🔒How WBJ selected the 40 Under Forty, Class of 2024

This year’s 40 Under Forty winners were chosen from 398 nominations submitted for 221 professionals in 2023 and 2024. To be eligible, a nominee has to work in Central Massachusetts, live in or near Massachusetts, and be under the age of 40 on the date of the awards ceremony, which is Sept. 25 this year.

Since the awards were not held in 2023, WBJ extended the age-limit eligibility by one year for last year’s nominees. Each year’s nominees were reviewed by separate three-judge panels, who scored each nominee independently. WBJ then verified the eligibility of the top-scoring nominees and combined the results from the two years to select the Class of 2024.

The judges

Julie Bowditch is the executive director of CASA Project Worcester County, a nonprofit organization advocating for the 2,000 children who live in foster care across the county. Bowditch serves on the board for Women in Development of Central Massachusetts, is a corporator and grant reviewer for Greater Worcester Community Foundation, and co-chairs the development committee for Habitat for Humanity Metrowest/Greater Worcester. She is a 40 Under Forty alumna from the Class of 2018.

Darryl Caffee is senior vice president, director of retail lending, and Community Reinvestment Act officer for Auburn-based financial institution Webster Five, where he has worked since 2018. He is a board member and chair of the legislative committee for the Massachusetts Mortgage Bankers Association. Caffee earned his law degree from the Massachusetts School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. He is a 40 Under Forty alumnus from the Class of 2022.

Satya Mitra is the president and CEO of The Guru Tax & Financial Services in Worcester, which he founded 34 years ago in the basement of his home. Today, the company serves more than 400 clients across the U.S. and globally. He serves as board chair of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce and founded the nonprofit Joy Guru Humanitarian Services. Mitra was inducted into the WBJ Hall of Fame with the Class of 2019.

David Oliva is the general manager of Organomation, a manufacturer of laboratory instruments based in Berlin. He led Organomation to receive Company of the Year for 2023 from Sales and Marketing Professionals in Science, in recognition of his company’s innovative solutions to the life sciences and applied research industries. One of Oliva’s favorite responsibilities is visiting academic institutions and environmental laboratories around the world. He is a 40 Under Forty alumnus from the Class of 2022.

Giselle Rivera-Flores is director of communications for State Sen. Robyn Kennedy. She is responsible for developing communication strategies to help advance Kennedy’s efforts to catalyze broad impact through the sharing of effective ideas and practices. Rivera-Flores is a certified health & wellness coach. She publishes her reflective writings on the Afro-Latina experience on Substack called “Hispanic-ish”. She is a 40 Under Forty alumna from the Class of 2017.

Dr. Alexis Vallejos is senior vice president for program management at Westborough contract manufacturing firm Columbia Tech, where he has worked since 2004. He also co-owns and operates the eatery Brilla Coffee with his wife Osiris Vallejos. Brilla has two locations in Gardner and Holden. Vallejos earned his MBA from Assumption University in Worcester and a M.D. from the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua. He is a 40 Under Forty alumnus from the Class of 2016.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly said Dr. Alexis Vallejos joined Columbia Tech in 2024. The correct year is 2004. Additionally, the story incorrectly said Brilla Coffee had a location in Northborough. That location has closed, and Brilla operates two locations in Gardner and Holden.