How the Commonwealth Competes

Year 2 of the MTF
Competitiveness Index

November 19, 2025 9:30 am – 11:00 am Well-B Innovation Center

Event Details

Be in the room for a special event in partnership with the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Attendees will hear from Doug Howgate, President of the MA Taxpayers Foundation, and a panel of business leaders on strategies to bolster the competitiveness and sustained economic success of Boston and the Commonwealth.

Tickets

Free and open to the public.

Measuring our Competitive Edge

Competitiveness continues to be at the top of the Massachusetts policy agenda as Massachusetts fights to maintain its position as a place to find talented workers and an economy driven by innovation. In recent years, rising costs and increasing mobility have threatened the Commonwealth’s edge and forced an important conversation about which factors are most meaningful in tension between talent and cost.

In September, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation released its annual Massachusetts Competitiveness Index, which sets forth 26 key metrics of competitiveness that provide policymakers, business leaders and the public with data to inform discussion about how Massachusetts can attract and retain talent and where efforts to reduce cost should focus. This year, the Index is accompanied by a Competitiveness Poll, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group that offers a telling snapshot on how residents feel about the state and where it stands compared to other regions of the country.

During our event, MTF and the MassINC Polling Group will present on their findings. That presentation will be followed by a panel discussion on the current state of competitiveness in Massachusetts and what it should mean for public policy in the year ahead.

Questions? Contact us.

Angelica Medina

Senior Program Manager

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Email Angelica

Speakers

Sarah Iselin

President & CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Sarah Iselin is president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, one of the largest independent Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in…Read more

Sarah Iselin is president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, one of the largest independent Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the country with more than $9 billion in revenue, nearly 3 million members, and more than 20,000 employer customers. The company is consistently recognized as one of the nation’s best health plans for member satisfaction and quality.

Sarah has a long and successful history with both Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and its Foundation, where she played a key role in the development of the “Roadmap to Coverage.” That multi-year initiative contributed to the passage of Massachusetts’ landmark 2006 health reform law, which resulted in the lowest uninsured rate in the country and later became the model for the Affordable Care Act. Sarah served as the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation’s president from 2010 to 2012 and later served as the company’s chief strategy officer and senior vice president of strategy, policy, and community partnerships.

Before returning to Blue Cross, Sarah served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Blue Shield of California, where she was accountable for the day-to-day operations, growth, and financial performance of all business segments of the non-profit health plan that serves nearly 5 million members and generates $23 billion in annual revenue. Before that, she served in a variety of executive leadership roles at GuideWell/Florida Blue and Optum. From 2007 to 2009, she served as commissioner of the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy in the Patrick Administration.

Sarah sits on the boards of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Blue Health Intelligence. Sarah received her Master of Science degree in health policy and management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Sarah is the proud mother of three young adults who live in various parts of North America.

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Doug Howgate

President, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation

Doug Howgate is President at the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Doug began as President in January of 2023, after two years as the Foundation’s Executive…Read more

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Steve Koczela

President, The MassINC Polling Group

Steve Koczela is the President of The MassINC Polling Group, where he has grown the organization from its infancy to a nationally known and respected polling provider….Read more

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Marty Meehan

President, University of Massachusetts

Marty Meehan is the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. On July 1, 2015, he became the university’s 27th president…Read more

Marty Meehan is the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. On July 1, 2015, he became the university’s 27th president after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as chancellor of UMass Lowell. President Meehan has an abiding belief in public higher education’s power to transform lives. At his presidential inauguration on Nov. 12, 2015, Meehan pledged to fight for UMass, which he called “the most important institution in Massachusetts in the critical areas of social mobility and economic growth.” Under Meehan’s leadership and with his support and advocacy, UMass has reached new heights and achieved historic milestones. Enrollment has risen to more than 73,000 students. Annual research expenditures have increased to a record-high $826 million. University-funded financial aid has increased 73 percent to $409 million. The university’s statewide annual economic impact has grown to $8.3 billion U.S. News & World Report now ranks all four UMass undergraduate campuses as top-tier national universities, making UMass one of the few university systems in the nation with that distinction. A system-wide ”efficiency and effectiveness” initiative has been accelerated and has now generated $120 million in savings. UMass Law, the only public law school in Massachusetts, achieved full ABA accreditation. The university recently received its three largest private donations in its history, totaling nearly $250 million. The university’s endowment has risen to $1.3 billion. Born in Lowell, Meehan was one of seven children in a family where the importance of education was emphasized. After attending Lowell public schools, Meehan, a first-generation college student, graduated cum laude from UMass Lowell in 1978 with a degree in education and political science. He also earned a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University in 1981 and a juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1986. Meehan embraced a career in public service early in his life. He served as the deputy secretary of state for securities and corporations from 1986 to 1990. In 1991, he became first assistant district attorney for Middlesex County, managing a staff of more than 150, including 80 prosecutors, and establishing an innovative “priority prosecution” policy that targeted hardened criminals. Seeing an opportunity to expand his public service commitment and to serve his nation, Meehan ran for U.S. Congress and was elected to represent the 5th Congressional District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992. He served on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees and established a national reputation for his legislative leadership, winning praise for his efforts to protect the public from the health risks of tobacco. Meehan was a central figure in campaign finance reform efforts and a major sponsor of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, known as the McCain-Feingold Bill in the Senate and the Shays-Meehan Bill in the House. After serving 14 years in Congress, Meehan was appointed chancellor of UMass Lowell in 2007. He made quality, diversity, access and affordability keystones of his vision to raise his alma mater’s reputation and impact. During his eight-year tenure, UMass Lowell’s enrollment grew by nearly 50 percent and the university climbed into the top tier of U.S. News & World Report’s best national universities rankings by improving its performance in every sphere of activity, including student success, fundraising and auxiliary revenue generation. His extraordinary achievements at UMass Lowell led to his appointment as president of the five-campus UMass system in 2015. Meehan holds honorary degrees from Suffolk University, Green Mountain College, Shenkar College of Engineering & Design (Israel), the American College of Greece, Merrimack College, Queens University Belfast and University College Cork. Meehan serves on the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board of Directors, supporting APLU’s efforts to bolster research, drive engagement and enhance social and economic impact at public institutions — and to ensure that high-quality public higher education remains affordable and accessible for students of all backgrounds. In addition, he serves on the Board of the National Association of (University) System Heads and the All In Campus Democracy Challenge Higher Education Presidents’ Council. He has been named a Frederick Douglass Scholars University Leader by the Council on International Educational Exchange for his commitment to making study abroad opportunities accessible to students of all backgrounds. Meehan also serves on the board of several prominent organizations, including the New England Council and the Greater Boston Chamber Board of Directors. He has been named to the Boston Business Journal and Boston Magazine lists of the most influential leaders in Greater Boston. President Meehan and his wife, Jennifer Maguire Meehan, VP of Stewardship and Engagement at Tufts Medicine, have four children: Robert and Daniel Meehan, and Caroline and Ella Hanson. The family has homes in both Boston and Newburyport.

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James E. Rooney

President & CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

James E. Rooney is President & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the region’s most influential business association. With Rooney’s…Read more

James E. Rooney is President & CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the region’s most influential business association.

With Rooney’s commitment and leadership, the Greater Boston Chamber is now the leading convener, voice, and advocate for the region. Strategizing with government leaders, private companies, and public institutions to strengthen the state’s competitiveness, Rooney advances the future of commerce with public policies and legislation that champions dynamic and resilient people, communities, and workplaces.

Before leading the Chamber, Rooney served as executive director of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA), overseeing the development and construction of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) while leading the management teams of four MCCA-owned facilities. Prior, Rooney served two years as Chief of Staff to Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, chairing the Mayor’s cabinet to move forward all aspects of city governance.

Rooney started his public career at the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), starting as a track laborer and ending as Deputy General Manager. He served one year as the MBTA’s Acting General Manager during a gubernatorial transition. Using his transportation financing expertise, Rooney led one of the nation’s largest transportation projects, the $15 billion “Big Dig” Central Artery highway project, and he served as Chief Financial Officer at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

Rooney serves in leadership positions on several boards of directors, including the Committee of 100 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Chair of the Association of Chambers of Commerce Executives (ACCE), Co-Chair of the Madison Park Steering Committee, and Member of the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC). Rooney continues to be recognized for his professional and civic contributions, including being named to the list of 100 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston Magazine numerous times, receiving the City of Boston Lifetime Achievement Award for advocacy of the immigrant community, and he was honored with the PCMA Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the global meetings industry.

Born and raised in South Boston, Rooney attended the prestigious Boston Latin School, where he served as President of his graduating class. He graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and attended the Boston University Graduate School of Management.

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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 Pinnacle Awards

EXPLORE OUR PROGRAMMING:

Member Engagement

Maximize Your Membership

Register Now

Membership Directory

Discover fellow Chamber members.

Upcoming Events

Stay Involved

Talent & Workforce

City Awake

Boston’s Future Leaders

Massachusetts Apprentice Network

Women’s Leadership Program

Partnership with Boston Public Schools

Strategic Communication for Better Collaboration

Policy & Impact

GET INVOLVED IN OUR POLICY FOCUS AREAS

Business Climate

Climate & Energy

Health Care

Housing & Development

Talent

Year 2 of the MTF
Competitiveness Index