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Power 100: The most influential professionals in Central Mass. for 2025
Since WBJ first launched its annual power list, the main criteria for inclusion always has been how Central Massachusetts professionals are influencing the local economy and community. Originally called Power Players and then Power 50 and Power 100, we’ve avoided making this feature about the CEOs leading the largest organizations in the region, with little turnover in the list year after year.
- The Insiders
- Power 100
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Linh Austin
Laura FinaldiA seasoned veteran of the energy industry, Austin joined Ascend’s board of directors in late 2024 before taking over as CEO in March of this year.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Thomas Bartholomew
The long-time and well-connected founder of the nationally-recognized $5-billion financial advisory firm, Bartholomew is as much a staple of the Worcester business community as the company that bears his name.
- Power 100
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Udit Batra
Laura FinaldiSince he took over, Waters has been focused on sustaining its momentum commercially, revitalizing innovation, and executing its long-term strategy.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Craig Blais
Few people have as much influence over economic development in Greater Worcester than Blais.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Louis Brady
As CEO, Brady has brought FHCW, the region’s largest federally qualified health center, back from the financial brink it was tiptoing off of just three years ago.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Todd Brodeur
Brodeur assumed his presidential role at Fletcher Tilton in March after spending his entire professional career with the firm.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Tom Bull
Beyond financing, a solid piece of property, good design and construction partners, or even a great lawyer, what a developer looking to complete a major real estate project in Worcester needs more than anything else is fire Capt. Tom Bull’s approval.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Nick Capasso
Laura FinaldiFor more than 12 years, Capasso has led the Fitchburg Art Museum and its efforts to re-establish the North Central Massachusetts city as a regional center of arts and culture.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Caitlyn Carolan
Laura FinaldiThe parent company of VIA Italian Table, One Eleven Chop House, and the Sole Proprietor, Worcester Restaurant Group has been a staple of the Central Massachusetts culinary scene for nearly half a century.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Karen Chapman
Laura FinaldiChapman is a longtime presence in the local chambers of commerce, starting in 1980, when she joined the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce as a secretary.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Amy Chase
Laura FinaldiChase is the founder of Crompton Collective, a 9,000-square-foot vintage and antique shop that has become an anchor of the Canal District neighborhood in Worcester since it opened in 2012.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Mike Cloonan
Cloonan is on the frontline of the fight against cystic fibrosis.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Chris Coghlin
While his roles as CEO and president may sound the most important, Coghlin takes the most pride in his title of chief culture officer. Adopting the mantra, “Work hard, play hard,” he aims to make sure all of his employees are feeling satisfied in and out of the workplace.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Dr. Michael Collins
Since January, Collins has been resolute in his advocacy for UMass Chan and other institutions of higher education as he has directly called out the President Donald Trump Administration for threatening to cut National Institutes of Health funding and its attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Brooke Cooper
As the leader of Central Massachusetts’ most talked-about sports organization, Cooper captains the Worcester Red Sox’s efforts to draw fans to Worcester’s $160-million Polar Park baseball stadium.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Michael Covino
Laura FinaldiWith brands like The Fix Burger Bar, Mezcal Tequila Kitchen, and Bocado Tapas Wine Bar, Covino’s Niche Hospitality is top of mind when it comes to dining in Worcester.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Joshua Croke
Croke has established themselves as not only a safe-space maker for the LGBTQ+ community, but as a leader for municipal change.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Ralph Crowley Jr.
In a space dominated by the big players of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Crowley has dug out a unique role as the head of a beverage company beholden to no one, except its loyal customer base.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Dr. Eric Dickson
When Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer was about to close in the summer of 2024, Dickson said he was looking into every opportunity possible to support the region left without its most central hospital.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Jim Donahue
Laura FinaldiDonahue has now been the leader of the Northeast’s largest living history museum for about 20 years.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Denis Dowdle
Much to the chagrin of many Worcester officials, Dowdle remains a powerful figure in the redevelopment of the city’s Canal District.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Marlina Duncan
Throughout her four years at UMass Chan, Duncan has focused on affirming that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not merely add-ons for the university, but foundational tenets on which it educates, delivers care, and conducts research.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Sandy Dunn
Laura FinaldiDunn has been with the venue known as the DCU Center since 1983, when she accepted a position as a receptionist.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Pete Dunn
Laura FinaldiAs head of GWCF, he leads distribution of the funds from the third-largest grantmaking foundation in Central Massachusetts, as it has more than $205 million in assets.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Matt DuPlessie
The business is the brainchild of DuPlessie, who put his Harvard MBA and mechanical engineering degree from MIT to good use by inventing Level99 from scratch.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Bob Eddy
Laura FinaldiToday, Eddy serves as chairman of the board of directors at the National Retail Federation, as a director at Dick’s Sporting Goods, and on the College Advisory Board at Babson College, his alma mater.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Christopher Egan
The son of one of EMC Corp.’s founders, Egan formed Carruth Capital with his brother Michael in 1991.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Heather Elster
Laura FinaldiElster has been with the WCC since 2006, and executive director for a decade, helping the organization fulfill its mission of enhancing the health and well-being of people in the Blackstone Valley.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Charran Fisher
In an industry where women of color are vastly underrepresented, Fisher has created her own opportunities by building a full-service construction firm from the ground up.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: David Fithian
Amid the federal government’s crackdown on immigration, Fithian quickly made himself a leading voice among institutions of higher education, making his support for his international students clear and adding Clark to the amicus brief in American Association of University Professors v. Rubio, a federal case contesting the government’s visa revocation and detention of students.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Lee Gaudette
Laura FinaldiLee Gaudette has been a fixture of the Central Massachusetts business community for decades.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Susan Gentili
Since stepping into her CEO position at SMOC in 2021, Gentili has set all systems go to provide supportive services and housing assistance to those whose needs have fallen through the cracks.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: James Glickman
Over the last 35 years, Glickman has built his real estate firm into one of the most powerful in Central Massachusetts.
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2025 Power 100: Kimberly Golinski
Fresh off a successful mission to right the ship at Worcester’s Wormtown Brewery before its April 2024 sale to the owners of Jack’s Abby, Golinski made a large career transition a month later when she was announced the next president of the Worcester Railers.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Diane Gould
After joining Advocates more than 40 years ago as a program manager, Gould assumed her leading role as CEO in 2013 and has worked to expand the nonprofit’s reach to now serve more than 40,000 individuals with development disabilities, brain injuries, and mental health challenges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Debbie Hall
Working to help eliminate racism and empowering women are two monumental lifts, but Hall is up to the task.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Dr. Cherise Hamblin
As maternal morbidity rates continue to rise throughout the state, Hamblin has become one of the region’s most ardent advocates for the interrelated causes of addressing Black maternal health and diversifying healthcare professionals.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Liz Hamilton
She leads the 136-year-old nonprofit by centering partnership and empathy as she works to grow its programming, which reaches 8,000 youth annually.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Meredith Harris
Once easy to dismiss as a sleepy commuter community, Harris has helped bring a lot more economic activity into the MetroWest city of Marlborough.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Jeannie Hebert
Laura FinaldiHebert has been instrumental in continuing the Blackstone Valley’s legacy as a historic center of American innovation.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Sam Hendler
As others in the craft beer industry struggle to stay afloat amid declining beer sales and changing consumer preferences, Hendler has turned Jack’s Abby Brewing in Framingham into a growing beverage empire.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Donna Hodge
Laura FinaldiHodge is the first female president of Fitchburg State, a public regional institution with 6,000 full- and part-time students across 30 undergraduate and 22 graduate programs
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Mike Hyland
Hyland has led one of the region’s largest human services nonprofits for more than a decade and has continued to grow Venture’s presence to support as many individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism as possible across its service reach of 30 cities and towns.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Kurt Isaacson
As Central Massachusetts continues to reel from the impacts of the ongoing opioid epidemic, Isaacson has leveraged his position as the head of Spectrum to provide services to as many patients as possible in as many locations as possible.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Noreen Johnson Smith
Laura FinaldiJohnson Smith joined the science and nature museum in 2022, after the EcoTarium experienced a 90% drop in visitation during COVID and had to lay off 67% of staff.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Kathleen Jordan
After a nearly 20-years tenure with Seven Hills, Jordan assumed her position as leader of Central Massachusetts’ largest human services nonprofit in 2023, as the region continued to reel from strained clinical, mental, and behavioral health systems post-COVID.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: William Kelleher IV & James Umphrey
Kelleher and Umphrey’s firm have been a key cog in the Central Masschusetts economy for decades now, and the last year has been no exception.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Robyn Kennedy
First elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 2022 in an election where she defeated Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, Kennedy is helping to lead the next generation of progressive politicians.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Stephen Kerrigan
Few leaders in Central Massachusetts fight as fiercely to provide health care regardless of an individual’s ability to pay like Kerrigan, and this past year, he set records.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Peter Li & Jean Qiu
Li and Qiu founded Conifer after seeing how new entrepreneurs had the intellect to create products but lacked the business knowledge to develop a thriving startup.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Michael London
London has mastered growing a tech company better than almost every other company in the U.S.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Manny Lopes
In July, Lopes stepped into his role leading Central Massachusetts’ seventh largest health insurer and one of its largest employers, mere months before the President Donald Trump Administration began mulling over plans to cut billions in Medicaid funding.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Barry Maloney
Laura FinaldiMaloney has led Worcester State since July 2011, and he’s now the second longest-serving president of the 29 public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Abby Marschke
Over the last 25 years, Marschke has helped ensure the 167-year legacy of Norton Co. lives on in Worcester through Saint-Gobain’s continued involvement in the local economy and community.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Brian Mazar
Hardly taking time for a water break, Mazar has pushed forward with NEFC’s growth, announcing in March the launch of a pre-professional men’s soccer team, which will play its home games in Worcester.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Jim McGovern
Upheaval in the federal government since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in office has placed renewed importance on McGovern, who must fight to protect funding, programs, and people as a member of the minority party in the House of Representatives.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Sha-Asia Medina & Parlee Jones
Following the 2020 high-profile killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, the Village Worcester was born to be an Afrocentric cultural, learning, and healing center in Main South.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Shruti Miyashiro
Laura FinaldiMiyashiro has worked in credit unions throughout her entire career, starting as a teller during undergraduate as a philosophy major.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Neelu Mohaghegh
Fuel America provided the foundation for Mohaghegh’s experiential company, which includes Cafe Neelu events and co-working and multi-purpose spaces, the Grove Village Market next to Fuel America featuring international foods, and Detour Live productions.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Bob Mumgaard
If all goes to plan, Mumgaard’s Commonwealth Fusion Systems could end up being one of the most innovative companies to ever call Central Massachusetts home.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Timothy Murray
Laura FinaldiMurray, a former Worcester mayor and lieutenant governor of Massachusetts under Gov. Deval Patrick, was initially approached to lead the Worcester chamber in 2013 by the board of directors.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Roy Nascimento
Laura FinaldiThe leader of the North Central chamber for a decade, Nascimento is bullish on delivering results for the region’s employers and workforce.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Girish Navani
Girish leads the charge in both healthcare IT innovation and growth in Central Massachusetts.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Jeff Navin
When people think of Consigli – the $4-billion construction giant – they likely think of CEO Anthony Consigli and President Matthew Consigli, the brothers at the front of the fifth-generation family firm.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Dana Neshe
When Neshe stepped into her executive roles in 2024, she made Middlesex Savings the largest woman-run bank in Central Massachusetts. She was promoted from her previous position as chief operating officer, playing a key role in the bank rounding out last year with more than $6 billion in total assets and $5.2 billion in total deposits.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Raphael Nir
Through his work with SBH and ABI-LAB, Nir provides a number of important resources to biotech companies working on big breakthroughs.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Erin O'Dea
Simply put: O’Dea worries about keeping the lights on, so we don’t have to.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Virginia Orlando & Candace Atchue
Seed to Stem is home decor mecca, which basically makes Orlando and Atchue curating prophets.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Angelo Padin
Padin has shown you don’t need the backing of the biggest names in entertainment to make a creative splash.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Bhaskar Panigrahi
Panigrahi leads the charge of ConnectM, which in August was named the second-fastest growing company in Central Massachusetts and the 104th in the nation in Inc. magazine's list of the 5,000 fastest-growing companies
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Chelsey Patriss
Patriss had never imagined herself in a public health career when she joined the Health Equity Partnership, but here she is, 11 years later, standing at the head of a nonprofit becoming all the more important in a region where healthcare options are declining.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Bob Patton
The grandson of famous World War II leader George Patton, Bob Patton has navigated the chaotic battlefield that is the legal marijuana industry like a five-star general.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Aimee Peacock
Peacock is perhaps the top role model in Central Mass., particularly for women, for all that can be achieved in the still male-dominated manufacturing industry.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Luis Pedraja
As the leader of Central Massachusetts’ largest community college and third largest higher educational institution, Pedraja plays a key role in making sure the region’s workforce of tomorrow is prepared for the future ahead.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Rozanna Penney
Penney has turned around the sinking ship that was Heywood Healthcare and today, the once-floundering system is breathing a sigh of relief.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Brad Petrishen
Petrishen said his proudest moment was the T&G’s successful lawsuit against the City of Worcester, where a judge found the City broke public records laws in bad faith to withhold documents.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Maurice Phelan
Fresh off playing a critical role in the dash to create the vaccines which helped the world tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, Phelan continues to drive Sartorius’ North American operations forward.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Seth Pitts
Laura FinaldiPitts is the groundbreaking leader of Bay State Bank and is taking the community bank founded in Worcester in 1895 to new heights by bringing in exciting new executives and partnering with the state treasurer.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Diane Power
Laura FinaldiPower leads operations at Mirick, a 110-year-old law firm and the largest full-service law practice in Central Massachusetts. The firm has 70 attorneys, most of whom are highly engaged with their community, serving on boards and supporting local fundraising efforts.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: John "Jack" Roche
Laura FinaldiRoche has been with The Hanover for nearly 20 years, joining the company in 2006.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Vincent Rougeau
Laura FinaldiRaised in a family with deep Catholic roots, Rougeau has spent his entire career working for institutions sharing the values of Holy Cross.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Clifford Rucker
A decade ago, Rucker was a virtually unknown figure in the Central Mass. business space. Since 2015, with his announcement he would bring minor league hockey back to Worcester in the form of the Worcester Railers, he’s become one of the region's most important players.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Jochen Salfeld
Laura FinaldiIn his 35 years with AbbVie, Salfeld has been personally involved in growing a small startup in a leased space in Cambridge into a biopharmaceutical powerhouse.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Alan Seiffert
Laura FinaldiSeiffert joined The Hanover Theatre last year from TED Conferences, where he was the head of global business development, responsible for generating revenue from live events, audio and podcasts, streaming, and consumer products.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Amie Shei
Shei addresses the nuanced and complicated need for health equity by using an intersectional and holistic approach as she tirelessly advocates for those who don’t have a seat at the table. In February, she was honored as Massachusetts Woman of the Year 2025 by USA Today.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Joshua Lee Smith
Smith’s extensive expertise and calm demeanor has made him the go-to resource for anybody looking to do big things in Worcester and beyond.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Lila Snyder
Innovation and audio are at the core of Snyder’s philosophy at Bose, where she is pushing the 60-year-old manufacturer to be a leader in consumer electronics and automotive audio.
- Power 100Power 100
2025 Power 100: David Stone
Since its founding in 1939, Sterilite and the family Stone have been major employers in North Central Massachusetts, particularly in its small home community of Townsend, with its population of 9,000.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Todd Tallman
Laura FinaldiTallman has guided Cornerstone through growth and one high-profile merger to be the 10th largest bank in Central Massachusetts, and now another merger under his leadership appears poised to keep the organization as a major player in the region for decades to come.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Bogdan Vernescu
At WPI, Vernescu has helped kick the school’s already prestigious research and innovation track record into overdrive.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Bill Wallace
Not many can claim to have led at a single institution for half a century, but Wallace can. Having joined the Museum of Worcester as executive director in 1976, Wallace has guided the organization through 1/3rd of its existence, and his impact can be seen in almost every corner.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Elizabeth Wambui
Serving as Fonatine’s first director of diversity, inclusion, and community impact, she initiates projects that energize the next generation of builders and ensure they reflect the richness and diversity of the communities they come from.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Grace Wang
Laura FinaldiWang leads WPI, a high-profile STEM-focused research university with a $631-million endowment.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Jon Weaver
Even while uncertainty shakes the global life science space, Weaver and MBI help ensure Worcester plays an increasingly important role in the biggest bioscience breakthroughs.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Michael Welch
Welch works to center the community as he leads the region’s seventh largest bank. Leading an institution with $2.4 billion in local deposits and $2.6 billion in assets as of June 30 means the pressure is on Welch to strategically invest in initiatives to support both the bank and the towns and cities it operates in.
- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Ken Winterhalter
The first CEO of Seaman Paper who is not part of the company’s founding family, Winterhalter has helped ensure the 79-year-old paper manufacturer remains on the cutting edge.
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- Power 100
Power 1002025 Power 100: Valerie Zolezzi-Wyndham
Zolezzi-Wyndham has been the leading diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant for major Central Massachusetts employers for five years, and now she is helping those firms who remain committed to those values navigate the white-hot political landscape where DEI is being labeled as a dirty word.
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Christine Cassidy
Richard BurkeStory by Richard Burke, retired president & CEO of Fallon Health
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Patty Eppinger
Tim GarvinStory by Tim Garvin, president & CEO of United Way of Central Massachusetts
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: John Erwin
Jon WeaverStory by Jon Weaver, CEO of Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Jennifer Flanagan Long
Michael NicholsonStory by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Michaelangelo Mangual
Joseph CorraziniStory by Joseph Corrazini, vice president for government and community affairs at Clark University
- The Insiders
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- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Julie Orozco
Julie BowditchStory by Julie Bowditch, executive director of CASA Project Worcester County
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Karen Pelletier
Che AndersonStory by Che Anderson, assistant vice chancellor at UMass Chan Medical School
- The Insiders
The InsidersThe Insiders 2025: Hank Stolz
Satya MitraStory by Satya Mitra, CEO of The Guru Tax & Financial Services
