Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | August 19, 2019 | wbjournal.com 4 0 U N D E R F O R T Y 2 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y How WBJ picks the 40 Under Forty winners In order to select the honorees for the 20th annual Worcester Business Journal 40 Under Forty Awards, WBJ opened the nomination period on WBJournal.com from October through May, where anyone could nominate a business leader, including self-nominations. is year, WBJ received a record 275 nominations for 130 nominees. e nomina- tions were then sent to judges Melanie Bonsu, John Peculis and Yuisa Pérez Chionchio, who were selected for the role based on their expertise and background. e nominees with the highest cumulative judges' score are vetted by WBJ staff to verify their eligibility, where they must work in Central Massachusetts, live in Massachusetts and be under 40 years old as of the day of the awards ceremony, which this year is Sept. 18. e highest scoring eligible nominees then became the 40 Under Forty Class of 2019. Melanie Bonsu Bonsu is the director of develop- ment and marketing/communica- tions for the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts in Worcester, where she oversees all aspects of fundraising, marketing, public relations and communica- tions for the largest girl-serving organization in Central and Western Massachusetts. Bonsu joined the Girl Scouts in 2012 with a focus on individual giving, corporate/foundation relations, events and alumnae. She's increased funding in critical areas, including capital improvements, event revenue and funding the com- munity-based programs bringing the Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more than 200 underserved girls every year. In 2017, Bonsu joined the senior leadership team when she took on establishing the new FunDMC department. Bonsu, the proud mother of two boys, has a passion for improving her hometown of Worcester, especially when it comes to children and marginalized groups. She was a member of the WBJ's 40 Under Forty Class of 2015. John Peculis Peculis is a senior vice president in the commercial lending division of Fidelity Bank. Servicing commercial clients across a broad spectrum of industries from manufacturing to real estate investing, Peculis believes in an intimate, personalized approach to servicing his clients. Prior to his banking career, Peculis was an accomplished commercial real estate appraiser and entrepreneur. Peculis is the first vice president of the Worcester Economic Club and a past president of the Worcester Young Businessmen's Association. He is an alumnus of the 2012 WBJ 40 Under Forty class. Peculis' proudest achievements are at home, with his wife and three beautiful daughters. When he's off the clock, Peculis enjoys spending time with his family while cooking, gardening, and working on various home projects. He volunteers as a youth sports coach and board member for both basketball and softball. Yuisa Pérez Chionchio Pérez Chionchio is the director of human resources at the Family Health Center of Worcester, Inc. who is responsible for developing and executing organizational leadership, specifically in the areas of talent management, employee engagement and organization culture. With nearly 20 years of leadership experience, Pérez Chionchio serves as a change agent in the intersection of leadership, education, and diversity & inclusion. She served as a classroom teacher, district federal program coordinator managing grant funds up to $14 million, a building principal, and community engagement administrator transforming programming for communities in need. Pérez Chionchio graduated from UMass Amherst, has a master's degree in teaching from Clark University, and holds certificates in administration from Worcester State University and diversity & inclusion from Cornell University. She is co-vice president of the YWCA of Central Massachusetts Board and co-chair of the YWCA Racial, Gender, and Equity Committee. 800.581.5363 fidelitybankonline.com Congrats Kara on your 40 under Forty recogni on! Living our Values Thank you Kara for supporting our culture and living our values every day! At Fidelity Bank we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to grow, improve, and realize their hopes and dreams. We do this through LifeDesign, our unique way of doing business and the promise we make to be caring, trusted friends to help our clients, community members, and our employees, get where they want to be. Watch the 40 Under Forty come alive with augmented reality!! For the first time in this issue, Worcester Business Journal is using augmented reality to give readers an interactive experience. Using an app called Live Portrait, readers can scan any photo in this issue with an LP symbol, and the photo will become a video or a photo slideshow of the WBJ 40 Under Forty. You can go behind the scenes at the 14 photo shoots at high-profile Central Massachusetts locations and delve deeper on the 40 Under Forty winners, learning their plans for improving Worcester or perhaps what their spirit animal is. To download the Live Portrait app, visit your Apple App Store or the Google Play store. You can also scan this QR code with your phone to link to the Live Portrait website, www.liveportrait.com, where the app is available for download.

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