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          2026 Government Affairs Forum | Mayor Michelle Wu

          Join us for our first Fall installment of the Government Affairs Forum featuring Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

          09/16/2026

          9:45am - 11:00am

          Boston Marriott Copley Place

          arrow-go
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          Enjoy networking with fellow members and hear from Chamber Staff on how to best leverage your Membership to achieve your business goals.

          09/08/2026

          3:00pm - 4:30pm

          Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

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          Curated events and experiences for young adults in Greater Boston —built around community, culture, and connection. Join the Young Bostonians Collective.

          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
          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
          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
          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
          Leadership Foundations: Building Trust, Influence, and Presence

          Join us for a transformative professional development experience where managers learn practical leadership tools from a CIA‑trained facilitator and build skills they’ll bring back to your organization.

          Read More
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Leadership Foundations: Building Trust, Influence, and Presence

October 29, 2026 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

Goals

  • Learn impactful leadership techniques shaped by Dr. Chris Savos’s 22‑year career at the CIA, gaining insight into how high‑performing leaders influence outcomes and lead with purpose in complex environments.
  • Strengthen your ability to build trust, clarify expectations, and navigate the complex relationships managers face up, down, and across the organization — the foundational skills that determine whether leaders succeed or struggle.

Details

  • October 29, 2026
  • In-Person
  • Member: $895/person
  • Non-Member: $1,095 /person
  • Nonprofit Member: $595/person
Enroll Now

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  • Overview
  • Instructor
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Agenda
BFL 25 Leadership Challenge Winners
BFL 25 Leadership Challenge Winners

A High-Impact Full Day Workshop for Professionals

Leadership Foundations: Building Trust, Influence, and Presence is a full-day, immersive experience that builds leadership capabilities you need most in today's workplace. Through interactive sessions, real-world examples, and three focused modules—managing up and down, executive presence, and personal leadership philosophy—former CIA executive Dr. Chris Savos guides you through practical, story‑driven insights that strengthen trust‑building, communication, and decision‑making. You leave with sharper skills, deeper self‑awareness, and a personalized leadership philosophy you can apply immediately.

Meet the Instructor

Chris Savos Headshot
Dr. Chris Savos

Director of Training, NorthstarPMO

Dr. Chris Savos is Director of Training at NorthstarPMO. A former senior executive in multiple organizations, he has...Read more
Dr. Chris Savos is Director of Training at NorthstarPMO. A former senior executive in multiple organizations, he has taught leadership for 20 years. Chris has helped managers at all levels improve communication and trust with their people, peers, bosses, and customers. He also teaches professional writing and presenting and is a Lecturer at Yale University. Chris has worked with public- and private-sector clients, including three of the world’s largest companies.

Chris served 22 years at the Central Intelligence Agency, where he earned its highest award for career service. He ran analytical units covering sensitive regional and technical issues. As the first Lead Talent Officer in the Directorate of Analysis, Chris led an innovative effort to improve talent management programs and practices. He also received the Agency’s highest diversity and inclusion award.

After leaving the Agency, Chris was a principal at a homeland security consulting company, served as chief operating officer for a software firm in the Middle East, and co-founded and sold an online training company. He also founded and runs an analytic and professional skills training company. Chris has deep New England roots. He was born and raised in Connecticut and has a BA from Dartmouth College and a PhD from MIT. He lives in Brookline with his wife and their tuxedo cat.

See on LinkedInarrow-go

Learning Outcomes

  • Build stronger working relationships with supervisors, peers, and direct reports.
  • Influence outcomes and gain buy-in without relying solely on authority.
  • Communicate with greater confidence in meetings and workplace conversations.
  • Develop a personal leadership philosophy that guides daily decision-making and leadership behavior.
  • Increase trust and credibility through more effective communication.
  • Strengthen leadership presence and professional impact.
  • Clarify the values and beliefs that shape a leadership approach.
  • Participants bring elevated leadership judgment back to your organization by applying practical, real‑world strategies learned from Dr. Chris Savos, strengthening decision‑making and professional maturity across teams.
  • Participants represent your business professionally during the workshop, engaging with regional leaders and peers from other organizations in a way that reflects your culture, values, and commitment to high‑quality leadership development.
  • Participants bring stronger cross‑team collaboration back to your organization by improving how they build relationships, communicate across levels, and create alignment that supports smoother, more effective team operations.

Agenda

  • 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. | The Secrets of Successful Leadership

    We kick off our day getting to know each other and defining what it means to succeed as a leader. Then we examine the critical roles communication and trust play in such success and discuss practical strategies for improving both in the workplace. This session provides the foundation for the rest of the day’s material.

  • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. | Successfully Managing Up and Down

    Chris breaks down the fundamental elements of the key relationships every supervisor must navigate with their bosses and their employees to succeed. He offers concrete strategies for clarifying expectations and building communication and trust up and down any organization’s chain of command.

  • 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Lunch Break

    Enjoy a one‑hour lunch break with coffee and lunch provided for all participants.

  • 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Mastering the Unwritten Rules of Executive Presence

    Your ability to communicate effectively and nourish trusting relationships depends on others' perception of you. Failure to meet what others expect and need from you professionally—and personally—makes leadership success nearly impossible. Unfortunately, far too few people address or even understand the unspoken rules that underpin such expectations. In this session, Chris clearly explains these rules and offers pragmatic strategies for presenting a more purposeful presence at work.

  • 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Developing Your Personal Leadership Philosophy

    Our closing segment draws on the day’s discussions and focuses on the value of having a personal leadership philosophy in achieving leadership success. Chris discusses what makes for a good philosophy and offers a very specific, emotionally powerful template to create a blueprint for your own successful leadership journey that will be authentically you.

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