Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | March 29, 2021 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M AS S I N B R I E F Becerra rises from Worcester's Community Legal Aid to Biden's Cabinet V E R BAT I M Returning to in-person "I know many of you are yearning to have the full in- person campus experience, and we aim to provide it this coming fall." Barry Maloney, president of Worcester State University, in a statement announcing the school's plan to return to in-person classes in the fall, joining all other Central Massachusetts' colleges Lifelong skills "What excites me about the pilot program is that our kids will take the lead in growing, harvesting and cooking their food. These will be skills they can utilize throughout their lives." Liz Hamilton, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, announcing the club will work with Worcester nonprofit 2Gether We Eat to start a hydroponic farm program Culture builder "I look forward to embarking on this new journey within an organization that places such an emphasis on both the professional development of its employees and strengthening its ties with members of the community." Maria Salvatore, whose Jan. 1 promotion to the newly-created position chief culture officer at Southbridge-based Cornerstone Bank was announced on March 15 X avier Becerra, whose career started at the Worcester nonprofit Community Legal Aid, was confirmed March 18 by the U.S. Senate to be President Joe Biden's secretary for health and human services. Becerra addressed the vote in a brief tweet: "I'm honored and humbled by today's vote in the Senate. ank you. I'm ready to get to work at @HHSgov," he wrote. e 63-year-old Becerra's career started at Community Legal Aid's predecessor organization, the Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts. Community Legal Aid gives free civil legal help for low-income and elderly residents of Central and Western Massachusetts. e next health and human services secretary, who was born in California, moved to Massachusetts when his wife was attending Harvard Medical School in Boston, providing legal services representing the mentally ill. He was most recently California's attorney general, becoming the first Latino to hold the position when he took office in 2017. He previously served 12 terms as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives covering the Los Angeles area, and earlier stages of his career included work as a deputy attorney general and a state legislator. He is the first Latino head of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. His parents were both raised BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor in Mexico. Becerra earned his bachelor's degree in economics and his law degree from Stanford University in California. He joins in the Cabinet former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. John Kerry, who is the United States' special presidential envoy for climate, and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who is Biden's labor secretary. Becerra takes over as the head of Health & Human Services at a time when the federal government is continuing to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, with Biden providing a goal of having every American adult eligible for a vaccine by May 1. Health & Human Services took two major steps in its pandemic efforts on March 17, including announcing $10 billion to expand testing to aid in school reopenings and giving $150 million to help vaccinate residents of underserved communities. PHOTO/COURTESY OF FLICKR USER CAGE SKIDMORE W Xavier Becerra, U.S. secretary for health and human services

• Cover