Worcester Business Journal

4 Worcester Business Journal | March 6, 2023 | wbjournal.com C E N T R A L M A S S I N B R I E F V E R B AT I M Another Nichols- Bryant connection "I look forward to working with Peter as we build upon our efforts to bring Nichols to new heights in our march toward greater regional and national prominence." Nichols College president Glenn Sulmasy on the hiring of Peter Tympanick to be the school's new vice president for business and finance and its CFO, making him Nichols' executive third hire from Bryant University since 2021. Pictured is Tympanick. A kombucha cure "This project began in my kitchen years ago, when I opened a jar of kombucha that I had been making and discovered an optically clear membrane on top of the liquid." Worcester Polytechnic Institute researcher Jeannine Coburn about her research funded by $606,146 from the National Science Foundation, which aims to develop a transparent wound dressing from cellulose produced by bacteria found in kombucha, vinegar, and other foods First woman agricultural commissioner "We will continue to work to ensure a safe and secure food supply while building a more equitable, robust, and resilient local food system." Ashley Randle, a Sterling resident and deputy commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, on being appointed the 21st MDAR commissioner, effective March 6, making her the first woman to hold the role BY ISABEL TEHAN WBJ Staff Writer R ichard Burke, the president and CEO of Fallon Health, is retiring from his role at the end of the year. e board of directors has begun a search for his successor, accord- ing to a Feb. 21 press release from Fallon. e search is being led by Fallon Health board member Deborah Enos, former president and CEO of Neighborhood Health Plan, now known as Allways Health Partners. Burke has been employed by Fallon Health, a Worcester-based health insur- ance and healthcare service provider, for 25 years, and has served in his current position for eight. He will stay on until a replacement is named. "Although I'm looking forward to retirement, I will miss the truly import- ant work that we do in our community and the people who do it. Fallon Health is different from other health plans. We take care of our members and the communities where they live, and that makes coming to work every day extremely gratifying," Burke said in the press release. "e progress we've made as a team to create a solid foundation for long-term stability will serve our members and the community well, now and into the future." While serving in his role, Burke solid- ified Fallon's relationship with govern- ment entities and under his oversight Fallon reached high rates of member enrollment in Medicaid programs. Additionally, Fallon initiated plans for expansion beyond New England under Burke's leadership, according to the press release. Previously, Burke was president of senior care services and government programs at Fallon, where he served aging and at-risk populations. He was inducted into the WBJ Hall of Fame in 2022. "Richard's thoughtful, consistent, and strategic approach has successfully led one of Worcester's major employ- ers, Fallon Health, through a rapidly changing healthcare landscape during his tenure," Timothy Murray, president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, said in a writ- ten statement on Feb. 22. "Moreover, Richard's engagement in the Central Mass community on a volunteer basis with a variety of organizations, including the Chamber, on an array of important issues has made our Central Mass community stronger, healthier, and more collaborative." Burke received his undergraduate degree from Assumption University in Worcester and holds a master's degree in political science from Boston College and an MBA from Cornell University in New York. Fallon Health CEO and president to retire PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT W

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