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          Women's Network
          A Fireside Chat with Dr. Melissa Gilliam, Boston University

          This Women's Network event will offer an insightful conversation with Dr. Melissa Gilliam, the 11th President of Boston University and both the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the institution since its founding in 1869.

          06/18/2025

          11:30am - 1:00pm

          Fairmont Copley Plaza

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Special Event
          Talent and Competitiveness in 2025: Finding Opportunity in Uncertain Times

          Join the Chamber and Massachusetts Business Roundtable for a deep dive into employer insights, featuring analysis from McKinsey and a panel of experts.

          06/26/2025

          11:00am - 12:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Pacesetters
          Doing Business with Mass General Brigham

          Join us for our installment of the Pacesetters Doing Business series featuring Mass General Brigham on June 26, 2025.

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          1:00pm - 2:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
  • Learning & Development
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          • Overview
          • Call for Nominations
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        • Transformational DEI Certificate

          This program is in redevelopment. Click this page for DEI resources.

          Read More
          Women’s Leadership Program

          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
          Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
          Authentic Professionalism for Early Career Professionals

          Join us on June 12 for a highly interactive virtual workshop with Strategic Career & Leadership Coach Carole-Ann Penney.

          Read More
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          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

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          Read More
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          BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.

          Read More
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          For over 30 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
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          The Massachusetts Apprentice Network convenes employers, training providers, and talent sources interested in developing and implementing apprenticeship programs in occupations across industries and statewide in fields such as tech, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and more.

          Read More
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

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Mayor Walsh Announces Bold Climate Ready Boston Plan at Annual Boston Chamber Forum

October 22, 2018

On October 17, we hosted a sold-out Government Affairs Forum with Mayor Martin J. Walsh, attended by 700 Chamber members, business and civic leaders, and many senior members of the Mayor’s cabinet. This year, Mayor Walsh focused his remarks on one issue: climate resiliency.

During his speech, Mayor Walsh outlined the scope of the threat of climate change, with an emphasis on the frightening cost that rising sea levels, extreme storms and heat could create for the city of Boston. And that cost could come in the form of tens of billions of dollars, the lack of economic productivity that comes after a devastating storm, the loss of businesses – particularly small businesses – that are not able to recover after a super storm, and the damage to our communities and the people who live and work in our city.

Mayor Walsh documented that he understands the threat, but sees prevention of that threat as an opportunity for Boston to lead. And he came into his annual Forum with a plan: the Climate Ready Boston initiative. This initiative joins existing climate resiliency plans for East Boston and Charlestown to include South Boston, Downtown and the North End, as well as the entire Dorchester Shore to create a 47-mile shoreline plan to protect our city from the effects of climate change.

We’ll make the harbor where Boston was born, the gateway to Boston’s future. – Mayor Martin J. Walsh

As he walked through images of his inspired plan, Mayor Walsh emphasized that this plan is “not a system of barricades, but of beaches, and parks and trails and open spaces.” The plan includes 67 acres of new open space and 122 acres of revitalized open space on the waterfront.

This ambitious initiative comes with a cost, but the Mayor has already pledged 10% of all new capital spending to resilience projects, utilizing existing funding sources such as the Community Preservation Act, and public-private coalitions such as the Green Ribbon Commission as a means to get funding started. He appealed to the business community to get engaged in a project that will have a “deep and lasting impact,” and will help us avoid the catastrophic costs associated with the damage climate-related storms can leave behind.

We are thankful to the Mayor for using his time with the Chamber to present a bold and impactful plan that keeps the city of Boston a national leader on climate resiliency and works to protect the businesses and people that call Boston home.

Watch the Mayor’s speech here thanks to our partners at Comcast.

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