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The Power 50 for 2022
Each year, the WBJ Editorial staff undertakes the impossible task of deciding who are the 50 most influential people in the Central Massachusetts economy for the past 12 months. We spend more collective time working on this print edition than we do any other throughout the year.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Ulysses Youngblood
Ulysses Youngblood likes being an unassuming man, who people would never guess runs his own cannabis business or teaches about entrepreneurship at Clark University.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Stephen MacMillan
Stephen MacMillan took over leadership of medical device manufacturer Hologic in 2013. Since that time Hologic has established itself as a leader in the biomedical industry with $3.8 billion in annual revenue and 7,129 employees worldwide, including 983 in Central Massachusetts.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Damien Goudreau, Nate Lanier, and Dean Rohan
In fewer than 10 years, Tree House snowballed into the largest brewer in Central Massachusetts, and it shows no signs of slowing.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Vincent Rougeau
At the helm of a 179-year-old college with a $1-billion-endowment, Vincent Rougeau holds the power to transform Central Massachusetts’ wealthiest higher education institution.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Dr. Shlomit Schaal
As the leader of the largest caregiver network in Central Massachusetts, at 1,205 physicians, Dr. Shlomit Schaal straddles the world of academia and research, seeking to improve both.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: David Fithian
Since taking the reins of Worcester’s second-largest private college two years ago, David Fithian has aggressively expanded Clark University’s presence and character within the Worcester community.
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- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Luis Pedraja
In influencing the future of the workforce, Luis Pedraja is one of the most powerful stakeholders.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Dr. Michael Collins
At the nexus of higher education and life sciences, UMass Chan Medical School has undergone tremendous growth in the last year under Dr. Michael Collins’ leadership.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Kimberly Salmon
With the power of the national company Hanover Insurance Group and its $5 billion in annual revenues behind her, Kimberly Salmon directs community giving throughout Greater Worcester.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: John & Jeanne Esler
John and his wife Jeanne Esler are dedicating their time and money to address systematic racism throughout the country through their Esler Family Foundation.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Michael Angelini
Few professionals in Central Massachusetts have their hands on as many levers of power as Michael Angelini, giving him a unique ability to make deals happen, arrange connections between powerful people, and mentor up-and-coming leaders in the community.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham
Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham is a key leader – perhaps the leader in Central Massachusetts – in guiding businesses to better diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Edwin Shea
As market president of the largest Central Massachusetts bank – with $7 billion in local deposits across 27 branches – Edwin Shea sits atop the biggest opportunity to shape the region, by financing business ventures and donating to nonprofits.
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- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Michael Welch
Even before leading the second largest bank headquartered in Central Massachusetts, Michael Welch was already making huge impressions on Greater Worcester.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Bob Mumgaard
Few companies worldwide have the ability to alter the entire course of human history, particularly our relationship with energy and limited global resources.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Christopher Roy
Looking into the future, high-speed internet and sustainable energy are going to be the cornerstones of economic development infrastructure, even more so than now.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Udit Batra
Udit Batra took over leadership of Waters Corp., a $2.7-billion laboratory equipment manufacturer, in September 2020 and began to implement a three-phase transformation program to help the company regain its commercial commentum, strengthen leadership and performance management, and align the Waters portfolio for growth.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Lila Snyder
In 2020, Lila Snyder became the first female CEO in the 58-year history of Bose. Under her leadership, the $4-billion audio equipment manufacturer in Framingham has made headlines with its innovative product development.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Jon Weaver
Jon Weaver is an instrumental figure in the world of biotech as leader of Massachusetts’ longest-running biotech incubator.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Michael O’Kronley
Michael O’Kronley and Ascend Elements’ goal is to be at the forefront of the public’s transition from gas-guzzling cars to electric vehicles.
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- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Edward Kelly
As the head of one of the few independent hospitals remaining in Central Massachusetts, Edward Kelly oversees service to more than 20 towns with more than 300 primary care and specialty physicians and 149 beds.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Dr. Matilde Castiel
Dr. Matilde Castiel has been on the front lines in the battle against not only COVID-19, but other problems plaguing the region, such as opioid addiction and hepatitis A.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Carolyn Jackson
Carolyn Jackson successfully negotiated a hard-won contract with the powerful Massachusetts Nurses Association union on issues regarding staffing ratios and hiring back striking nurses.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Dr. Eric Dickson
As the head of an organization with $1.8 billion in annual revenues and locations from Leominster to Southbridge, and Marlborough to Worcester, the decisions Dr. Eric Dickson makes impact the entire Central Massachusetts region.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Odile Smith
Bristol Myers Squibb’s ongoing 244,000-square-foot expansion in Devens promises to define the former military reserve and further draw the state’s blossoming life sciences industry into Central Mass.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Jim Chacharone
Chacharone Properties has been developing projects in Central Massachusetts for nearly 40 years and owns more than a million square feet of commercial, medical, industrial, and lab space in the region.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Kaska Yawo
For 16 years, Kaska Yawo has been building African Community Education from the ground up, starting as a one-on-one tutoring service for young Liberian refugees.
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- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Anthony Consigli
Under Anthony Consigli’s leadership starting in the 1990s, Consigli Building Group has grown from $1 million to $2.25 billion in annual volume.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Charles Norton
Charles Norton has already had a tremendous impact on the region’s development trajectory and shows no signs of slowing.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Denis Dowdle
Although Denis Dowdle’s developments in Worcester are still more on paper than in steel, his proposed six-building project across from the Polar Park baseball stadium remains one of the most influential developments in the city.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Olivia Scanlon
New housing, commercial developments, infrastructure, and public facilities are all great at economic development, but it takes a vibrant cultural scene to truly create a place where people want to be. In the past year, perhaps no one has personified Worcester’s cultural growth more than Olivia Scanlon.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Larry Lucchino
Larry Lucchino will hold tremendous sway over the Greater Worcester business and cultural communities until he and the rest of the WooSox ownership group decide to sell the team, which may be sooner rather than later.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Weidong Wang
If there’s one person who took Central Massachusetts’ real estate world by storm this year, it’s Weidong Wang.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Grace Lam
In an age when sustainable farms are struggling to maintain relevance, Grace Lam has cracked the code to the modern-day customer.
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- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Cliff Rucker
Cliff Rucker has invested so heavily in Worcester’s entertainment industry, he is single-handedly bringing more than a million people to the city each year.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Troy Siebels
Troy Siebels has been part of the fabric of Worcester’s arts scene since he took over leadership of Hanover Theatre 18 years ago.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Bill Shaner
Bill Shaner provides a counterpoint to the City's economic development strategy, by giving voice to negatively impacted groups and decrying the loss of cultural resources.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Timothy Murray
Timothy Murray not only serves as the face of the Greater Worcester business community, but he often is the power behind the scenes making deals happen.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Roy Nascimento
At 650 members, Roy Nascimento leads the second-largest Central Massachusetts chamber of commerce, and the only one with its own microloan lending division approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Richard Lapidus
Perhaps more than any other college president in Central Massachusetts, Richard Lapidus has demonstrated the transformative effect a higher education institution can have on its hometown.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Ivette Olmeda
Through her work as a MassDevelopment fellow, Ivette Olmeda has played an instrumental role in redefining a crucial block of Worcester’s Main South neighborhood into a bustling small business hub.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Anh Vu Sawyer
As the leader of the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central Massachusetts for the past 10 years, Anh Vu Sawyer has created an incubator of sorts for the region’s immigrant population, providing resources to help newcomers start their own businesses.
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Power 502022 Power 50: David Jordan
As the head of the largest Central Mass. human service nonprofit – with $211 million in assets, more than triple the second-largest – David Jordan holds considerable sway, which he uses to enhance the industry and the lives of people throughout the globe.
- Power 50
Power 502022 Power 50: Ronald Waddell Jr.
Ronald Waddell Jr. and Legendary Legacies are cornerstones of the effort to engage communities of color with jobs and civic responsibility.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Angela Bovill
Ascentria Care Alliance is at the heart of Greater Worcester’s efforts to serve, support, and settle refugees and immigrants. Under Angela Bovill’s leadership this year, the organization worked with other nonprofits in the region to welcome nearly 600 Afghan refugees.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Liz Hamilton
As Worcester’s economy and population have grown, Liz Hamilton is a leader in ensuring that development is equitable and inclusive.
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Power 502022 Power 50: Tim Garvin
For the past 16 years, Tim Garvin has been the face of United Way Central Massachusetts.
