Greater Worcester

Christina Andreoli's influence has been quietly growing behind the scenes of Worcester -- first in City Hall as the chief of staff for City Manager Mike O'Brien and then as the vice president of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce -- but since taking on the leadership of tourism organizations Destination Worcester and the newly created Discover Central Massachusetts, Andreoli is settling into a highly visible role of promoting the entire Central Massachusetts region.

At first glance, anyone holding the title of director of the Fitchburg Art Museum wouldn't seem to have much influence outside the cultural community. But Nick Capasso isn't just anyone.

Dr. Eric Dickson never set out to be a hospital administrator, but leadership roles have tended to fall into his lap as he practiced as an emergency room physician over the years, thanks to his take-charge nature.

Susan Mailman is the fourth-generation owner of the 130-year-old Coghlin Electrical Contractors & Coghlin Network Services, but she has not only stepped into a role guiding her company, but also in helping to guide major institutions in the city.

Ralph Crowley Jr. is not only the president and CEO of Worcester's most visible company, the $450-million Polar Beverages, but he is also a true believer in the city.

Inside Route 128, incubators for early-stage companies are numerous, but in MetroWest and Greater Worcester, the options are far more limited. But two local nonprofit leaders, Kevin O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester, and Barbara Finer, CEO of TechSandBox in Hopkinton, have been pioneers on the incubation frontier and are leading ongoing efforts to increase resources to help local startups thrive.

Amy Lynn Chase is an entrepreneur, who has helped build up the Canal District as she builds her own businesses, but this relative newcomer is increasingly being leaned upon by the established Worcester business community for both her social media prowess and her fresh perspective.

Leading research and public health outreach efforts both locally and globally, the University of Massachusetts Medical School does much more than educate medical students.

To call Chip Norton a fresh face to Central Massachusetts is a little bit of a misnomer, since he has owned and/or developed several multi-million real estate projects in the region for years, but he was largely working behind the scenes until late October when his firm purchased two Front Street office towers in Worcester for $33 million.

Community banks -- striving to compete against multi-billion conglomerates while maintaining their strong local ties -- are taking a creative approach to combine their power while retaining their identities.