2026 Annual Meeting

May 12, 2026 4:30 pm – 8:00 pm Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center

Overview

Join us on May 12 for the highly anticipated Annual Meeting, Greater Boston’s top business convening of the year.

Be in the room with 1,500 business and civic leaders, gaining access to unmatched networking opportunities.

Celebrate the newest inductees into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians, all while commemorating our region’s collective success.

Tickets

Individual Ticket: $600
Silver Sponsorship: $6,000
Gold Sponsorship: $12,000
Platinum Sponsorship: $25,000
Presenting Sponsorship: $50,000

2026 Annual Meeting | Revolutionary Past. Visionary Future.

For 250 years, Massachusetts has been a place where bold ideas take root, industries rise, and leadership transforms moments of change into lasting impact. From our revolutionary beginnings to today’s world-leading innovation economy, our region continues to shape the future through ingenuity, collaboration, and an enduring spirit of resilience.

Powered by entrepreneurs, cutting-edge technology, and world-renowned medical and higher education institutions, the Commonwealth drives breakthroughs that strengthen communities, grow businesses, and change lives. As we honor the legacy that helped build a nation, we are also forging the future, leveraging our momentum to expand opportunity, champion economic growth, and ensure Massachusetts remains competitive on the global stage.

We honor our past while shaping what comes next with this year’s theme of Revolutionary Past. Visionary Future. By building on our revolutionary spirit and leading with vision, we will define the next era of progress with our residents, their families, and businesses of all sizes across the Commonwealth.

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Meeting is the region’s most anticipated celebration of commerce, convening more than 1,500 business, government, civic, and nonprofit leaders. Join us as we celebrate the strength and spirit of our business community, commemorate 250 years of leadership, and induct the 2026 honorees into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians. Together, we will reflect on our shared legacy and chart the future of the Greater Boston and statewide business community.

View Sponsorship Opportunities Past Distinguished Bostonians

Questions? Contact us.

Danielle Dorey

Vice President, Programs

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Email Danielle

2026 Distinguished Bostonians

Paul J. Ayoub

Chair, Nutter

Paul J. Ayoub is Chair of the law firm of Nutter, McClennen & Fish with offices in Boston, New York and San Francisco. He represents a broad range of businesses,…Read more

Paul J. Ayoub is Chair of the law firm of Nutter, McClennen & Fish with offices in Boston, New York and San Francisco. He represents a broad range of businesses, as well as commercial real estate developers, owners, and lenders, regionally and nationally. He also advises for-profit and non-profit organizations on corporate governance.

Paul represents major North American banks and local lending institutions in construction, permanent, and mezzanine loans, as well as developers and private equity investors in the acquisition, sale, permitting, and leasing of all property types. Paul also advises clients on financing structure alternatives, including preferred equity, joint venture, and partnership arrangements. Additionally, he has extensive experience representing clients in complex debt reorganizations.

He is actively involved in several civic, professional, and charitable organizations. Paul served as Chair and is on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Regional Real Estate Development Leadership Council, where he previously served as co-Chair. Paul is a past president of the Board of Directors and a member of the Real Estate & Finance Association, and served as co-Chair of the Real Estate Finance and Workout/ Foreclosure Section of the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Real Estate Section.

Paul serves on the Boards of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude, together the nation’s largest healthcare nonprofit with over 400 collaborating sites in over 80 countries. He has served as Chair of both Boards during his 34-year tenure. He also served as a co-Chair of the International WELL Building Institute’s 2021 IWBI Health Equity Advisory.

Paul is also a founding member of Small Business Strong, formed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, which continues today, to help Massachusetts small businesses (over 3,600 to date) access resources to plan, grow and succeed without charge. He also served on the Mayor’s Reopening Advisory Board for the City of Boston and is also on the Board of Incorporators of the Boston Local Development Corporation.

Prior to his career as an attorney, Paul worked in Massachusetts state government in various capacities, including as assistant press secretary to the Governor. He also served on the transition team for Attorney General Andrea Campbell and has worked on the transition efforts of a previously-elected Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer of Massachusetts.

During law school, Paul was editor-in-chief of the Boston College International and Comparative Law Review, and earned his undergraduate degree from Brown University.

Paul and his daughter have published Inspire Me! A father-daughter book of quotations to motivate, teach and inspire, an Amazon best seller, the proceeds from which are donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

For the past several years, Paul has been recognized as a leading U.S. real estate attorney by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers and Partners. Among other recognitions, he was inducted into the inaugural Hall of Fame class by Massachusetts Lawyer’s Weekly. The Boston Business Journal has recognized Paul as one of the “Power 50” for multiple years. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Boston Real Estate Times and the Swain Distinguished Service Award from RE&FA.

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Kevin B. Churchwell, MD

Chief Executive Officer, Boston Children’s Hospital

Kevin B. Churchwell, MD, Chief Executive Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), providing leadership, direction, integration and oversight for a team that’s…Read more

Catherine D’Amato

President & CEO, Greater Boston Food Bank

A tireless anti-hunger advocate for more than 40 years, Catherine D’Amato has served as the President & CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank since 1995 after…Read more

A tireless anti-hunger advocate for more than 40 years, Catherine D’Amato has served as the President & CEO of the Greater Boston Food Bank since 1995 after leading both The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and the San Francisco Food Bank. During her tenure, she transformed GBFB into a $180 million charitable business and increased GBFB’s distribution from 7.5 million meals a year to over 92 million healthy meals per year. She has grown GBFB’s network to include 600 partner food pantries, meal programs, and direct distribution sites across the 190 cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts.

In winter 2026, D’Amato announced that she is retiring from GBFB, saying, “The greatest honor of my professional life has been to serve as President and CEO of The Greater Boston Food Bank. I remain hopeful and forever committed to GBFB’s mission, and I look forward to continuing to support our work in this new chapter.”

Under D’Amato’s guidance, GBFB was able to rise to the challenge of an unprecedented surge in hunger brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent affordability crisis that continues today with over 40% of people experiencing food insecurity here in Massachusetts according to GBFB’s research.

D’Amato’s tenure has been defined by innovation and emphasizing the critical connection between hunger and health. She led GBFB’s partnership with Children’s HealthWatch, a nonpartisan research organization, to undertake groundbreaking research on the health-related costs of hunger in Massachusetts. D’Amato founded the Hunger to Health Collaboratory (H2HC), a group of cross-sector stakeholders developing innovative solutions to reduce the health consequences of hunger. And in 2026, she launched GBFB’s Takeda Center for Community Health & Nutrition, a pioneering initiative to ground the food bank’s work in data and community-driven approaches to ending hunger.

D’Amato has secured major policy wins for the anti-hunger movement, including expanding the Commonwealth’s investment in the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP), championing universal school meals, access to school breakfast and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and building partnerships that address the intersection of hunger, health, and equity.

D’Amato currently serves on the board of directors of Fidelity Charitable, Massachusetts Pension Fund, Eastern Bank, WBUR, and the Massachusetts Food Association. She is also the Co-founder and Co-Chair of the Equality Fund at The Boston Foundation. She is a former board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and Basic Health International and an Emeriti Board member of the Boston Foundation and Feeding America.

D’Amato has received numerous honors and awards for her leadership in hunger relief. These include: The Pinnacle Award of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce; the Anti-Defamation League Woman of Valor Award; the Fenway Health Susan B. Love Award; the first-ever Community Service Award of the Massachusetts Food Association; the New England Women’s Leadership Award; Feeding America’s Hunger’s Hope Award; and multiple honorary degrees from local universities.

D’Amato has also been featured in The Commonwealth Institute and The Boston Globe Magazine’s Top 100 Women Led-Businesses in Massachusetts as well as Boston Magazine’s lists of the Top 50 Most Powerful People in Boston and the Top 25 Most Influential People in Boston Philanthropy.

D’Amato earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from the University of San Francisco and business management certificates from Harvard University and Smith College.

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Co-Chairs

Miceal Chamberlain

President of Massachusetts, Northeast Region Executive, Global Commercial Banking, Bank of America

Miceal enjoys partnering with local businesses and organizations to help make our communities better places to live, work, and raise a family. As the Northeast…Read more

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Geri Denterlein

Founder & CEO, Denterlein

Named a recipient of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award and to the Harvard Club of Boston’s “Most Influential Women” list, Geri Denterlein…Read more

Named a recipient of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Pinnacle Award and to the Harvard Club of Boston’s “Most Influential Women” list, Geri Denterlein founded the firm that bears her name in 2000. In the years since, Denterlein has grown to become a 25-person, full-service strategic communications and public relations consulting firm that helps businesses, non-profits, and institutions promote and protect their reputations.

Leveraging a 30-year career in public affairs and journalism, Geri serves as a close, trusted advisor to CEOs and boards of many of the region’s most respected companies and organizations, guiding them through major newsmaking initiatives, leadership transitions, and situations of actual or potential crisis. She has successfully sought to build, in her words, “an agency that is strong in all the areas where New England is strong,” including longstanding Denterlein engagements with clients in healthcare, education, professional services, real estate, sustainability, and public affairs. Geri is a devoted mentor and coach to staff at all levels of the agency.

Prior to becoming a strategic communications and PR consultant, Geri was editorial director at WBZ Television (Boston’s Channel 4), where she presented on-air commentary on major issues of the day and led the station’s government outreach. Geri’s government experience included serving as an associate press secretary to then-Governor Michael S. Dukakis and as communications director for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

In board rooms, the political arena, and the local community, Geri is well known as a champion for women. As an active volunteer leader for several of Boston’s nonprofit organizations, including MassINC, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, A Better City, and the American Red Cross, Geri advocates for civic and philanthropic engagement and civil discourse. Geri was appointed to the Bridgewater State University Board of Trustees by Governor Charlie Baker and to the board of the Boston Main Streets Foundation by Mayor Martin J. Walsh.

Among many other awards and honors, Geri received the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus for her outstanding leadership in achieving parity for women. She was inducted into the Academy of Women Achievers by YW Boston, received the Hall of Fame Award from Boston Women’s Business, and won the Workplace Innovations Award from Bentley University.

Geri earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Cincinnati and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. She also holds a certificate in leadership from the Executive Education Program at the Harvard Kennedy School and serves on the faculty of Harvard’s Executive and Continuing Professional Education Program.

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Master of Ceremonies

Antoinette Antonio

News Anchor, WCVB Channel 5

Antoinette Antonio is co-anchor of WCVB’s EyeOpener newscasts (4:30AM-7AM) with co-anchor Doug Meehan, chief meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon, and traffic anchor…Read more

Antoinette Antonio is co-anchor of WCVB’s EyeOpener newscasts (4:30AM-7AM) with co-anchor Doug Meehan, chief meteorologist Cindy Fitzgibbon, and traffic anchor Katie Thompson. Antoinette also anchors NewsCenter 5 at Noon (12N-12:30PM) with Jessica Brown.

Antoinette joined the NewsCenter 5 team in June of 2013. Since she arrived in Boston, she’s been lucky enough to cover victory parades for three Patriots Super Bowl wins as well as two Red Sox World series wins. Antoinette has also been honored with a NATAS Boston/New England Emmy® Award for her role anchoring during breaking news coverage of the Apple Store crash in Hingham in 2022.

Antoinette came to WCVB from KOB in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she was a morning anchor and reporter. While in Albuquerque for approximately seven years, Antoinette covered everything from wildfires to floods to snowstorms and even hot air balloon crashes. She also interviewed Barack Obama during his campaign for President. She was part of several team Breaking News awards from the New Mexico Broadcasters Association. If you’re a fan of the TV show “Breaking Bad” you might also recognize Antoinette from her role as ‘News Anchor’ in two episodes. It was a real stretch!

Antoinette started her broadcast career as a morning news anchor and reporter at KWES Midland/Odessa, Texas. During her time there she received awards for anchoring, general assignment reporting as well as sports reporting.

A graduate of University of California, Irvine, Antoinette earned degrees in English and International Studies. She is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association.

Working the morning shift and being a mom doesn’t allow for a lot of free time but in her past life Antoinette enjoyed traveling, reading on the beach, snowboarding in the winter, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen and checking out all of Boston’s amazing restaurants. Antoinette lives outside of Boston with her husband Jeremy and their sons Greyson and Weston

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What to Expect

4:30 p.m. | Annual Meeting Registration and Reception

Enjoy a cocktail reception and engage with leading members of Boston’s business community.

6:00 p.m. | Program Begins

Prepare to be inspired as we induct three exceptional business leaders into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.

6:45 p.m. | Dinner

Enjoy a seated dinner as part of the evening’s program.

8:00 p.m. | Event Concludes

Depart the 2026 Annual Meeting inspired, energized, and newly connected to Boston’s leading business community.

Attire:

Semi‑formal or business attire is requested.

Highlights From Last Year’s Annual Meeting

2025 Annual Meeting, Accelerating Growth

View Album

Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center

415 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210

Get Directions

Cancellation Policy: All individual ticket cancellations and refund requests must be received by Tuesday, May 5, 2026 to avoid being charged or to receive a refund. There are no cancellations permitted for any table sponsorships. There are no exceptions.

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce encourages persons with disabilities to participate, and engage fully, in its programs and events.

If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, including but not limited to, listening devices, closed captioning, large print, wheelchair access, allergies and environmental sensitivities, or if you have any questions about the venue, event format, or anything else please contact us at [email protected].

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2026 Annual Meeting

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Discover fellow Chamber members.

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Our Mission

Expanding Opportunity

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Programming That Empowers

Upcoming Events

Get Involved

Become a Member

About Us

Get to Know the Chamber

Member Benefits

Grow Your Business

Membership Directory

Not sure if you’re a member?

Events & Networking

WHAT’S NEXT

Upcoming Events

Engage & Learn

FEATURED EVENT

Premier Event

2026 Annual Meeting

EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMMING:

Member Engagement

Maximize Your Membership

Register Now

Membership Directory

Discover fellow Chamber members.

Upcoming Events

Stay Involved

Talent & Workforce

Young Bostonians Collective

Strategic Communication for Better Collaboration

Massachusetts Apprentice Network

Women’s Leadership Program

Partnership with Boston Public Schools

Boston’s Future Leaders

Policy & Impact

GET INVOLVED IN OUR POLICY FOCUS AREAS

Business Climate

Climate & Energy

Health Care

Housing & Development

Talent