Worcester Business Journal

30 Worcester Business Journal | August 22, 2022 | wbjournal.com With a name change and a $15-million expansion completed in the last year, the team at Tower Hill is investing heavily in expanding its audience in both size and demographics. At the heart of that strategy is a focus on children, and at the heart of its youth programming is Gallant. Until last year, Gallant was the only full-time employee at the newly named New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill focused solely on youth education, so it's fair to say she was single-handedly responsible for nearly tripling the organization's youth programs. Among those offerings are educational engagement for pre-kin- dergarten kids, an environmental justice program for Worcester Public School students, and opportunities for underserved children through a wide range of community partnerships. On top of an immense contribution to environmental education, Gallant's work has resulted in a 120% increase in departmental revenue over her four years with the organization. The botanic garden continues to invest heavily in its younger audiences and opened a 1.5-acre children's garden in April, promising to showcase Gallant's talent in the years to come. - K.H. If you went on a 10-year, deep-space mission, what four people would you take? Carl Sagan, David Bowie (Ziggy Star- dust), Jane Goodall, Chewbacca (Wookiees count right? Everyone needs a co-pilot.) What is the best location in Central Mass.? Non-biased answer: The shed at Vincent's in Worcester, with a meatball sandwich in hand. Biased answer: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill. If you gave a keynote at a college graduation, what advice would you give? Don't ever graduate, but also travel as much as you can. Outside of your career and family, what has been your marquee life experience? I lived in San Diego for five years before attending graduate school at Clark. Every winter I wonder why I ever moved back. Marissa Gallant, 36 Manager of youth education New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, in Boylston Residence: Worcester Birthplace: Worcester Colleges: Roger Williams University, Clark University 4 0 U N D E R F O R T Y Like most of the country, Central Mass. has struggled with a worsening human service worker shortage over the past two years. The shortage can largely be attributed to low wages, as direct support professionals make, on average, $13 an hour. Johnson is a key player in addressing this shortage in the region; he increased wages for direct support profession- als at ASPiRE! 25% over the past year. Johnson oversees all-day programming operations at ASPiRE!, which provides health, ha- bilitation, and workforce services for more than 600 adults with disabilities as a division of the Seven Hills Foundation. This work includes a team of more than 100 employees and a $10-million budget across five Central Mass. locations. Among his many notable accomplishments, Johnson helped create employment opportunities for people served by ASPiRE! through a project relocating Stearns Tavern in Worcester's Coes Park and a partnership with Leominster office furniture manufacturer AIS. Johnson is a member of local chambers of commerce and is a lifelong resident of Central Massachusetts, but his impact is not confined to the region. As a member of Seven Hills Global Out- reach, he has traveled to Sierra Leone in support of humanitarian efforts there. - K.H. What Central Mass. historical figure do you most admire? John Adams. Adams was fiercely proud and defensive of where he came from, and though he could be a bit fiery at times when presenting his point of view, he learned to adopt a tactful approach to win friends and influence people. What is the key to your success? Maintaining positivity. Remem- bering the glass is half-full when it might look to be half-empty is important. To borrow and stretch that cliché, the glass is indeed entirely full, half with water, the other half with air. I do believe that maintaining positivity through negative situations is an important part of leadership. Where do you hope to visit in the next 25 years? London, England Timothy Johnson, 38 Vice president of ASPiRE! Seven Hills Foundation, in Worcester Residence: Lunenburg Birthplace: Fitchburg Colleges: Boston University, Fitchburg State University, Johnson & Wales University PHOTO/ERIKA SIDOR Photo shoot at New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill (special thanks to Liz Nye and Grace Elton)

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