This year, WBJ received 163 nominations for 134 nominees for the 40 Under Forty awards. 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. 16. The nominees were scored independently by five judges. WBJ then verified the eligibility of the top-scoring nominees to select the Class of 2026. This year’s judges were Melanie Bonsu, Christal Brown, Sabrina Mansur, Kait Urlaub, and David Viens.
Melanie Bonsu
Melanie Bonsu is the community relations manager for Saint-Gobain Abrasives, playing a key role in enhancing the company’s relationships with the community. Her community involvement includes being a corporator for Webster Five, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation; a board member for the Worcester Educational Collaborative, and Worcester State Foundation. She is on the Planning Committee for the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Worcester Women’s Leadership Conference, and co-chaired the YWCA’s Erskine Awards and Meryl’s Safe Haven’s Rent Party Fundraiser. She is a member of WBJ’s 40 Under Forty, Class of 2015.
Christal Brown
Christal Brown is vice president and director of marketing for GFA Federal Credit Union in Gardner. She has grown GFA’s marketing approach and community presence for the $720-million financial institution serving more than 33,000 members across 10 locations in Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. She founded and leads GFA’s Employee Community Engagement Committee, which mobilizes more than 100 employees across the credit union’s footprint. She leads GFA’s student advisory boards at Gardner High School and Keene High School in New Hampshire. She is a member of WBJ’s 40 Under Forty, Class of 2025.
Sabrina Mansur
Sabrina Mansur is the inaugural director of the $100-million Massachusetts AI Hub at the Mass Tech Collaborative, in Westborough. Mansur is leading Massachusetts’ effort to become a national leader in artificial intelligence by transforming a legislative vision into an operating statewide initiative connecting industry, academia, entrepreneurs, and government. Since she stepped into her role last year, the hub has overseen a $31-million expansion of AI computing resources, awarded $2.9 million to organizations commercializing AI applications, and launched programs designed to strengthen the state’s AI workforce and startup ecosystem.
Kait Urlaub
Kait Urlaub is vice president for talent acquisition and workforce development at UMass Memorial Health, in Worcester. She has helped lead workforce stabilization and growth at UMass Memorial Health, the largest Central Mass. healthcare system with 20,000+ employees. Urlaub launched Walk-in Wednesdays, an open-door hiring initiative demystifying the healthcare application process for Worcester residents. This program removes employment barriers, allowing candidates to meet recruiters and interview on the spot. She is a member of WBJ’s 40 Under Forty, Class of 2025.
David Viens
David Viens is a partner in the litigation department at at Worcester law firm Mirick, which has offices in Worcester, Westborough, and Boston. Viens brings more than 20 years of extensive experience representing businesses, real estate developers, commercial property owners and closely-held business owners across Massachusetts. His practice centers on complex business and commercial counseling and litigation, construction and real estate matters, and shareholder and partnership disputes. He has served on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester. He is a member of WBJ’s 40 Under Forty, Class of 2017.
