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          Explore opportunities to connect and grow.

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        • FEATURED EVENT

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          Premier Event
          2026 Pinnacle Awards

          Join on us on Friday, January 30, as we host our highly anticipated 2026 Pinnacle Awards Luncheon.

          01/30/2026

          11:00am - 1:30pm

          Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport

          arrow-go
          Read More
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          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
          Massachusetts Apprentice Network

          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
          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
          Partnership with Boston Public Schools 

          The Chamber Foundation invites the business community to engage with Boston Public Schools leaders and their students to help build the future workforce.

          Read More
          Strategic Communication for Better Collaboration

          Level up your leadership and communication in this Boston Chamber workshop for professionals—gain essential skills in team alignment.

          Read More
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Government Affairs Forum:

Senate President Spilka

June 21, 2022 7:45 am – 9:00 am InterContinental Boston

Event Details

  • Thank you for joining us on our fourth Government Affairs Forum featuring Senate President Spilka.

Tickets

  • Individual Member: $75
  • Member Table of 10: $750
  • Individual Non-member: $120
  • Non-member Table of 10: $1,200
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  • Overview
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Government Affairs Forum

Thank you for joining us for our fourth Government Affairs Forum of the year! I hope you had a chance to hear from Senate President Karen Spilka.

We were joined by Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka, a 2021 Pinnacle Honoree for Achievement in Government. Under her leadership, the Senate has passed landmark legislation on public education, climate change and access to mental health care.

Questions? Contact us.

Jessica Sanon
Jessica Sanon

Senior Program Manager

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Email Jessica

Watch the Event Here

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Speakers

Senate-President-Spilka
Senator Karen E. Spilka

Senate President Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Through hard work, a keen ability to navigate complex issues, and a demonstrated commitment to advocating for her constituents, Senate President Karen E. Spilka…Read more
Through hard work, a keen ability to navigate complex issues, and a demonstrated commitment to advocating for her constituents, Senate President Karen E. Spilka has established herself as a respected leader in state government.

Representing the MetroWest communities of the 2nd Middlesex & Norfolk district—comprised of Ashland, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway and Natick—Senate President Spilka is dedicated to the advancement of progressive social causes and a pragmatic fiscal policy of balancing investments in education, infrastructure, and economic opportunity with saving for the future. She has championed issues such as mental health, juvenile justice and services for the elderly and disabled communities. During her career, Senate President Spilka has been a social worker, small business owner and attorney, and she went on to become one of the first legislators in the nation to vote in favor of marriage equality and transgender protections.

Karen Spilka’s tenure as Senate President has included the legislature’s response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. As a part of this response, the Senate President pursued the passage of Patients First legislation, which eliminated barriers to care and advanced support for community hospitals, COVID testing sites, medical staff and telehealth services. Despite a crisis that resulted in budget cuts throughout much of the country, Senate President Spilka’s leadership in establishing one of the most robust Rainy-Day funds in the country allowed Massachusetts to not only avoid cuts to social safety nets, but rather expand support for housing stability, food security, unemployment benefits and relief for the hospitality and restaurant industries.

Senate President Spilka’s first priority as Senate President was the passage of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), the culmination of a twenty-year effort which combined the largest increase in education funding in Massachusetts’ history with changes to make future education funding more equitable. In the wake of protests stemming from the murder of George Floyd, she led the effort to pass one of the most comprehensive and intentional police reform bills in the United States, including the creation of a first-in-the-nation civilian-led commission with the power to independently investigate police actions. In response to the threat posed by climate change, she supported a law which provided a timeline for a complete transition away from fossil fuels and toward a carbon-neutral economy and which codified the concept of environmental justice into law.

Most recently, Senate President Spilka has led a number of efforts to decrease the barriers to accessing quality mental health care, including directing state funding towards public awareness of mental and behavioral health, as well as to increasing the mental health workforce pipeline. She has also introduced the concept of Intergenerational Care Centers as a way to address the caregiving crisis in Massachusetts, provide support for women in the workforce, and encourage high quality caregiving for all residents, from infants to elders.

Senate President Spilka is a graduate of Northeastern Law School and holds a B.S. in Social Work from Cornell University. She has been married for over thirty years to Joel S. Loitherstein, an environmental engineer, and has three adult children, Heather, Scott and Jake, and two rescue dogs, Lincoln and Mikasa.

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Agenda

  • 7:45 – 8:10 a.m. | Registration & Networking

    Guests arrive, sign in at registration, and network with fellow attendees.

  • 8:10 – 8:45 a.m. | Keynote Speech

    Senate President Spilka to address to the business community.

  • 8:45 – 9:00 a.m. | Audience Q&A

    Chamber President & CEO, James E. Rooney, moderates the audience Q&A with Senate President Spilka.

  • COVID-19 POLICY

    You are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as defined by the CDC.
    -You have not had a fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell that cannot be attributed to another health condition.
    -You have not had contact with a person known to be infected, potentially infected, or exposed to someone infected with COVID-19 within the previous 7 days. (Prior to the event date)

Series Sponsor

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InterContinental Boston

510 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02210

Get Directions

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 virtual platform, please contact us.

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