Women Disrupting Politics
You might think of “Disruption” as a bad thing – but in the context of social and economic value creation, we know that we can positively disrupt the status quo to make the world a better place. The Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) has put together a great, multicultural panel moderated by our President, and should make for very interesting perspectives! Register and attend if you can!
***UPDATE: Click here to read a summary of the Disruption Dinner and panel.
Women Disrupting Politics
September 15th, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Knight Auditorium, Babson College
Moderated by President Kerry Healey
GUEST PANELISTS:
MEGAN COSTELLO: Executive Director, City of Boston’s Office of Women’s Advancement
Megan’s passion has always been in politics and government, especially ensuring that women’s voices are heard and included. Since graduating in 2009, she has worked for a variety of elected officials and campaigns that include: Setti Warren for Mayor of Newton, President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign as Iowa Region Field Director, Senator Ed Markey’s Statewide Volunteer Director, and Mayor Marty Walsh’s Campaign Manager. She joined the Walsh Administration because her passion has always been to advance women in politics and government.
LINDA DORCENA FORRY: Massachusetts State Senator
Linda Dorcena Forry grew up in Dorchester’s Uphams Corner neighborhood, where her parents settled after immigrating to the United States from Haiti in the mid-1960s. Upon her election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2005, Forry became teh second Haitian American to hold public office in Massachusetts. Senator Forry has dedicated her professional life to a career in public service, working in various capacities in state and city government for over 15 years. Forry has also served on a number of local boards and organizations, including the Ward 13 and Ward 17 Democratic committees. Forry represented the Commonwealth’s 12th Suffolk district since 2005, a diverse vibrant cross-section that includes parts of the town of Milton and the city of Boston, including Dorchester, Hyde Park and Mattapan. She was recently elected Senator for the Commonwealth’s 1st Suffolk district which includes Dorchester, Mattapan, South Boston and Hyde Park.
LISA WONG: Mayor of the City of Fitchburg
Lisa Wong is currently serving her forth term as Mayor of the city of Fitchburg. She was first elected to that office in November of 2007 at the age of 28, and is the first minority mayor in Fitchburg and the first female Asian American mayor in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Mayor Wonge made fiscal stability one of her top priorities even before the global financial crisis hit in 2008. During her first two and a half years in office, she consolidated 22 city departments into 10, built up a stabilization fund from $20,000 to over $4,600,000, and balanced the budget. As a result, the city’s bond rating, a measure of financial health, has increased twice. Mayor Wong has become known throughout the state as one of the most effective leaders in economic restructuring, environmental affairs, and redevelopment projects and was recently asked to head the Gateway Cities Initiative statewide.