Kola A. Akindele
Then: Senior director, community & government relations at UMass Medical School
Now: Assistant vice chancellor, city & community relations at UMass Medical School, Worcester
A year after winning 40 Under Forty, Akindele was named a Rising Star in Health Care by the magazine Becker’s Hospital Review. By the end of 2018, he had been promoted to the assistant vice chancellor at UMass Medical School, where – among his many duties – he has an initiative seeking to address the socioeconomic barriers to academic success faced by students in the north quadrant of the Worcester Public Schools. This continues a career of helping the underserved, such as at one of his first job at Hartford Hospital, where he spearheaded the creation of a mobile market to neighborhoods designated as food deserts in Hartford. Akindele is an assistant health professor at Worcester State University and is a founding member of The African Council, seeking to increase civic engagement among Africans in Massachusetts. He’s served on the Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals, the Oak Hill Community Development Corp. and Holy Name High School. – Profile written by Grant Welker
What is your proudest accomplishment? Positively impacting an entire neighborhood by providing access to affordable, fresh produce.
What advice do you have for this year’s winners? Take advantage of the network and leverage the accolade.
The 40 Under Forty alumni Class of 2016
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