Shop Talk: Q&A with James Leary, UMass Medical School
Photo/Christina H. Davis
James Leary, Associate Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs, UMass Medical School
James Leary’s new job as associate vice chancellor for community affairs of the University of Massachusetts Medical School gives him the best of both worlds: He can work in his hometown of Worcester while still using the community outreach skills he learned as a politician on Beacon Hill. Leary most recently served as the chief of staff for fellow Worcester native Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray. But his previous political experience includes serving as state representative for the 14th District of Worcester. Here, he discusses the transition from Beacon Hill to UMass Med, as well as the lessons he’s taken from his time in politics.
>> What are your responsibilities in your new position?
There are two basic categories. One is to make sure we let the public know about the community-based programs we are involved in and to look for opportunities for further involvement. The other side of the job is looking internally and cataloging and promoting community service activities. There’s more to the job, but those are the two main areas.
>> How have you transitioned from being involved in statewide politics to your position here? That seems like a big change.
That background is very helpful in this type of position. What I’m doing now involves working with governmental officials, so having that background and understanding of how state and local government works is critical. Also, when it comes to outreach within the community, being a Worcester native and having been in politics locally and very active, I kind of know who’s out there and who the key groups are.
>> What prompted you to make the move?
I’ve always wanted to be based in Worcester. It was a great opportunity and exciting opportunity to work for both the lieutenant governor and the governor. And when they asked me to take that job I was very happy to do it, knowing at the time that it is a two- to four-year commitment. It’s pretty typical that people stay roughly that long in these jobs. There’s a lot of opportunity to go from a senior position in an administration to then work in Boston, but I wasn’t interested in that. I’m from Worcester and I want to remain in Worcester. When this opportunity opened up, especially knowing the impact that the school has, it just really seemed like the perfect job.
>> What do you see as the impact of the medical school?
It’s huge, but unfortunately it’s not as well known as it ought to be. There are a total of 6,800 employees at the medical school. We have a payroll of $74 million right here in Worcester County. Any large organization has an incidental impact, but we also try to have a purposeful impact.
>> Do you miss politics?
Yes and no. I enjoy politics, but I don’t miss it. I feel like I’m still in a very similar line of work in terms of the community relations side of it. If I had gone back to full time practice of law, I would miss politics, because it’s that community engagement side of politics that I enjoy. In this position, the focus is community engagement.
>> You must have learned a lot of consensus building skills during your political career. What kind of lessons have you learned that you could share with business people?
The importance of communication is probably the biggest lesson. You may have something that seems to be a great idea and it very well may be a great idea, but if you just sort of spring it on people, it could be misunderstood and it could be met with resistance because they weren’t consulted. Obviously, you have to make a decision, and not everyone is going to be happy with what the decision is, but if they’ve been consulted and had some participation they’re more likely to buy in. And in the end, in order to implement anything, you have to have their buy in.
Watch as James Leary talks about what he likes most about his new job:
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