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
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
Join us for our installment of the Pacesetters Doing Business series featuring Mass General Brigham on June 26, 2025.
1:00pm - 2:00pm
This program is in redevelopment. Click this page for DEI resources.
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.
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.
Join us on June 12 for a highly interactive virtual workshop with Strategic Career & Leadership Coach Carole-Ann Penney.
City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.
We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).
Small businesses are the backbone of the Boston economy. Learn more about the resources available through the Chamber.
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.
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.
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.
Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.
Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.
Recovery. Renewal. Renaissance.
Many will think that this past year will be remembered not in what we experienced, but what we didn’t: things we missed as individuals, as coworkers, as family, as a community. Despite this, we’ve pressed on, we’ve adapted to learn virtually, worked from home, and made compromises to ensure the safety of our neighbors. Some may think that life slowed down due to these changes but the truth is anything but. The challenges we’ve faced have signaled the call to action to be better—to bring about our recovery as a community, our renewal as a people, and our renaissance as a society as we look to the future. We are glad to welcome these three forward thinking leaders that have already answered the call into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
Recovery.
Kate Walsh is President and CEO at Boston Medical Center Health System, one of the top academic health systems in the nation, dedicated to underserved populations.
She stands mighty as a vocal champion for health equity and reform while confronting the impacts of structural racism, earning her the title of 2021 Inductee of the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
From caring for COVID-19 patients to getting our communities vaccinated, Kate Walsh and her team have committed themselves to a safe and equitable recovery for all.
Renewal.
Paul S. Grogan, President & CEO of The Boston Foundation, helps lead efforts in education, to housing, to criminal justice, earning him the title of 2021 Inductee of the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
Paul leads with equity at the forefront, ensuring that The Boston Foundation’s programs and funding championed inclusivity and revitalized our Commonwealth.
Paul and The Boston Foundation’s work stands as a hallmark for what other community organizations aim to be as they help bring about the renewal of the Greater Boston area.
Renaissance.
Melvin B. Miller, Founder, Chief Editor & Publisher of The Bay State Banner, uses the publication to shine a spotlight on the lives, businesses, and experiences of the Black community, earning him the title of 2021 Inductee of the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
Melvin is a powerful story-teller, civil rights champion, and mentor to many. Known for amplifying the vibrant voices and stories of the Black community, he has dedicated his life’s work to the region’s renaissance.
The Future of Work
This once-in–a–lifetime pandemic left leaders from around the world looking to see what the future of work will be like.
We are proud to have McKinsey & Company Global Institute present on The Future of Work After COVID-19 which helped answer the questions we’ve all been asking.
In their presentation, based on their extensive reports (What’s next for consumers, workers, and companies in the post COVID-19? and The future of work after COVID-19) they presented the facts, sharing that the hybrid model will become more commonplace moving forward as the remote potential for many occupations points towards 20-25% of the workforce being able to work from home.
Businesses have a unique opportunity to reimagine their workplace but will still need to figure out where we work, how we work, what skills we need, and what culture we need?
The Future of the Chamber
We are happy to welcome Chamber Board Chair Micho F. Spring of Weber Shandwick to address us on the steps we at the Chamber have taken to recognize disparities amongst our board and aimed to have it reflect the vibrant diversity of our great Commonwealth. Micho says,
“With the uncertainty and challenges of 2020 came a new belief and trust in business – the highest in our history. Now, it’s our responsibility to seize that opportunity, and our responsibility to our communities and stakeholders to do more and do better.”
Since 2016, women serving on our board have raised from 23% to 40% with a 50% goal by 2026, people of color have increased from 12% to 20% with a goal of 37% by 2026. As Micho said,
“We have begun but work remains.”
Jobs, Justice, and Joy
Vishaan Chakrabarti, FAIA, FRAIC, is an architect, urbanist, educator, and author who utilizes his designs to advocate for an equitable future based on the notion of human connection at the core.
We are delighted to have him speak alongside our President and CEO, James E. Rooney, and discuss his views on the future issues that cities need to address. In the interview, Vishaan says,
For jobs, Vishaan says creating a federal minimum wage and bringing affordable housing to cities would be crucial to prevent cities from fighting amongst each other in order to bring motivated and hardworking people into the critically important jobs in each city.
For justice, as a child growing up in Arlington, MA, Vishaan shared with us the social justice issues that the city needs to address in order to create an environment that people are excited to join.
“Boston has a tough racial history, and it needs to be more upfront about it frankly and it needs to reconcile it.”
For joy, Vishaan described the steps other cities across Europe and Latin America have taken to limit the amount of private automobiles that are allowed in cities. With the space freed from private vehicles they can look to turning parking lots into affordable housing, parking spaces into charity drop off points for the disenfranchised and homeless. These cities have improved the quality of life of their citizens through these changes which has left room for expansion for public transportation while also reducing the carbon footprint from private automobiles.
With the concepts of “jobs, justice, and joy”, Vishaan sees a bright future for every city facing a potential exodus to the suburbs.
We are proud to bring you this year’s Annual Meeting as a celebration of all these great people and to show the work ahead that these leaders have already started.
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