WBJ Event Sponsor Books

EDWARD M. AUGUSTUS JR., City Manager, City of Worcester City Manager Augustus was appointed as the city manager of Worcester, Massachusetts in January 2014. As City Manager, he has focused on continuing Worcester's economic development renaissance, supporting education and youth and making city government inclusive for all residents of New England's second-largest city. In just five years as City Manager, he has led a downtown resurgence effort through the development and implementation of a 20-year, $90 million Urban Revitalization Plan. He has also overseen more than $50 million in renovations and improvements to the City's 61 public parks. Under his leadership, the City of Worcester has received the highest bond rating in its history. He successfully led an unprecedented effort to sign a Letter of Intent with the Pawtucket Red Sox in August 2018 to build a modern, multi- use ballpark as part of a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the for- mer Wyman Gordon property in the City's growing Canal District as well as a complete redesign of Kelley Square. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Augustus, a native of Worcester, served as Director of Government and Community Relations at the College of the Holy Cross. His political career began at the age of 23 when he was appointed to the City of Worcester's Human Rights Commission. A few months later, he was elected to the Worcester School Committee, becoming the youngest person ever to hold elected office in Worcester. He served on the school committee for two terms, making it a point to visit each and every classroom in every school in the City every year of his tenure. Continuing his interest in education, Mr. Augustus moved to Wash- ington, D.C. where he worked in President Bill Clinton's United States Department of Education from 1992 to 1998. While in Washington, one of City Manager Augustus' major initiatives was working to close the educational achievement gaps in Latino communities. Mr. Augustus also served as U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern's Chief of Staff in Washington from 1998 to 2004. In this role, Mr. Augustus was involved in a host of important Worcester projects and initiatives, including the first discussions about building Worcester's Hanover The- ater, the Blackstone Valley Visitors Center, Gateway Park, CitySquare and many more. He served two terms in the Massachusetts State Senate, represent- ing Worcester's 2nd District and helping to pass the landmark Massa- chusetts Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care and same sex marriage. Mr. Augustus is a graduate of Saint John's High School in Shrews- bury, Suffolk University and Johns Hopkins University. He holds a mas- ter's degree in government. Mr. Augustus grew up in Webster Square, where his mother lives to this day. You may contact City Manager Augustus at City Hall by calling 508- 799-1175 or via email CityManager@worcesterma.gov ROBERTA L. BRIEN, Vice President of Projects, Worcester Business Development Corporation (WBDC) As the Vice President of Projects, Roberta has 18 years of experience in real estate and project manage- ment. Before joining the WBDC in 2004, Roberta was most recently employed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where she was a project manager to the Division of Capital Asset Management's Office of Real Estate. Roberta's portfolio consisted of planning for the reuse and development of large state hospital properties as well as the sale and leasing of smaller properties throughout the Commonwealth to private citizens and businesses. Ms. Brien's portfolio consistently represented an annual revenue stream of $1 million in real estate transactions for the Commonwealth. Prior to her experience with the Commonwealth, Ms. Brien worked WORCESTER 2021 AND BEYOND: A CONVERSATION WITH CITY AND COMMUNITY LEADERS The remarkable growth Worcester has experienced this last decade has been a dividend of a consistent vision of where the city is heading, fulfilling its role as the economic powerhouse for Central Massachusetts. In this session we'll hear from city officials and other community leaders and developers about what has been behind the growth of recent years and the steps they're taking to re-ignite that momentum post pandemic. We'll also discuss impediments, opportunities and offer insights about government's role in supporting the growth of Greater Worcester. PANELISTS: SESSION 1: March 9th • 9:00-10:00AM MODERATOR: ANN TRIPP, President, Opus Investment Management Ann K. Tripp serves as executive vice president, chief investment officer and treasurer of The Hanover Insur- ance Group; president of Opus Investment Management, Inc., a mem- ber of The Hanover; and is a member of The Hanover's Partner Group, a group of the company's most senior leaders. Ann joined The Hanover as an investment officer in 1987 and since has assumed increasing leadership responsibility in the investment division and in the company. In 2006, Ann was appointed chief investment officer and president of Opus Investment Management, a subsidiary that provides investment management services to institutional investors. In her current role, Ann is responsible for the investment strategy and oversight of more than $12.6 billion of affiliated and non-affiliated client assets. Ann currently serves on the Board of Fallon Health and also serves on the Investment Committees for the Greater Worcester Community Foundation and the YWCA. Prior to joining The Hanover, Ann was a senior financial consultant at The New England and an investment officer at the Massachusetts Capital Resource Company. Ann holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Franklin & Marshall College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Boston University.

• Cover