Investment Group (Thomas O’Brien); Courtesy of New England Patriots/David Silverman (Jonathan Kraft); Courtesy of Representative Pressley (Pressley); Courtesy (Johnson); Greg Mueller/Mueller Design (Klibanski); Eric Levin Photography (the Edgerleys); Courtesy (Moynihan); Wikimedia Commons (Warren); Courtesy (Rooney); Dina Ruddick (Kewalramani); Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (Iselin); Courtesy (Thomas, Budd, Percelay, Sclar, Stephen Davis, Regan, Lloyd); The Boston Globe / Getty Images (Campbell, Wieland); NBAE/Celtics/Getty Images (Brown); New Balance (Davis); Courtesy of UMASS (Meehan); Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (Burlin O’Connell); Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (Eng); John Goodman (Fialkow); Getty Images/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin (Edebiri); Marilyn Humphries (Calderón-Rosado); MassMutual (Crandall); Boston Globe/Getty Images (Kornbluth, Collins, Grousbeck, Greenstreet, Settles, Kennedy, Wieland); Courtesy of Herb Chambers Companies (Chambers); Randomwriter10/Wikimedia Commons (Palandjian); Moderna (Bancel); DraftKings (Robins); Douglas Leavy (Shah); Victor Boyko/Getty Images for Aurora Humanitarian Initiative (Afeyan); Courtesy (Aoun, Phelan, Fallon, Chamberlain, Paris Jeffries, Reynolds, Samuels, Lee, Wilmot, Tingle, Steinmetz, Sykes, Martin, Low, Bell, Schuster, Jones, Hwang, Small, Duverné, Nagahiro, Smart, DePasquale, Hill, Steve Walsh, Gilman); Suzanne Kreiter/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (Gilliam); Diana Levine (Michlewitz); YouTube (Hills); Monica Schipper/Getty Images for AWXI (Steinert); MediaNews Group/Boston Herald/Getty Images (Curry, Josh Kraft); Mike Mejia for The Patriot Ledger (Hale); Oby Ojimba | The Corner 345 (Louijeune); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Teitelbaum); Paul Marotta/Stringer/Getty Images (Slater); Celeste Sloman (Goldberg); Trevor Reid (Lowrey); Liz Linder (Kim); Mitch Weiss (Campion); Chance Yeh/Getty Images (Rangan); Wendy Maeda/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (Sharma); Getty (Mezrich, Meyer Jr.); Courtesy of TD Garden (Thornborough); David Yellen (Boch Jr.); Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images (Tibbits-Nutt); Johnny B (Ramos); Josh Jamison (Jamison); Elevin Studios (Gold Seelig, Altman); Kayden George (Essaibi George); Lauren Page Wadsworth (Coentro); International Brotherhood of Teamsters (O’Brien); Kristina Lyons (Lyons); Cheryl Richards (Carucci); Osakpolo Igiede (Davis Jr.); Joanne Smith (Boland); Courtesy of Charter Communications (Garcia); Fidelity Investments (Everhart); Boston Arts Academy Foundation (Denella Clark); (Nagahiro); 13 Photography (Starr); Courtesy of the Boston Teachers Union (Tang); Courtesy of Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation (Turay); Stephen Voss (Kendi); Courtesy of Anastasia Aranovich Photography (Valverde); Courtesy of Emerson College (Bernhardt); Nicole Ward (Danielle Kim); Wikimedia Commons/Crystalcvalencia (Suárez-Orozco); Boston Globe (Chesto); Christopher Churchill (Dagesse); Briana Moore Photography (DiFillippo); Kevin Thai of Three Circles Studio (Wiley); Rick Bern (Flor); Jeffery Salter (Williams); Richard Howard (Downie); Michael Blanchard (Varano); Vania Arroyo (Mejia); Ellen Callaway (Fogelman); Dolin (Ben Flythe); Dana Smith (Crockett); Courtesy GBH (Cheng); Department of Labor Shawn T Moore (Marty Walsh)