GEORGE BACHRACH
George Bachrach is an attorney, former state Senator and co-founder of CAP. Prior to CAP, he spent ten years as the President of the Environmental League of MA working on climate change and environmental protection, and prior to that he spent ten years as a partner in the Boston law firm of Brown, Rudnick. Earlier in his career he chaired the state boards of the Office for Children and Mass Handgun Control, and co-founded the Commonwealth Summit. George is the author of numerous Op Ed pieces in the Boston Globe and elsewhere, and spent twenty years as an adjunct professor of journalism at Boston University. George also served as an Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County and as campaign manager for US Senator Ed Markey’s first campaign for Congress in 1976. He’s a graduate of Trinity College and Boston University’s School of Law.
STEVE CROSBY
Steve Crosby served most recently as the Founding Chair of the Mass Gaming Commission, and was before that the Founding Dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston. His public sector career has included serving as Chief of Staff to Governor Jane Swift and as Secretary of Administration and Finance under Governor Paul Cellucci. His private sector career was distinguished by serving as CEO of innovative, entrepreneurial companies in publishing and high tech, including The Crosby Vandenbergh Group, SmartRoute Systems and Interactive Radio Corp. An earlier career in politics included serving as Campaign Manager for Massachusetts Governor Frank Sargent and Boston Mayor Kevin H. White. In addition to The Civic Action Project, Steve remains active in the responsible gaming world as recent Chair of the Advisory Board of the National Council on Problem Gambling and Board member of the Mass Council on Gaming and Health, and is active in other non-profits and political campaigns. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston University Law School.
YOGESH GUPTA
A technologist at heart, Yogesh Gupta is passionate about how technology can make life simpler—both for businesses and individuals. Since joining Progress in October 2016 as its President and Chief Executive Officer, he has strengthened the company’s market position, improved customer relationships, launched new products, acquired three companies and significantly improved operating margins and cash flow. Progress has also refreshed its Board of Directors, increasing the diversity of the Board with four new independent members to build a strong new leadership team that can drive further success.
Prior to joining Progress, Yogesh was President and Chief Executive Officer at Kaseya, Inc., a private equity-backed software company providing IT management software solutions to managed service providers. Before Kaseya, he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of FatWire Software, a VC-backed marketing automation software company. He led FatWire through the great recession and doubled its revenue over four years, leading to a successful exit to Oracle. A 30-year software industry veteran, Yogesh held several corporate officer roles at CA Inc., including the role of Chief Technology Officer for five years and Chief Strategy Officer and head of M&A for two years.
A recognized expert in emerging technologies and industry trends as well as a published author, Yogesh holds a patent in the field of neural networks. He earned a master’s degree in computer science from the University of Wisconsin and a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. He also serves on the boards of Beth Israel Lahey Health System (BILHS) and Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC).
IRA JACKSON
Ira Jackson has served in a wide range of leadership positions in the public, the private, academic and nonprofit sectors. He has extensive experience in a variety of roles in higher education at four private and two public universities (Harvard, Claremont, Brandeis, MIT, Arizona State and the University of Massachusetts Boston). Ira served as a top aide to two big city mayors (Newark and Boston), and created the training program for big city mayors at Harvard’s Institute of Politics. He has been dean of both a school of business (Peter Drucker School of Management at the Claremont Colleges) and a school of public policy (McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston) and was director of Harvard’s Center for Business and Government. As Massachusetts Commissioner of Revenue and as executive vice president of a global commercial bank, he earned a reputation as an innovator and creative problem solver. Ira continues to play an active role in civic affairs and philanthropy. He is co-founder, with Steve, George and others, of the Commonwealth Summit, a strategic planning retreat for leaders in Massachusetts, and the Civic Action Project. He teaches, writes and consults on strategy, leadership and social change, with a focus on corporate purpose and issues of race, class and social justice. With Jane Nelson, he is author of Profits with Principles: Seven Strategies for Managing for Value with Values.
JUANA MATIAS
Juana Matias was appointed as HUD Regional Administrator for Region 1 by President Biden in April 2022. In this role, Juana serves as the senior HUD Official for New England which includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. She advances HUD’s mission and programs across the region and is the primary contact for congressional delegations, state and local officials, stakeholders and, most importantly, HUD customers.
Juana is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and previously served as Chief Operating Officer at MassINC. In this capacity, Juana oversaw the organization’s internal operations, policy and advocacy strategy, development, and communications efforts and served as the main spokesperson with elected officials, stakeholders and the media.
Prior to joining MassINC, Juana served as the State Representative for the 16th Essex District, becoming the first Latina immigrant elected to the Massachusetts State House. During her time at the State House, Juana sponsored key legislation to make college affordable, protect immigrant rights, promote access to minority owned and women owned businesses, address inequities in our public-school systems and expand opportunities for working class Americans.
Juana previously served the Merrimack Valley region as a social worker and, after graduating from law school, served as a Justice AmeriCorps Legal Advocate.
PETER BAUER
Peter Bauer is the CEO, Co-founder and Board Member at Mimecast, which he launched in 2003 with fellow Board Member and Co-founder, Neil Murray.
He is the visionary behind Mimecast's SaaS strategy, which empowers businesses across the globe with comprehensive cyber resilience for email. Mimecast's security, archiving, business continuity and risk mitigation products and services are all delivered from a single cloud platform. This home-grown, pure-cloud delivery mechanism enables an intuitive user experience, suited to the way people interact with email today.
The combination of next-generation technology and seamless integration with existing email systems, is the driving force behind Mimecast's success in its mission to transform the way people remain productive, collaborative and efficient in today's ever-changing threat landscape.
Peter was born and raised in South Africa, trained as a Microsoft systems engineer, and began working with corporate messaging systems in the mid-1990s. He moved to the UK where Mimecast was founded and then moved once more, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts in 2011, to lead Mimecast's aggressive push into North America. Since that time, Mimecast has been one of the strongest performers in its market segment in terms of customer acquisition and top-line growth, making Peter one of only a handful of CEOs to have led a pure-Saas company for over 15 years while acquiring tens of thousands of customers worldwide.
STEPHEN DAVIS
As President, Stephen Davis oversees the management of all aspects of Davis’ Investments, Development and Asset Management, playing a leading role in setting firm-wide investment and execution strategy and serving as the President of Davis Investment Ventures, LLC. Stephen chairs the firm’s Executive Committee and is a member of its Investment Committee for each of the active funds.
Prior to his current role, Stephen was a member of Davis’ development group, most recently serving as a Managing Director, where he was involved with the acquisition, concept and design development, permitting, financing, construction and marketing of a broad array of Davis’ ground-up development and redevelopment projects. In addition, Stephen led much of the team’s activities in sourcing new development opportunities, with a particular focus on off-market transactions, assemblage opportunities and creative joint venture structuring. Stephen began his career as an attorney, including a four-year engagement as Associate Counsel in Davis’ legal department.
Stephen also has been active in an array of real estate industry organizations and is a current member of PREA, ULI and NAIOP for which he previously chaired the Developing Leaders committee and served as an Executive Committee member. He has also been actively involved with a number of Boston area nonprofit organizations including Year Up, for which he previously co-chaired the local Leadership Council, and Heading Home where he is currently serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors. Stephen received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University, a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center and a Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) degree from the MIT Center for Real Estate.
JOHN HARTHORNE
John Harthorne is the Founder & Managing Director of Two Lanterns Venture Partners, an industry-agnostic, $25M seed fund focused on US and Israeli software startups.
Prior to launching Two Lanterns in 2020, John was the Founder and 10-year-long CEO of MassChallenge, the most startup-friendly accelerator on the planet. While John was CEO, ~3,000 MassChallenge alumni raised well over $8.5B of funding, generated over $3.5B of revenue, and created over 180,000 jobs.
The World Economic Forum elected John as one of the 2013 Young Global Leaders, and Ernst & Young selected John as Social Entrepreneur of the Year in New England for 2013. John earned his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2007. While at school, John won Grand Prize in the 2007 MIT $100K Business Plan Competition and received the 2007 Patrick J. McGovern Award for impact on quality and visibility of entrepreneurship at MIT.
JAYDA LEDER LUIS
Jayda Leder Luis is a public relations generalist with 10+ years experience building press, social and digital media, marketing, and community engagement campaigns. For four years she managed press and social media for six high-profile state agencies under the Patrick Administration’s Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Jayda was an integral part of the executive team, spearheading awareness projects including regional foreclosure prevention workshops, Consumer Shred Days, Massachusetts Housing Weeks, the Office’s fake scam website initiative, and the “Get the Deal on Care” healthcare transparency campaign. Festival aimed at connecting Millennials of color across Boston’s business scene. In 2020 she and Geri Denterlein were invited to publish an opinion piece for The Boston Globe’s International Women’s Day coverage reflecting on “Millennial women as agents of change in the workplace.”
DAN RIVERA
Dan Rivera most recently served as the President and CEO of MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth’s Development Finance Agency and Land Bank that during fiscal year 2022 financed or managed 356 projects generating investment of $1.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to have created or supported 11,080 jobs and built or preserved 1,778 housing units. Dan came to MassDevelopment after serving seven years as Mayor of the City of Lawrence, MA. During his time as Mayor, the city saw significant commercial development, record new units of housing, and tens of millions of dollars invested in economic development planning and projects. Dan's focus on economic and community development as Mayor included investments in housing, job creation, downtown redevelopment, transit-oriented development and equity, infrastructure, brownfields redevelopment, placemaking, and quality-of-life improvements, and establishing professional, transparent, modern, and streamlined permitting and licensing processes. Dan was a member of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group and COVID-19 Reopening Advisory Board, where he brought the municipal viewpoint to discussions of the Commonwealth's strategy to reopen the economy during COVID-19. Dan has served on the Latino Advisory Commission, charged with addressing concerns of the Massachusetts Latino community, and promoting economic prosperity and well-being. Prior to his two terms as Mayor of Lawrence, Dan held various positions in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Dan is a veteran of the U.S. Army, where he served in the first Gulf War, Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and a graduate of the UMass Amherst and of Suffolk University's Sawyer School of Management, where he earned his MBA.
YOLANDA COENTRO
Yolanda Coentro is the President and CEO of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice (INP), working to equip social impact leaders across the country with the skills, resources, networks, and confidence they need to boldly advance their organizations and missions, creating a more equitable future for all.
Under Yolanda’s leadership, INP has expanded its nationally-recognized leadership development programs and alumni network, and launched new initiatives including the Black Leadership Institute (BLI) – a national leadership development fellowship – substantially increasing program impacts focused on building social sector effectiveness and promoting racial and gender equity.
Named to The NonProfit Times’ “Power & Influence Top 50,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s “15 More People Changing the Nonprofit World,” and the Boston Business Journal’s “Power 50 Movement Makers,” Yolanda is the recipient of the 2021 SCI Idealist Award, the Moakley Public Service Award, and the Barr Fellowship.
Yolanda has consulted with nonprofits and companies across sectors to advance organizational change and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging objectives. Prior to being named President and CEO of INP in 2016, Yolanda held leadership roles at distinguished organizations within the greater Boston area, including The Home for Little Wanderers, YWCA Boston, and Horizons for Homeless Children.
A nationally and locally recognized social impact leader, Yolanda serves as an advisory board member of the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the Center for State Policy Analysis. Yolanda is also active on the Eastern Bank Board of Ambassadors and as a LEAP Ambassador, previously holding seats on the board of The BASE, Silver Lining Mentoring, and Independent Sector’s Public Policy Committee.
Yolanda is a proud alum of the Institute for Nonprofit Practice and a graduate of Boston College where she earned a BA and an MSW.
TURAHN “RAHN” DORSEY
Turahn Dorsey is a researcher, policymaker and strategist whose career has centered around systems change and civic innovation. As Chief Impact Officer, he plays a key leadership role in advancing the Foundation’s approaches to economic mobility and inclusion as well as guiding the Foundation’s efforts on measurement, evaluation and learning. He previously served as a Foundation Fellow with the Eastern Bank Foundation focusing on the transformation of early care and learning systems and guiding the Foundation’s approaches in this area. He was drawn to working with the Foundation because of its commitment to social justice and racial and gender equity, and reputation as a community partner. Additionally, he is the co-founder of Change Agency Ltd., a consulting firm with a mission to build the community-level agency required to promote racial justice and ecological sustainability. Turahn is also the former Chief of Education for the City of Boston, having served in Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s cabinet from 2014 to 2018.
ROY HIRSHLAND
Roy Hirshland is Vice Chairman, member of Savills North American Executive Management Board, and Chair of the Innovation Team. As regional leader in the Boston market, Roy specializes in providing strategic real estate counsel to companies and CEOs around the world. He is committed to helping business leaders think strategically about their company vision and brand, and plan for how their culture and mission can be successfully reflected in their workplace.
Roy joined Savills in 2021 following the company’s partnership with T3 Advisors – the leading real estate workplace solutions advisor to life sciences and technology companies – where he was co-founder and CEO. He brings over 33 years of real estate experience and has managed projects and transactions representing over 10 million SF of real estate across the globe. He built T3 with the confidence and partnership of leading advisors and CEOs and investors to serve the holistic real estate needs of companies in the life sciences, technology, and innovation economy in general.
COUNCILOR RUTHZEE LOUIJEUNE
A grounded, thoughtful, and inclusive leader, Ruthzee Louijeune is working to bring our neighborhoods together where shared prosperity is the foundation of a just and equitable Boston. The daughter of working-class immigrants from Haiti, Ruthzee was born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park and attended Boston Public Schools. Her first job at 14 was as a walking tour guide with the youth organization MYTOWN, offering a people-centered history of Boston’s neighborhoods. Mayor Menino appointed her to a committee to redesign the student assignment process. As a Ward Fellow, she also interned for former State Representative Marie St. Fleur.
Now, as an experienced lawyer, Ruthzee has practiced before Boston Housing Court representing families facing eviction and foreclosure, worked to elect progressive prosecutors around the country, and supported voting rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. She also served as the senior attorney on Senator Warren’s presidential campaign and drafted agreements netting millions of dollars for first-generation homeowners to help close the racial homeownership and wealth gaps with the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA).
As City Councilor At-Large, Ruthzee is fighting for affordable housing and homeownership, support for our immigrant communities, improved funding and teacher diversity at our schools, and using all the tools at the city’s disposal to address racial justice and equity. Her tenure is historic: she is the first Haitian American elected to represent Boston citywide. She is a graduate of Boston Public Schools, Columbia University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is trilingual with French and Haitian Creole and is conversant in Spanish.
SARAH STANTON
Sarah Stanton was appointed Undersecretary of Economic Affairs for the Commonwealth in 2023. She most recently served as Town Manager in Bedford, Massachusetts, and previously held several key roles in local government, including serving as Budget Director for the City of Cambridge, Finance Director/City Auditor for the City of Salem, and other municipal leadership roles in the Town of Ipswich, City of Woburn, and City of Haverhill. She is an adjunct professor of city planning, political science, and public administration graduate programs at Boston University, Merrimack College, and Northeastern University.
AYLA THORNTONA
Ayla Thorntona is the Legislative Director for State Senator Sal DiDomenico. Prior to this, Ayla was Senator DiDomenico’s Legislative Aide for almost two years. Before joining the DiDomenico team, she worked as a Civic Action Project policy fellow and completed the fellowship with Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell’s office working on comprehensive criminal justice reform and assisting constituents from Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, and Dorchester to help address their concerns. Ayla also worked in Washington, DC with United States Representative Tony Cárdenas where she was dedicated to serving California’s 29th district. Her policy interests include the intersection of race and technology, civil rights, criminal/juvenile justice, and anti-poverty work.
Ayla received her BA in Political Science and Spanish at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2020 and her Master of Public Policy degree from UMass Amherst in 2021.