Worcester Business Journal

32 Worcester Business Journal | August 19, 2024 | wbjournal.com 4 0 U N D E R F O R T Y Casey entered the hospice and palliative care field in 2014 and hasn't looked back. Having advanced through several positions at her previous employer, VNA of Care New England, Casey played an integral role in decreasing fiscal year fall rates and increasing the percentage of staff certified in hospice and palliative care from zero to more than 80%. Casey implemented cost-saving initiatives, including co-leading contract negotiations and electronic health record implementation for her proposed system-pharmacy integration plan, which led to decreased reports to the Mass. Department of Public Health for missing medi- cations. Within six months of assuming her current role, Casey had onboarded three clinicians to provide care for vulnerable populations throughout Greater Worcester. Her team has decreased inpatient stays among its members by 32% and reduced emergency room visits by 34%. Her team's employee survey results reflect higher than industry and company level benchmarks. Outside of the Worcester community, Casey works to further her specialty's care as a board member of the Rhode Island chapter of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association and has lobbied for the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act and the Improving Care and Access to Nurses Act. - M.K.M. What superpower would you want? Time travel Best coffee in Central Massachusetts? Acoustic Java What person from pop culture would be most successful in your job? Betty White, her kindness and sense of humor would be great for nursing. She was a pioneer of her time! Your next goal? To create more passive income streams allowing me to spend more time with my family and give back to the community. Class of 2024 Jessica Casey, 37 Manager, palliative care Commonwealth Care Alliance, in Worcester Residence: Saunderstown, Rhode Island Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island Colleges: Capella University, Rhode Island College, University of Rhode Island, Community College of Rhode Island Both Central Massachusetts and real estate firm Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates have grown a lot since 2010, and Jim Cozza has played a hand in all that growth. Rejecting the no- tion that Worcester is a stepping stone to working in bigger markets, Cozza has contributed to the growth of his birth- place through his involvement in $125-million worth of property sales and $150-million worth of leases. Since his joining the firm, Kelleher & Sadowsky has grown from nine to 23 employees as the firm's business inter- ests have expanded well past the borders of Worcester. His contributions to the real estate scene has attracted attention from beyond the region, as he was named a CoStar Power Broker Award recipient in 2017 and 2018 and has had numer- ous deals he's been a part of win CoStar's Top 10 Quarterly Deal Awards. When not serving as a resource of information for the business community, Cozza gives back through coaching youth sports and serving as a board member of the Worcester Young Businessmen's Association. - E.C. Where is the best coffee in Central Massachusetts? Fun fact: I have never tried coffee. My go-to is a large iced tea from Dunkin'. If you wrote a book of business advice, what would the title be? "Local Knowledge in a Local Market" What is your favorite place you've ever visited? Nan- tucket. My family has been fortunate enough to visit the last five years and have very special memories with our children. Class of 2024 Jim Cozza, 36 Senior vice president Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates, in Worcester Residence: Boylston Birthplace: Worcester College: Boston College PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT Odd by Worcester Brewing

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