Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | May 25, 2020 | wbjournal.com P O W E R 5 0 N O N P R O F I T S Christine Cassidy CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER FALLON HEALTH, WORCESTER Linda Cavaioli EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR YWCA CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS, WORCESTER Pattie Hallberg CEO GIRL SCOUTS OF CENTRAL AND WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS, WORCESTER & HOLYOKE Residence: Lancaster College: Becker College As Cassidy has climbed the ranks at Fallon, she's used her skill, hard work and connections not just at the insurer but at her alma mater, Becker College, and a range of city organizations. She chairs Becker's board of trustees and serves or has served on the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Central Massachusetts, Girls Inc., YWCA Central Massachusetts, the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, Be Like Brit, the Worcester County Food Bank, Girl Scouts of Central & Western Massachusetts, and Working for Worcester. Her work days are spent leading Fallon's communications, marketing, brand management, and public, community and government relations. But it's on those boards where Cassidy really makes her impact. She takes special pride as a former Girl Scout in helping young girls, and in 2017 she earned the Katharine F. Erskine Award from the YWCA. What makes Central Mass. unique? The people and the incredibly rich history of this area. I've lived in Central Mass. for more than 30 years. I grew up in Western Mass., and I previously spent many years working in Boston. There are good people all over the commonwealth and lots of fascinating stories, but this place is special. Almost famous: I was ever-so-briefly (blink and you'd miss me) on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" standing next to Greg Kinnear. Residence: Worcester Colleges: University of New Hamp- shire & Clark University For nearly 40 years, Cavaioli has dedicated her life to social service, fighting racism and empowering women. During her tenure leading YWCA, she has expanded ser- vices to include transitional housing, support for pregnant and parenting teens, mentoring for middle-school girls, and domestic violence services for 44 communities. The YWCA serves 13,000 clients annually, 80% of whom are low income, with more than 50% representing commu- nities of color. Last year, Cavaioli and YWCA launched a $24-million renovation project, designed to modernize and enhance its Salem Street facilities. When the corona- virus crisis hit, Cavaioli decided the organization should play an enhanced role, providing child care to essential medical personnel and first responders. What makes Central Mass. unique? Central Mass. is blessed with in-depth resources. Worcester's diverse workforce community includes the most important and prestigious corporate, health, and educational institu- tions in New England. Our historic family foundations are generous philanthropists making Worcester the envy of all New England communities. The collaborative spirit allows for people and organizations to come together and devel- op creative solutions to our community's challenges. Songbird: My favorite bird is a cardinal because it re- minds me of my mom! Residence: Wilbraham College: Denison University Twelve years ago, Hallberg started with the Girl Scouts tasked with one overarching goal: Combine three councils in Worcester, East Longmeadow and Florence together. In March, the final piece of that effort was complete, when the Girl Scouts moved into their new facility on Century Drive in Worcester, matching a similar one the council built in Holyoke. The new facilities are meant to help the nonprofit focus on serving its girls and optimize its cookie-selling season near the start of each year, which accounts for about 60% of the nonprofit's revenue. Beyond the Girl Scouts, Hallberg makes her influence known throughout the community, particularly by serving on the boards for Investing in Girls Alliance, the Employers Association of the Northeast and the United Way Women's Initiative Leadership Council. What makes Central Mass. unique? Worcester is uniquely positioned geographically between the huge city of Boston and the bucolic landscape of Central and Western Mass. The people here make the difference. They are able to pull all of the diversity of the area together, build on the academic environment and growing economy to make the region a vibrant cultural and economic force. Land of the Rising Sun: While I was in college my family lived in Tokyo, Japan. I spent a lot of time exploring the city and the countryside. David A. Jordan, DHA PRESIDENT SEVEN HILLS FOUNDATION & AFFILIATES, WORCESTER AiVi Nguyen PARTNER BOWDITCH & DEWEY, LLP, WORCESTER Residence: Worcester Colleges: Medical University of South Carolina, Clark University, Salve Regina University, University of Rhode Island Jordan has served as Seven Hills' president since 1995, managing for a quarter-century a sprawling organization including more than 160 locations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and seven countries abroad. The human services agency has a budget topping $250 million, a more than tenfold rise since Jordan's tenure began, and an employee count of 4,800 — roughly 3,000 of which are in Central Mass., providing an economic impact of $192 million. It serves more than 25,000 clients at centers including behavioral health, employment programs and residential care. Seven Hills' partnerships under Jordan have grown in the past two years to include the adoption agency Children's Friend and youth behavioral health and educational services provider YOU Inc. The nonprofit has extended its reach to include coronavirus- related care and opening a workforce training program and cafe in the former historic Stearns Tavern. What makes Central Mass. unique? Our diversity! More than 26% of all businesses in Greater Worcester were founded and are run by first-generation immigrants. That alone speaks volumes about our rich ethnic, racial, and cultural traditions. David Jordan trivia: I grew up near Second Beach in Middletown, R.I. and spent my teenage years surfing and playing baseball. In college, I was a competitive wrestler. I married the amazing Dr. Kathee Jordan, whom I have the joy of working with each day. I have more tattoos than anyone might think; all carefully hidden of course! Residence: Worcester Colleges: University of Pennsylvania & Boston College Law School Nguyen's resume ought to lead with the fact she became the youngest partner at Bowditch & Dewey's century-plus history, at age 31. It led her Power 50 profile last year, after all. But that's not exactly what makes Nguyen among the region's most influential people, as she is constantly using her skills and intellect to push for change and advocate for those most in need. She's the chair of the United Way of Central Massachusetts and vice chair of the City of Worcester's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, which aims to update the city's hiring standards for a more diverse city workforce that can better match the city's population. There's also the example she sets. She grew up in subsidized housing in Worcester, studied at the University of Pennsylvania as an undergraduate, and then got her law degree at Boston College. When it came time to settle into a career, she returned home. What makes Central Mass. unique? The young leadership. There is diversity at the table. Good teachers: Even though I was born in America, Vietnamese is technically my first language because that's all my parents spoke to me. I learned to speak English from Sesame Street and Mister Rogers. Vincent Strully FOUNDER & CEO NEW ENGLAND CENTER FOR CHILDREN, SOUTHBOROUGH When Strully founded the New England Center for Children in 1975, autism was nothing like the widespread challenge it is today for countless people and their families. Today, it's so prevalent it affects one of every 54 people, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. The rate wasn't even tracked before 2000. Strully, which started the center on the grounds of the old Taunton State Hospital, has grown the NECC in geography and scope, with a budget exceeding $100 million and a workforce topping 1,300. The center works with autistic children and young adults, offers curricula for other centers, has a graduate degree program for its employees, and studies the disorder, with its staff having written more than 250 peer-reviewed journal articles and presented research at more than 2,000 conferences. A massive facility in the United Arab Emirates opened in 2008, a 33,000-square-foot autism care facility on its Southborough campus opened in 2016, and in 2019 operations began in Lebanon, the 18th country in which NECC operates or consults. Strully has led the way throughout, as NECC expanded its presence across the Middle East in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and elsewhere across the globe including Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, India and Italy. It's a footprint nearly any Central Massachusetts institution would envy, and a mission that could hardly be more needed or more important.

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