Power moves fast in this town—unstoppable and undeniable. In making this list of the 150 most influential Bostonians each year, we always face a tricky question: How do you measure something as slippery as influence? It shows up in boardrooms and Instagram Reels, in quiet policy decisions and thunderous cultural moments. But in today’s climate, influence takes on even deeper dimensions—we see it in how our local leaders navigate complex federal funding challenges, in how our hospital chiefs preserve cutting-edge research despite headwinds from Washington, and in how our university presidents balance institutional independence with financial pragmatism. Some wielders of influence can command attention with a single phone call, while others shape our world through the slow accumulation of trust and respect. But make no mistake: This isn’t just a list based on follower numbers or net worth—we’ve done our homework seeking people who really shape how we think, live, work, and dream. Through countless conversations and a year’s worth of observation, we’ve found leaders who don’t just ride the wave of the zeitgeist—they create it, often while deftly maneuvering through political crosscurrents to protect Boston’s interests. Some of these names will be familiar; others may be new to you. All of them, in their own way, move the needle of our collective future.
Let the arguments begin—influence, after all, is in the eye of the beholder. —David Bernstein
1. Wyc Grousbeck and the Boston Celtics
→ 18 NBA championship wins, the most in league history
→ $6.1 billion sale price, the highest in North American sports history
The final buzzer last June at TD Garden set off more than just duck-boat parades and high-fives at sports bars—it was a seismic wave of release. For the first time in 16 years, the Celtics were once again world champs—their triumph arriving just as the glory years of the Sox and Pats had begun to fade into memory. The victory meant something even more for team governor and lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, who’d spent the past two decades leading the Celtics alongside his father, Irving, co-owner Steve Pagliuca, team president Rich Gotham, general manager Brad Stevens, and many others. And the timing couldn’t have been more poetic: The team he’d helped rebuild was now valued at more than $6 billion—and they were selling. Mind you, Grousbeck’s diligence was especially impressive, given that his succession plan involves a three-year transition period with the team’s new owner, California investment veteran (and Mass. native) Bill Chisholm. It was precisely the careful handling you’d hope to see, particularly in a town where championship banners aren’t just decoration—they’re in our blood. Now, as Grousbeck gets ready to step aside, his final moments may end up being his most influential: ensuring that the next chapter is anchored in what has long made the Celtics, well…the Celtics. And if that also happens to mean another title run next month? Good for them—and for all of us.
2. Sandy and Paul Edgerley
Cofounders, the ’Quin House
→ 56,000 square feet of prime Back Bay real estate
→ $3 million+ in grants made from the ’Quin House Impact Fund
The Edgerleys have established themselves as Boston’s premier conveners through their membership club. And they’re only expanding that network, recently bringing on Michelle Perez Vichot to run their philanthropic ’Quin House Impact Fund. Meanwhile, the couple keeps adding new eateries and art for the ’Quin’s members, made up of movers and shakers in business, government, finance, arts, nonprofit, and academia. In fact, we’d be surprised if most people on this list weren’t members.
3. Barbara Hostetter
Cofounder and Chair, Barr Foundation
→ $2.8 billion in assets
→ $1.5 billion in charitable contributions since its founding in 1997
The Barr Foundation is entering a period of change as Jim Canales transitions to board chair after a decade as president, but Barbara Hostetter’s steady leadership ensures continuity at one of New England’s largest private foundations. Her team’s immediate priority is selecting Canales’s successor—a critical choice given Barr’s outsize impact on the region’s civic agenda and its role sustaining countless nonprofits. Beyond Barr, Hostetter’s influence extends to helping guide
institutions from the BSO to the MFA and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
4. Anne Klibanski
President and CEO, Mass General Brigham
→ 82,000+ employees
→ 2.6 million patients served annually
Boston’s economy runs on Eds and Meds, so helming the region’s largest healthcare system—and the largest employer in Massachusetts—and forging ahead with innovative programs and partnerships is enough to make Klibanski one of the most important figures in town. This year, though, the stakes are even higher for the healthcare exec (and possibly the city’s fortunes), as she tries to enhance efficiency to improve Mass General Brigham’s bottom line and tries to keep its huge research efforts on track through the Trump administration’s funding freezes and restrictive new rules.
5. Lee Pelton
President and CEO, the Boston Foundation
→ $2 billion in foundation assets
→ 1,000 separate charitable funds established by donors
Pelton exemplifies that rarest of figures: a true renaissance man at the helm of one of Boston’s most vital institutions. As president of the Boston Foundation, he has doubled down on equity initiatives, brought aboard new talent, and leveraged his own network to forge partnerships and raise TBF’s profile. His significant contributions to social justice earned him a spot in the American Academy of Arts & Sciences last year—and in a testament to his wide-ranging talents, he even performed in a production of Carousel this spring.
6. Maura Healey
Governor of Massachusetts
→ 45,000+ state government employees
→ $57 million+ state budget
→ 52% approval rating
Governor Healey didn’t waste any time pushing back against President Donald Trump this year—not with billions in federal dollars at stake for Massachusetts’ economic powerhouses, which she’s determined to retain while attracting new businesses to the state. She has plenty of experience with this, having battled Trump’s policies as attorney general the first time around. Now that he’s openly targeting Boston’s biomedical research funding and the state’s sanctuary cities, the region seems ready to put aside its own squabbles over immigration and rally behind Healey to face down the threat from Washington.
7. Michelle Wu
Mayor of Boston
→ 18,000+ potholes filled
→ 20 new or newly renovated public parks
Wu seems to be living rent-free lately in Trump’s head: After her 2025 State of the City address—in which Wu never mentioned the president by name—the White House issued a harsh statement. It turns out, though, that going to war with a Republican president over immigration, research grants, and other issues has only brought local kudos and positive press. Like any mayor facing reelection, Wu has her vulnerabilities, but she’s looking increasingly unbeatable. And while plenty in business and development circles criticize her, they have yet to show that they can defeat her in the mayoral race.
8. Bob Rivers
Chair and CEO, Eastern Bank
→ $25 billion in assets
→ $5 million+ provided to nonprofits each year
Synonymous with corporate civic leadership in Boston, Rivers serves on boards at the Dimock Center, the New England Council, the JFK Library Foundation, and countless other organizations—all while continuing to grow his bank. Working behind the scenes, he’s an influential voice on issues ranging from support for working mothers to the looming “doom loop” of plummeting commercial real estate values and city revenues. It’s no wonder he has the ear of every elected official and business leader in town.
9. Corey Thomas
Chair and CEO, Rapid7
→ 11,700+ customers served in 2024
→ $844 million revenue in 2024
While his cybersecurity company continues to shine, his other activities seem to multiply. Thomas is now board chair for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, board chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and board vice chair of the Massachusetts High Technology Council. He says he wants to use his chamber post to improve Boston’s competitiveness in tech and other industries, and with a seat at virtually every power table in the region, he’s uniquely positioned to make it happen.
10. Abigail Johnson
Chair and CEO, Fidelity Investments
→ 50 million customers
→ $5.9 trillion in managed assets
The Financial Times has called her “The queen of Wall Street”; Forbes has said she’s the wealthiest person in Massachusetts. Whatever the title, this incredibly private finance powerhouse usually makes news just by showing up—as when she attended a Joe Biden fundraiser last year. While she flies mostly under the radar, Johnson’s behind-the-scenes networking and philanthropy continue to quietly make her influence in Boston as essential as it comes.
11. John Fish
Chair and CEO, Suffolk Construction Company
→ 41 million square feet of healthcare and K-12 academic construction
→ 14 offices across the country
In December, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce named Fish a Distinguished Bostonian, and he fits the phrase perfectly. The construction king’s company keeps growing, as does his fortune (reportedly north of $2 billion), and he remains one of the first calls for anyone looking to get something major done in Boston. And his philanthropy keeps expanding: He and his wife, Cynthia, recently pledged $10 million to his alma mater, Tabor Academy, following their $25 million donation to Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
12. Jonathan Kraft
President, the Kraft group and New England Patriots
→ $550 million in total improvements to Gillette Stadium
→ 9,500 employees
Jonathan has emerged as the true local powerhouse of his famous family—and depending on what happens this coming November, could add “mayor’s big brother” to his résumé should Josh pull off an upset win against Michelle Wu. And just look at how close he’s coming to finally getting a Boston-metro stadium for his New England Revolution. As for the Patriots, Jonathan’s been making most of the decisions since the end of the Belichick era, and fans are sure hoping for an exciting turnaround season this fall.
13. Reshma Kewalramani
President and CEO,
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
→ $20.6 million salary in 2023
→ $11.02 billion in product revenue in 2024
Vertex has grown as a pharma powerhouse under Kewalramani’s tenure, most recently gaining FDA approvals for its latest cystic fibrosis treatment and a non-opioid pain medicine, as well as acquiring Alpine Immune Sciences. As she’s grown the company, Kewalramani has become one of the highest-paid executives in the pharmaceutical industry and boosted her profile and presence in Boston accordingly, serving on boards at Year Up, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston University’s School of Medicine.
14. Andrea Campbell
Attorney General
→ $600 million settlement with major tobacco manufacturers in 2024
→ $175 million settlement with Uber and Lyft in 2024
Campbell was already a major rising star in Massachusetts politics, becoming the first Black woman in the AG’s office in 2022. Now she gets to battle the Trump administration on behalf of the state—the same dynamic that helped propel Maura Healey to the governor’s office. She’s also shown she’s unafraid to go to battle within the state, taking on cities over the MBTA Communities Act and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio over plans to audit the state legislature.
15. Kim Driscoll
Lieutenant Governor
→ 73rd lieutenant governor in Massachusetts history
→ 17 years as Salem mayor
Much like her Republican predecessor, Karyn Polito, Driscoll has built a tremendous web of connections across the state as the administration’s in-person conduit with leaders in the business, municipal government, and political advocacy worlds. The big difference between the two? Few expect Driscoll to pass on running for the top spot, as Polito did, whenever the time comes.
16. Phillip Eng
General manager and CEO, MBTA
→ 245 million+ riders annually
→ 68% overall satisfaction with MBTA in recent survey
Being the head of the T is akin to being the head of the complaints department at Macy’s, but Eng does it with a smile. Beloved on social media, the MBTA boss has rapidly brought confidence back to the city’s public transit system, and rightfully so: It’s hard to imagine the Red Line hitting 50 miles per hour, for example, in the pre-Eng days. Granted, plenty of problems remain, but Eng seems ready to tackle them, one ride at a time.
17. Jim Davis
Chair, New Balance
→ $6.3 billion net worth
→ 4 million+ pairs of athletic shoes produced in the U.S. annually
He’s got billions of dollars, a mini empire in Brighton, and influence with the re-occupants of the White House. Lately, he’s been putting his considerable financial clout behind electing more moderate and conservative local public officials. While success in this progressive city has been unsurprisingly limited, he has everybody watching his moves. His latest: backing Josh Kraft’s challenge to Mayor Michelle Wu.
18. Brian Moynihan
Chair and CEO, Bank of America
→ 210,000+ employees
→ $100 billion in revenue in 2024
Still atop the North Carolina–based financial behemoth after 15 years, Moynihan continues to live in Wellesley and thrive in the Boston societal and cultural ecosystem. He’s a big presence at local charity events and organizations such as the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership. And if Moynihan wasn’t busy enough, last year he took on the additional role of Brown University chancellor.
19. Jeremy Sclar
Chair and CEO, WS Development
→ 7.6 million square feet developed in the Seaport
→ 100+ properties in 13 states
Mayor Michelle Wu called his 400 Summer Street building a “transformational project” at its opening last year. Governor Maura Healey joined other dignitaries at the opening of Sclar’s One Boston Wharf Road, praising his use of a new, low-carbon cement. Sclar’s investments and philanthropy, meanwhile, have earned him a powerful network around the city, but it’s his life’s work making Boston buildings come alive that most people see and appreciate.
20. Jaylen Brown
Guard, Boston Celtics
→ 1 NBA Finals MVP Award
→ 9 seasons with the Celtics
→ $304 million, five-year supermax contract extension
Brown’s 7uice Foundation, which aims to bridge the opportunity gap in underserved communities, has been on an impressive run, recently paying for high schoolers to participate in an MIT robotics competition. But the Celtics star has bigger plans: namely, to narrow Boston’s racial wealth gap and create a “Black Wall Street.” Hence the launch of Boston Xchange, aimed at helping local entrepreneurs with funds, space, and advice. It’s safe to say Brown is also pretty important on the parquet, too.
21. Ed Kane
Co-owner, Big Night Entertainment Group
→ 12 Massachusetts dining and nightlife venues
→ 1,600+ annual live events
The man Wyc Grousbeck (see #1) once called “best friends to a lot of guys”—and powerful ones, at that—Kane is synonymous with Boston nightlife. His influence in the after-hours scene even caught City Hall’s attention, with Mayor Michelle Wu appointing him to her Nightlife Initiative for a Thriving Economy committee last summer. Beyond his expanding nightclub empire, Kane cofounded CardVault, which Tom Brady later bought into, acquiring a 50 percent stake this year. The venture now boasts locations in TD Garden, Foxborough, and Foxwoods casino, with plans to grow.
22. Thomas O’Brien
Managing partner and CEO, HYM Investment Group
→ 20 million+ square feet developed in Greater Boston
→ $12 billion in investments
O’Brien, who is currently steering a half dozen enormous development projects, apparently will not go through with a teased run for mayor. It wouldn’t have been all that surprising, though, if he had: As the former director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and former chair of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, the politically wired developer has received appointments from governors Deval Patrick and Maura Healey and mayors Tom Menino and Marty Walsh.
23. Sally Kornbluth
President, MIT
→ 11,800+ students
→ $24.6 billion endowment
MIT’s president is on a roll, making the case that she and her institution are now the most important and impactful academic forces in this college-driven town. In the past year alone, she’s launched the Climate Project at MIT, MIT Human Insight Collaborative, MIT Health and Life Sciences Collaborative, and most recently the MIT Generative AI Impact Consortium. She has described MIT as “the R & D for the country,” and expanded access by making tuition free for undergraduates from families earning under $200,000 beginning in fall 2025.
24. Katherine Clark
U.S. Representative
→ 7 terms in the House of Representatives
→ No. 2 ranking Democrat in the House
Now in her second term as House minority whip—the second-highest post among House Democrats—Clark is playing a huge role in the national opposition to President Donald Trump and Republicans who control Congress. But it would take just a couple of Democratic gains in 2026 to turn her into majority whip, transforming her Revere residence into a center for national lawmaking.
25. Sam Kennedy
President and CEO, Boston Red Sox
→ 2.6 million fans attended home games in 2024
→ 5+ acres of planned development around Fenway Park
Is there anything that influences Bostonians more than the comings and goings of the Red Sox roster? Kennedy’s off-season pronouncements about interest in free agents such as Alex Bregman and Juan Soto were pored over like sayings of the Oracle of Delphi. But Kennedy is more than that: He serves on a variety of boards and is a go-to for charitable projects, while also holding the role of CEO of Fenway Sports Group Real Estate—which means he’s guiding the organization’s Fenway-neighborhood development plans.
26. Joseph Aoun
President, Northeastern University
→ 48,000+ students
→ $330+ million in university-provided undergraduate aid
Now nearing two decades at the helm of Northeastern, Aoun is the proverbial dean of Boston’s major higher ed institutions. That’s one reason that he’s looked to for leadership, particularly amid the recent turmoil on college campuses. When federal funding hung in the balance, Aoun steered Northeastern between new compliance demands and what he called the university’s “core values” in a February letter to students. Beyond current crises, he’s also emerged as a voice on higher education’s AI future.
27. Jim Rooney
President and CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
→ 1,700+ businesses represented
→ 584 leadership council participants
Rooney’s influence runs deep in Boston, while at the same time, many of the city’s most influential leaders sit on his own board. A fixture in civic leadership, he’s received almost every award the city has to give and remains the go-to for input on everything from transportation reform to immigration issues. His continued success could hinge on deftly balancing the business interests of his members with the mayor’s ambitious vision for the city’s future.
28. Bruce Percelay
Founder and chair, mount vernon company
→ 90,000 annual print circulation of N Magazine
→ 2 million+ annual visitors to Nantucket Current website
Percelay stands out among Boston developers for his outspoken political engagement—and people listen, as he defies easy categorization. As chair of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, he’s amped up his bipartisan efforts, bringing a MAGA Republican onto his politically mixed board while also sharing in the news fond memories of working with Jimmy Carter during Percelay’s days as Habitat for Humanity chair. And as publisher of N Magazine and the Nantucket Current, he is now leading efforts to end food insecurity on the island.
29. Kimberly Budd
Chief Justice, Supreme Judicial Court
→ 38th chief justice in Massachusetts history
→ 136 opinions issued in 2024
Budd has been speaking out this past year about the importance of restorative justice—in fact, she’s even started a pilot program for it, in which defendants can find ways other than prison to make amends in their case. Budd has described this and other initiatives she’s trying out as a way of restoring confidence in and access to the court system. All the while, Budd’s court continues to rule on the state’s most closely watched issues, from the MBTA Communities Act to the retrial of Karen Read.
30. Ayanna Pressley
U.S. Representative
→ 120 sponsored pieces of legislation
Boston Democrats these days are looking for fighters, and few fight like Pressley. Her constituents overwhelmingly reelected her again in 2024, packing her recent local appearances (such as a March Town Hall in Roxbury) and feasting on YouTube videos of her skewering Trump appointees and officials. More to the point of her influence, they’ll follow her into battle any time she asks. Rumors are circulating that she’ll challenge Senator Ed Markey next year—and she didn’t say no when publicly asked about it.
31. Martha Sheridan
resident and CEO, Meet Boston
→ 900+ member companies
→ $20 billion+ generated annually from tourism
As Boston’s tourism czar, Sheridan is turning the city into a global magnet. She snagged seven of next year’s FIFA World Cup matches for Gillette Stadium—a coup that’ll inject serious cash into the area’s economy. She also launched a podcast, Boston Found, in 2024; sponsors Meet Boston with Billy & Jenny on NESN; and just expanded Dine Out Boston to three weeks. All the while, she’s been traveling the world to promote partnerships and events, and has the hardware to show for it: BU’s School of Hospitality Administration just gave Sheridan its Icon Award.
32. Sarah Iselin
President and CEO, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
→ 3 million members served
→ $22.3 billion in members’ healthcare spending managed
When Iselin speaks, Beacon Hill listens, and they’re getting an earful as she warns that the state’s healthcare system is at a breaking point. Sure enough, Governor Maura Healey boosted MassHealth primary-care spending in the latest budget, and the state just passed legislation that creates a Primary Care Task Force to make recommendations on access and delivery.
33. Kendalle Burlin O’Connell
President and CEO, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
→ 1,700+ member companies
→ 22,000+ attendees at 2024 BIO International Convention
Biotech remains one of the key drivers of Boston’s economy, and Burlin O’Connell has become the industry’s face and voice at the State House, at industry gatherings, and lately even in court—MassBio is leading the region’s legal charge against the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down crucial NIH grants. Burlin O’Connell’s conferences, meanwhile, always bring together a who’s who of the city—David Ortiz even spoke at one this spring.
34. Roger Crandall
Chair, president, and CEO, MassMutual
→ $500 billion in assets under management
→ 4,000 employees in Massachusetts
He’s the new chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. His company just made its biggest dividend payout ever. And since opening huge offices in the Seaport, Crandall has become a major presence in Boston as well as MassMutual’s Springfield home. But it’s clear that he’s looking for even more—both for MassMutual and himself, if rumors of political ambitions are accurate.
35. David Fialkow
Cofounder and managing director, General Catalyst
→ $33 billion+ in assets under management
→ $373,000+ raised for Dana-Farber last year as a Pan-Mass Challenge rider
Twenty-five years after Fialkow and Joel Cutler reputedly conceived their investment firm on a Hawaiian beach, the Cambridge-based company continues to thrive, recently raising $8 billion in capital to fund innovative ventures in a variety of sectors. While their business success is notable, Fialkow and his wife, Nina, have focused their documentary investments on more sobering subjects, including their latest film, Sugarcane, which examines abuse at an Indian residential school.
36. Yvonne Hao
Economic Development Secretary,
State of Massachusetts
→ $4 billion economic development bill passed in November
An evangelist of the “Team Massachusetts” motto, appointed by Governor Maura Healey two years ago to spark economic growth, Hao was instrumental in the recent passage of the massive Mass Leads Act. Although she announced that she’s stepping away from state government as we went to press, Hao has left her mark on making Greater Boston a center for climate technology and artificial intelligence going forward–and transformed herself from relatively obscure businesswoman to major player, and continuing advisor to the Governor.
37. Josh Kraft
president, new england patriots foundation
→ $337,000 raised in first full month of mayoral campaign
Unseating a Boston mayor is historically a steep climb, but Kraft, who recently announced his run, brings unprecedented advantages to the challenge. His years nurturing relationships through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston have built genuine community ties, while his campaign team reads like a political All-Star lineup as key members of the business community rally behind his vision. Win or lose against Mayor Michelle Wu in November, Kraft is likely to drive policy conversation in the city going forward.
38. Elizabeth Warren
U.S. Senator
→ 2 million votes for reelection in 2024
→ $750 million in debt relief secured for students
Democrats may be having a tough time elsewhere, but that hasn’t had any impact on Warren, who romped to reelection here last November with 60 percent of the vote. Her power in Washington’s progressive circles is only growing, as she started a new six-year term and took over this year as the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee. She is also, unsurprisingly, one of the loudest voices of dissent and protest against President Donald Trump and the Republican agenda. Now 75 years old, Warren shows no signs of slowing down.
39. Nancy Barnes
Editor, The Boston Globe
→ 259,000 paid digital subscribers
→ 230+ journalists
Upon taking over the city’s dominant news outlet in 2023, Barnes set out to transform the Globe’s digital presence. By January 2025, this vision paid off with the paper’s first duPont-Columbia award from Columbia Journalism School for its multimedia exploration of the 1989 Charles Stuart case—spanning print, HBO, online, and podcasts. Still, it’s not just the big projects that have everyone’s attention: From the Steward hospitals bankruptcy crisis to Rhode Island politics, Barnes has the region’s newspaper defining the area’s agenda every day.
40. Susan Collins
President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
→ 6 New England states served
In her role running one of 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, Collins keeps an eye on the local and regional economy—and doesn’t keep her views to herself. She gives speeches on where our economy is going, as she did recently for the Insurance Women’s Investment Network and NAIOP Massachusetts, and sits for public conversations, such as one with the Boston Foundation’s Lee Pelton (see #5) at the Mass Black Expo. She can also make her opinions known with a few words, as she did recently at one speaking engagement, saying that she is “cautiously, realistically optimistic” about the economy.
41. Herb Chambers
Owner and president, Herb Chambers Companies
→ $100 million donation to Mass General
→ 40 years of business in New England
Chambers made a deal in February to sell his eponymous and ubiquitous car dealerships. But that doesn’t mean he’ll stop being a force in Boston—not when he’s willing and able to be one of the city’s biggest civic philanthropists. His company took over as presenting sponsor for the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular in 2024 and topped that in December with a $100 million donation to Massachusetts General Hospital. Oh, and Chambers will remain involved with the auto business by retaining ownership of Mercedes-Benz of Boston.
42. Peter Palandjian
Chair and CEO, Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation
→ $11.5 billion in properties managed
→ $7.5 million donation to Brigham and Women’s Hospital
The developer and his celebrity wife, actress Eliza Dushku Palandjian, have been dipping their toes into politics lately, publicly advocating for a Massachusetts ballot measure last year that sought to legalize some psychedelic drugs while also launching “A Day for Democracy” in Boston to get workers time off to vote. Though the ballot initiative failed, their work supporting mental health treatment continues. And that real estate empire keeps growing.
43. Jonathan and Stephen Davis
Founder and CEO, the Davis Companies, and president, the Davis Companies
→ 14,000 residential units
The father-and-son duo’s buildings can be found all over Boston, Cambridge, and beyond, making them one of the city’s most important landlords. While Jonathan founded the real estate company, his son Stephen has increasingly taken charge of its operations. The company has expanded into scientific lab space, but it’s the residential high-rises, including 1515 Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton, that impress housing-hungry pols, who lean on Stephen these days for advice.
44. Noubar Afeyan
founder and ceo, flagship pioneering
→ 50+ drugs in clinical development
→ 100+ life sciences and technology startups cofounded
Best known for cofounding Moderna, of COVID vaccine fame, Afeyan is a linchpin of Boston’s biomedical ecosystem. He’s helped create more than 100 companies and has provided the kind of advice and opportunities that make this a region where the best and brightest want to converge and work. He’s also a philanthropist, and a hang-on-every-word commencement speaker (addressing MIT’s graduates in 2024 and Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s graduates this year).
45. Vanessa Calderón-Rosado
CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
→ 667 affordable housing units managed
→ $80 million invested in housing
Mayor Michelle Wu was there to help cut the opening ribbon for IBA’s renovated South End housing development in December. So were officials from the city council, state Senate, State House, and Boston Housing Authority. And that wasn’t a one-off: Local leaders can often be found posing with Calderón-Rosado, who’s also a confidant of Governor Healey. Her connections and influence have led to the start of construction on La CASA, which will soon be a major Hispanic cultural center for the city.
46. Rob Hale
Cofounder and president, Granite Telecommunications
→ $350 million+ donated toward cancer research
The Quincy billionaire has perhaps become best known for his annual “Saving by Shaving” charity event to benefit cancer hospitals—this year’s head-shaving participants included Patriots coach Mike Vrabel and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, raising funds for Boston Children’s Hospital. But that’s only part of his philanthropic efforts. His $1,000 cash gifts to entire graduating classes—UMass Dartmouth last year—are becoming legendary as well.
47. Jenny Holaday
President, Encore Boston Harbor
→ $750 million+ in gaming revenue in 2023
→ About 3,300 employees
Nearly six years after opening, Greater Boston’s only casino has exceeded initial expectations, becoming a beloved entertainment landmark. That’s due in large part to Holaday, who has led the Encore team through expansion plans, a pandemic, and legalized sports betting. She has done so while choosing to integrate herself personally into Boston’s business and social scenes, from serving on the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce board to mentoring women in her industry.
48. Miceal Chamberlain
President, Bank of America Greater Boston
→ $1.87 million raised in one single day for Boston Marathon charities in 2025
→ $563 million in small business loans
While his boss, Brian Moynihan (see 18), remains one of the most important business leaders in Boston, Chamberlain is increasingly seen as the local face of the mighty bank. He was behind the Bank of America’s new 10-year Boston Marathon sponsorship and keeps the company involved in other events and charities, big and small, throughout the city.
49. Betty Francisco
CEO, Boston Impact Initiative
→ $15 million raised from 192 investors in 2024
Named to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s board of directors this year, Francisco continues to solidify her place among Boston’s elite power players. Her focus remains on bringing racial equity to the region’s investment and finance scene, but anybody trying to shoehorn her into a niche role is way behind Francisco’s true impact.
50. Jason Robins
Chair and CEO, DraftKings
→ 4.8 million unique players monthly
The online-sports-gambling king keeps barreling forward. Not only did DraftKings acquire two companies last year—another sports-betting provider and a digital lottery app—but it also has plenty of innovations in the pipeline. Those include expanding into “futures contracts” wagering; accepting cryptocurrency payments from bettors; subscription models that might offer better payouts; and integration of AI into its software. In other words, Robins’s 1,000 Boston-based employees have plenty to keep them busy.
51. George Regan
Chair and CEO, Regan Communications Group
→ 100+ clients
→ 41 years in business
His public relations shop remains a local powerhouse, recently strengthening its team with two seasoned public-safety communications veterans from the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office and the Massachusetts State Police. With offices spanning Boston to New York, Florida, South Carolina, and more—to go along with his impressive client roster—Regan’s influence extends beyond his roots as the mayor’s spokesperson. What many don’t see: Regan counts numerous power players near the top of this list as longtime close friends, and when they’re in a bind, he’s often the first call they make.
52. Jim Braude and Margery Eagan
Cohosts, Boston Public Radio
→ 18 years on air
→ 350,000 weekly listeners
Their midday talk show is an unqualified ratings success for GBH; perhaps that’s why any and every major figure in Boston, including the governor and mayor, are eager to appear live at the Boston Public Library studio. But their influence over the local conversation extends well beyond politics: “Delighted that our mission reached Jim Braude and Margery Eagan,” enthused Boston Dog Lawyers on social media, in a typical reaction to getting mentioned on the program.
53. Jon Bernstein
regional president, pnc bank
→ 30+ years in finance
→ 400+ corporate clients in Massachusetts
Bernstein’s position heading the megabank’s New England operation makes him a big player in Boston’s financial scene. But also check out his C-Speak podcast, which profiles and interviews many of the city’s bold-faced leaders: Jim Rooney, Lisa Weiland, Marty Meehan, Anne Klibanski, Vikki Spruill, Martha Sheridan, and Sarah Iselin from this list among them. Bernstein also cochairs the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education, through which business leaders hope to shape public policy.
54. Kevin Churchwell
President and CEO, Boston Children’s Hospital
→ 750,000+ outpatient visits annually
→ $603 million in research expenditures in FY 2024
With an estimated $100 million in federal budget cuts anticipated to affect Boston Children’s in the coming months, Churchwell’s steady leadership has perhaps never been more important for the country’s number one recipient of National Institutes of Health pediatric research funding. But the top-ranked hospital’s leader isn’t letting that slow him down, maintaining a focus on equity programs while remaining active in business groups, including the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
55. Billy Costa
Cohost, Billy & Lisa in the Morning
→ 35+ years on Kiss 108
→ 3 Emmy nominations for Dining Playbook
Costa is the face—and voice—of Boston in more ways than one. He has the region’s ear on Kiss 108 every morning. He has us watching Dining Playbook and Meet Boston on NESN. Now he’s helping us make dinner—Costa and his brilliant NESN cohost, Jenny Johnson, recently published A Taste of Boston, a cookbook that takes readers on a tour of Boston’s food scene.
56. Colette Phillips
president and CEO, Colette Phillips Communications
→ 39 years in business
→ $250,000 raised in 2021 for the GK Fund to support small businesses owned by people of color
The prolific PR strategist and DEI champion sees the Trump presidency as a catalyst for Boston’s leaders to elevate their impact—and they’re listening. Her events celebrating the area’s diversity attract the most prominent figures in town (even the mayor seems unable to resist her gatherings). A powerful behind-the-scenes architect of the New Boston, Phillips shapes public discourse through her incisive op-eds and is regularly quoted in others’ columns, cementing her status as an essential voice guiding the city’s evolution.
57. Marty Meehan
President, University of Massachusetts
→ $8.3 billion annual statewide economic impact
→ $409 million in university-funded financial aid
It’s not easy to last 10 years atop the state’s vital five-campus public university system, but Meehan continues to keep the schools thriving, getting what he needs from the state legislature and the federal government through every change in elected officials. Credit Meehan’s political skills, honed during 14 years as a U.S. congressman—and his extensive connections regularly on display at the UMass Club, perched 32 stories above Beacon Street.
58. Aaron Michlewitz
State Representative
→ $57.78 billion in state funding makes him the gatekeeper every lawmaker needs
Not many elected officials would demand that the local business community change their attitude on taxes, but Michlewitz—North End representative, House Ways and Means Committee chair, and presumed next House Speaker—has the power to tell off whoever he wants. He is a close ally of Mayor Michelle Wu, tight with current Speaker Ron Mariano, and a master of state government spending.
59. Lisa Wieland
President, National Grid New England
→ 2.3 million consumers served
→ 240+ cities and towns served across Massachusetts
After making big changes to Boston’s ports and terminals as head of MassPort, Wieland is now working on upgrading the energy provided to much of the region. That involves implementing the Massachusetts Electric Sector Modernization Plans, part of a planned $14 billion investment into turbocharging the state’s energy infrastructure. Keeping the literal lights on is influence enough, but Wieland is also just as active in civic and business groups as she was in her MassPort days.
60. Alastair Bell
President and CEO, Boston Medical Center Health System
→ $6 billion operating revenue
→ 1.2 million+ patient visits annually at BMC
When Bell stepped into the top role at Boston Medical Center Health System in 2023, he couldn’t have predicted what came next: Steward’s collapse handed him two more hospitals—St. Elizabeth’s in Brighton and Good Samaritan in Brockton—more than doubling his system’s beds overnight. Now, the region’s ability to care for its most vulnerable residents hinges on how well he meshes these operations. Fortunately, Bell has friends in high places: State Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh, who will dole out $417 million to help five former Steward facilities, was Bell’s predecessor and mentor at BMC.
61. Segun Idowu
Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion, City of Boston
→ $13 million awarded to 1,100 small businesses
→ 600+ jobs created at small businesses through the SPACE Grant program
As the top economic development person for the city, Idowu has brought the city roaring back from the pandemic. That happened partly by luring new companies, such as Lego and potentially Hasbro; partly by launching programs that offered financial help to small businesses using federal recovery funds; and partly by advocating for legislative measures, such as last fall’s liquor-license expansion. That’s why you’ll likely find Mayor Michelle Wu highlighting Idowu’s successes on the campaign trail this year.
62. Stéphane Bancel
CEO, Moderna
→ $3.2 billion in Moderna revenue
→ $1.5 million donated to Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center
Bancel, of course, helped save lives with his company’s first product to market: a vaccine for COVID. He has also pledged to spend much of his resulting fortune on philanthropy via Bancel Philanthropies, focusing on local recipients. (Although not all local: He recently gave $20 million to Villanova University.) For his next act, Bancel’s company has 10 more products in the pipeline, with the goal of bringing them to market by 2027. He just needs to get through the new vaccine-skeptical federal administration.
63. Ruthzee Louijeune
City Council President
→ 44,600+ votes received in 2023, the most among at-large candidates
→ $2,250,000 allocated for Boston’s Housing Voucher Program
Plenty of Bostonians have advocated for ranked-choice voting, but only when Louijeune took up the cause last year did it seem like it might happen. A fast-rising political star with plenty of allies—including former boss Elizabeth Warren—Louijeune has also shown a willingness to go toe-to-toe with anyone. That includes fighting Mayor Michelle Wu over the latest city budget. In 2025, she plans to have the council address its own ethics, as well as healthcare, rodent control, and school-closure plans—issues of considerable importance to residents.
64. Susan Goldberg
President and CEO, GBH
→ 28 million average weekly audience
→ 260+ events hosted per year
She was the first woman to head up the San Jose Mercury News, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and National Geographic, and she’s now the first to helm GBH, the largest public broadcasting station in the United States, as its president and CEO. At a time when the feds are slashing budgets like mad, we’re lucky GBH is in such capable hands.
65. Michael Curry
President and CEO, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
→ 1 million patients served
→ 285+ member healthcare access sites in Massachusetts
Honored with a Shattuck City Champion Award last year, Curry continues to fight for health equity at a time when “equity” has become a dirty word. Frequently called upon by officials in City Hall and the State House for task forces and advisory groups, the former head of the NAACP Boston Branch has built up MLCHC’s professional staff and used his influence to wring more resources out of state government for Massachusetts’ vital community health centers.
66. Melissa Gilliam
President, Boston University
→ $3.5 billion endowment
→ 140 acres of Boston real estate
As BU’s 11th president, Gilliam has embraced a more active civic role since her September inauguration. She’s positioned the university as a key city ambassador, traveling to Washington to advocate for funding amid federal cuts and launching the “Living Our Values Project” to foster campus unity. Her leadership of an institution with 37,000 students, 11,000 faculty and staff, and 140 prime urban acres ensures her decisions will shape not just BU but Boston itself.
67. Langley Steinert
Founder and Chair, CarGurus, TripAdvisor, and ApartmentAdvisor
→ $2.7 billion+ CarGurus market capitalization
→ $894 million+ CarGurus revenue in 2024
The governor and mayor both attended the opening of CarGurus’ new Back Bay headquarters, the company Steinert founded in 2006. He still owns a small portion of that company and a chunk of TripAdvisor, his first mega-success. But these days, Steinert is busy in Cambridge with company number three, ApartmentAdvisor, which he launched in 2021.
68. Margaret Low
CEO, WBUR
→ 7 million weekly listeners across two national shows
→ About 200 employees
Honored by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce with a coveted Pinnacle Award this year, Low continues to steer the beloved local radio station through tough economic times for local media. That meant recently axing the Radio Boston show. But Low kept the program’s staff, has expanded WBUR’s online presence, and continues to keep the station’s reporting top-notch and highly relevant.
69. Marcela del Carmen
President, Massachusetts General Hospital
→ 1.5 million+ outpatient and emergency room visits each year
→ 25,000+ employees
Just a few months after del Carmen assumed the top job at MGH, she got handed a $100 million check from Herb Chambers (see #41) and started work on the cancer facility it will pay for. Perhaps that makes up for the turmoil she faces due to plans to merge some operations with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, amid other industry pressures. Del Carmen’s now in the middle of it all, as the head of the state’s oldest and largest hospital—with the largest hospital-based research program in the country—and in her new position on the board of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association.
70. Leah Belaire Foley
U.S. Attorney
→ 23 years as a federal prosecutor
→ 35 defendants indicted in a single case
Foley, a veteran federal prosecutor, reportedly angled for the top Boston job when Trump first took office in 2017; her patience was rewarded with the appointment this year. Her priorities, which include cracking down on immigrants in the country illegally, will likely bring her into conflict with local elected officials. But at least to begin with, Foley has maneuvered to let outside figures such as border czar Tom Homan take the public heat while she quietly goes about her business.
71. Karen Spilka
State Senate President
→ Nearly 60 bills passed in the last session
→ $425 million allocated to support emergency housing assistance
A big slate of bills became law in the last session, and observers say that in the final analysis, Spilka got more of what she wanted than either House Speaker Ron Mariano or Governor Healey. (Spilka also made headlines by killing Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax proposal in December.) Community-college affordability, economic development, the Everett soccer stadium, universal school meals, wage equity, clean energy investment, and Boston liquor-license reform were among the bills passed by the Spilka-led Senate and ultimately signed into law.
72. Kirk Sykes
Co-managing director, Accordia Partners
→ 6.1 million square feet to be developed as part of Dorchester Bay City
Sykes continues his mission to champion diverse investment in development with his latest venture, the Boston Real Estate Inclusion Fund (BREIF), which offers smaller-scale opportunities for people of color and women to invest in Boston’s biggest projects. Beyond this initiative, Sykes continues to shape the industry’s landscape as board chair of NAIOP Massachusetts while transforming the Dorchester waterfront through the expansive Dorchester Bay City development.
73. Grace Lee
Executive vice president and Massachusetts regional president, M & T Bank
→ $6+ billion in deposits
→ $7.1 million in Massachusetts small business loans in 2023
Lee’s bank leadership speaks for itself, but the exec has also integrated herself into the local community, including M & T’s co-presenting sponsorship of the Pan-Mass Challenge—which she also rides in. More evidence of her sway: The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce honored Lee with a Pinnacle Award this year, and in the fall, the Boston Business Journal named her among its “Women Who Mean Business.”
74. Raj Sharma
Founder and managing director, the Sharma Group, Merrill
→ $6.8 billion in custodied assets
→ $30 million+ raised for American India Foundation
Sharma has consistently been called one of America’s top financial advisers—the Sharma Group is ranked by Forbes as the premier private wealth team in Massachusetts and 10th in the country—so people pay attention when he speaks. He uses that attention to push for collective good in everything from wealth equity to housing. Bonus points for cochairing the Boston Foundation’s Annual Fund for Civic Leadership this year.
75. Jimmy Hills
Host, “Java With Jimmy”
→ 20,000+ followers on social media
→ 100+ livestreams per year on the Java with Jimmy YouTube Channel
Has it really been five years since Hills switched on his webcam and created a community livestream program? These days, the biggest of Boston’s bigwigs, including the governor, the mayor, and Congresswoman Pressley, regularly appear as guests (he’s also an adviser to Mayor Michelle Wu). And Hills isn’t stopping with his show: He recently became a fellow at Salem State University’s Berry Institute of Politics, expanding his influence to the next generation.
76. Darryl Settles
President and managing partner, Catalyst Ventures Development
→ 1,000+ residential units developed/invested in
The number of people Settles has helped and mentored over more than 25 years in hospitality, real estate, and development provides him with a veritable army of allies who support his every move (see: the sold-out James Brown tribute concert he executive-produced at the Strand last year). Certainly, every significant diversity and equity initiative over the past quarter-century has borne his imprint, including, most recently, the Boston Real Estate Inclusion Fund.
77. Brooks Tingle
President and CEO, John Hancock
→ 10 million+ U.S. customers
Tingle is using his post at one of Boston’s most iconic companies to work with local researchers, hospitals, and businesses on something important to nearly every person on earth: living to a ripe old age. It’s called the “longevity economy,” and the idea is to help an aging population live longer, healthier, and more financially secure lives. Tingle recently testified to Congress about the concept, but the work is being done in and around Boston, with plenty of partners, including MIT and Tufts, eagerly signing on.
78. Kevin Phelan
Boston office cochair, Colliers International
→ 130+ employees in the Colliers Boston office
→ $1 billion+ serviced by capital markets group
Phelan is so well known for gathering and mentoring local professionals—in part via his famous breakfast gatherings—that it’s easy to forget how much he gets done at his day job. He helped pull together $19 million to rescue the iconic S.S. Pierce Building that anchors Brookline’s Coolidge Corner. He also helped arrange a $62 million refinancing deal for the Addison apartments in East Boston and has been generous with local organizations such as Catholic Charities Boston and the Boston Foundation.
79. Sheena Collier
Founder and CEO, Boston While Black
→ 950-person waitlist within one day of its founding
→ 60+ in-person events in 2024
After creating the Boston While Black membership network in 2020, Collier quickly turned it into a mighty force for change in the city. Partnering with corporations and universities, and quickly surging well past 1,000 members, the organization has both highlighted and helped create inclusive Black culture and networking in Boston. Collier keeps spreading the word and widening the net—hosting a three-day summit, for example, focusing on Black entrepreneurship, leadership, and inclusion.
80. Chris Jamison
CEO, COJE Management Group
→ 900+ employees
→ $55 million in revenue in 2022
If Boston is finally shedding its sleepy after-hours reputation, we have Jamison in part to thank. Beyond exceptional food and cocktails, COJE’s nine venues radiate unmistakable cool—each themed space pulsing with its own distinctive energy. With perfect measures of glitz, glamour, and drama, Jamison creates Boston’s most magnetic playgrounds, drawing the city’s movers and shakers nightly. Mr. H, a Chinese restaurant, opened last year; this year brings a Sicilian eatery, and we’re eagerly awaiting what this trendsetter dreams up next as he transforms Boston into the ultimate dining and drinking destination.
81. Demond Martin
Cofounder and CEO, WellWithAll
→ $300 million pledge for health equity
As an investor and philanthropist with national political connections—he serves on the board of the Obama Foundation—Martin spent two decades with Adage Capital Management before starting a wellness company with a mission: invest profits into health equity. The transition has been so successful that Harvard Business School recently did a case study on Martin, and the school’s African-American Alumni Association gave him the prestigious Bert King Award for Service last year.
82. Vikki Spruill
President and CEO, New England Aquarium
→ 1 million+ visitors to the aquarium annually
→ 16,000+ active member households
The city has no shortage of major nonprofit institutions with strong leaders, but people in the halls of power point to Spruill as the one who has the most pull these days. The aquarium’s fearless leader is heavily involved in Boston’s civic, business, and political life, from the Boston Green Ribbon Commission to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce to the International Women’s Forum of Massachusetts. And don’t underestimate Spruill’s advocacy for Mayor Michelle Wu’s ever-expanding Boston Family Days program, which brings students and their caregivers into cultural centers, including the aquarium, for free.
83. Ernie Boch Jr.
President and CEO, Subaru of New England
→ $60,000 worth of music equipment donated to Roberts Elementary School in Medford
→ $12.5 million (estimated value) Boch Center sponsorship through 2036
Having sold most of the family car dealerships, Boch continues to be the region’s most unpredictable philanthropist—for example, donating $11,000 to a double lung transplant patient in Salem after happening to see a report on Boston 25 News. But the city can always count on Boch’s enthusiastic support for the arts—behold the Boch Center theaters—and the work of his family foundation.
84. Damian Wilmot
Chief legal officer, BridgeBio
→ $16.3 million committed through the New Commonwealth Fund
Wilmot chairs the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (a.k.a. the New Commonwealth Fund), established after George Floyd’s death in 2020 to ensure that local philanthropy serves inclusive purposes. While others may have drifted away from those goals—or turned against them—in recent times, Wilmot’s idea of using holistic philanthropy to drive long-term change continues to power the NCF. And it’s part of his ongoing influence in Boston since he left Vertex two years ago.
85. Maggie Gold Seelig
Founder, MGS Group Real Estate
→ $4.5 billion+ in firm sales
→ 3 offices in Massachusetts
Seelig specializes in connecting exceptional luxury properties with buyers who contribute significantly to our local economy. Peep the $19.8 million Hyannis Port manse next to the Kennedy compound, or the $7.5 million three-bedroom on Beacon Hill. Sure, they pale beside the $80 million Manhattan property that won Seelig last year’s “Stratospheric Sale” Power Broker award, but the Cambridge-based agent and her firm are certainly keeping the local scene hot.
86. Jim Koch
Founder and executive Chair, Boston Beer Company
→ 11,900+ jobs created through the Brewing the American Dream program
→ 45 nonprofits supported in 7 communities
Koch, now well into his seventies, has finally said who will take over his beer company when he can no longer run it: his wife, Cynthia Fisher. Not that he plans on stepping away anytime soon. His Samuel Adams beer has become practically synonymous with the city, and Koch is known for his personal involvement in everything done in his company’s name. Some of that activity is done more quietly than the attention-seeking brewery: Working with the Accion Opportunity Fund, Koch’s Brewing the American Dream gives loans to businesses that have trouble getting funding elsewhere.
87. Yvonne Greenstreet
CEO, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
→ $1.6 billion in 2024 net product revenue
Greenstreet’s influence among Boston’s pharma leaders continues to grow, driven by her Cambridge company’s reputation both as a model employer and a pioneer in drug development, with treatments in the pipeline for heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease. Her impact extends far beyond the lab—she is a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee and holds other key roles. It’s no surprise the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association named her their 2024 Woman of the Year.
88. Nicole Obi
President and CEO, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts
→ 250+ Black-owned firms supported in 2024
→ 1,000+ attendees at Mass Black Expo
With a hand in everything from the convention center to the Mass Black Expo, Obi is a powerful force running the most impactful minority-focused business organization in the state. Through BECMA and the Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office and Small Business Advisory Board (which she chairs), Obi is making headway in getting government contracts into the hands of Black-owned businesses. She’s involved everywhere you look in the city, too, advising the governor, serving on the Environmental League’s board, and even fundraising for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra.
89. Steven Samuels
Founder, chair, and principal, Samuels & Associates
→ 8 million square feet of total development
→ 400,000 square feet of Lyrik Back Bay
Lyrik Back Bay, rising above the Mass. Pike and home to CarGurus and Lego, marks another milestone in Samuels’s portfolio. The property’s website calls it “the most significant project of its kind in Boston in over 40 years,” and the Boston Globe celebrated how Samuels “built a slice of the city out of thin air.” It’s a fitting achievement for the developer this magazine dubbed “Fenway’s man with the golden charm” a decade ago.
90. Elizabeth Lowrey
Principal, Elkus Manfredi Architects
→ 980,000+ square feet designed at 401 Park
→ 1.4 million+ square feet of LEED Gold–certified buildings built
The Fenway Alliance had never given its Spirit Award to an architect or a designer—until this year, when it picked David Manfredi and Lowrey for the work they’ve done throughout the Fenway Cultural District. Lowrey’s work can be seen in buildings all over Boston and far beyond; she has also been making an impact locally with her involvement in the Civic Action Project and other programs aiming to lift up the next generation of talent.
91. Tracy Campion
Principal and owner, Campion and Company
→ $9.3 billion+ in residential sales since firm’s founding
A perennial top home seller, Campion keeps getting the most fabulous listings, such as the $16 million Four Seasons penthouse overlooking the Public Garden, or the 23-bedroom Ayer Mansion on Massachusetts Avenue. Her connections make that possible, while also making her a premier mover and shaker among Boston’s elites.
92. Doris Kearns Goodwin
Historian
→ 9 presidential history books published
→ 12 Oscar nominations for Lincoln, executive produced by Goodwin and based on her book Team of Rivals
The legendary presidential historian and political commentator went personal last year with a book centered on her late husband, Richard Goodwin. (Yes, there’s a movie deal.) But at 82, Kearns Goodwin is not making that trip down memory lane the coda on her career—or if she planned to, the second Trump administration pulled her right back into the action. She’s been back in her commentator role, explaining how the president’s actions break with historical precedent.
93. Christine Schuster
President and CEO, Emerson Health
→ 300,000+ patients served
→ 1,500+ employees
Schuster has shaped healthcare leadership for two decades as Emerson Health’s chief executive, earning consistent recognition in regional and national media. Her path from registered nurse to the top role reflects her deep understanding of healthcare delivery, which has helped Emerson Health become renowned for exceptional nursing care. Her expertise recently led Governor Maura Healey to select her for a crucial working group addressing the aftermath of Steward Health Care’s closures, specifically in Nashoba Valley.
94. Marcel Vernon
Executive director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority
→ $959 million economic impact in 2024
→ $95 million annual operating budget
Hired last year for the quasi-public post once held by Jim Rooney (see #27), Vernon oversees both Boston convention centers and the popular Lawn on D, among other well-loved city spots. He now plays a leading role in the flow of visitors through Boston—and their spending. One of his big tasks is to ensure the wealth gets spread equitably to local minority- and women-owned businesses; this commitment to equity is why Sheena Collier (see #79) cochaired the selection committee that hired him.
95. Julie Jones
Chair, Ropes & Gray
→ 413,000-square-foot office in the Pru
→ $3 billion in revenue
In a city known for stodgy, very male law practices, Jones has conquered the legal scene and now leads the way. Ropes & Gray just reelected her to another five-year term as chair after annual profits soared from $2.8 million to $4.5 million in her first go-round. And Jones, a veteran of big corporate deals herself, is keeping the firm growing—most recently by opening a Paris office.
96. Sean O’Brien
General president, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
→ 1.3 million union members
→ 50,000+ new members since March 2022
O’Brien has brought his Medford-raised pugilistic attitude into the national spotlight. He delivered a prime-time speech at Donald Trump’s nominating convention that made Republicans uncomfortable with its anti-corporate message. He clashed with his own member unions over withholding an endorsement from Democrat Kamala Harris and reportedly voiced his support for Trump’s Labor Secretary pick—a selection that again unsettled many traditional conservatives. Washington publication the Hill named the former Local 25 member a Changemaker at year’s end, but we’ve known that for a long time.
97. Beth Boland
Partner, Foley and Lardner
→ 100+ attorneys in Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance practice, which she cofounded
Vice chair of the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance practice, Boland has been one of Boston’s top corporate lawyers for years—and now, an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame. She’s also a powerhouse political player, particularly when it comes to fundraising for women, including those you’ll find elsewhere on this list. Bonus points for pitching in on the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative board and chairing the New England National Association of Corporate Directors.
98. Lyndia Downie
President and executive director, Pine Street Inn
→ 3,700+ meals provided every day
→ 40 years of serving low-income and homeless individuals
After a remarkable four decades working at one of Boston’s best-known charitable institutions, and 25 years in the lead role, Downie knows just about everybody who can further the Pine Street Inn’s mission of helping and housing the homeless. That’s helped her with big projects, such as a new 202-unit housing development in Jamaica Plain—named, fittingly, the Lyndia.
99. Herby Duverné
EO, Windwalker Group
→ $46 million in federal contracts
Duverné’s security firm is important, as is his founding role with RISE Development & Construction. But it’s his proximity to local power, and willingness to speak out, that puts him on this list. He’s frequently quoted and published in local media—in opposition to, for instance, last year’s ballot measure rescinding the MCAS graduation requirement, and in favor of the White Stadium renovation plan. He also spoke at the Mass Black Expo about the long road still to go for racial equity in Boston.
100. Jessica Tang
President, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts
→ 25,000+ members
→ 1st person of color to head AFT Massachusetts
Heading the Boston Teachers Union apparently wasn’t enough for Tang, who was unanimously elected president of the state AFT last year. That gives her even more influence as she works to advance public education in Massachusetts. Her reach extends from classrooms to Beacon Hill and even Washington, where she successfully lobbied at the end of 2024 to change a Social Security provision that, in her view, penalized public school retirees.
101. Jay Bernhardt
President, Emerson College
→ 4,000+ undergraduate students
→ $70 million in aid for undergraduate and graduate students
With his newly released “Extraordinary Emerson 2030” strategic plan, Bernhardt is making clear that he plans to be a major player in Boston’s academic scene for years to come. He’ll do it by leaning into Emerson’s reputation for developing and encouraging communications and artistic talent among the student body, which already makes itself heard locally and around the world.
102. Quincy Miller
Vice chair, president, and COO, Eastern Bank
→ $25 billion in assets under management
→ 110 banking locations
At the helm of the state’s leading Small Business Administration lender, Miller’s influence reaches far beyond banking. He’s on the board of directors at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, Nectar Community Investments, NACD New England, and more. Continuing to boost his presence in the region, Miller completed Eastern’s acquisition of Cambridge Trust last summer.
103. Andrew Meyer
Founding partner, Lubin & Meyer
→ $1.2 billion+ in verdicts and settlements in the past decade alone
→ $30 million for one of the largest personal-injury awards in Massachusetts history
In this renowned hub of healthcare, Meyer is protecting the patients. The medical malpractice attorney recently brought a class-action lawsuit against former Brigham and Women’s Hospital rheumatologist Derrick Todd for alleged assaults on more than 200 patients. His work led to Todd’s indictment by a Middlesex County Grand Jury, highlighting Meyer’s ability to deliver justice for those who have been failed by the medical system.
104. Ron Mitchell and André Stark
Co-owners, The Bay State Banner
→ 65,000 weekly print readers
→ 120,000 monthly online readers
Nearly two years after purchasing the city’s premier Black newspaper, Mitchell and Stark have the redesigned paper and website—and the revived business and sports sections, and the virtual art gallery—feeling more relevant than ever. Adding to that sense of vibrancy is a move from the Banner’s longtime Lower Mills offices to Roxbury’s Nubian Square.
105. Stephen Spinelli
President, Babson College
→ 2,800+ undergraduate students
→ 11 specialty centers and institutes
Boston’s incubator for entrepreneurial talent, Babson has flourished under Spinelli’s leadership—and the school’s 14th president continues pushing the college forward, for instance launching a new Institute for Technology and Entrepreneurship that will include a focus on AI. No wonder U.S. News & World Report says it’s the top undergraduate school for entrepreneurship, and the Wall Street Journal ranked it number two among all U.S. colleges. Fittingly for someone helping students flex their entrepreneurial muscles, Spinelli also serves on the board of Planet Fitness.
106. Steve Walsh
President and CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
→ 78 hospital and healthcare-system members
The Hub’s healthcare segment seems to go from crisis to crisis; if it’s not the Steward hospitals collapse, it’s last year’s shortage of IV fluid. As head of the association that represents and advocates for hospitals and other healthcare providers, Walsh has placed himself at the center of it all and, amazingly, keeps it all going. “Mass. hospitals are teetering on the edge,” Walsh titled a recent op-ed. Through his lobbying of state government and work with his member institutions, Walsh does more than anyone to keep the system from collapsing.
107. Glen Thornborough
President, TD Garden
→ 3.5 million+ visitors annually
→ 200+ events hosted per year
It’s been another banner year for Thornborough—and not just because of that pretty new Celtics championship banner now hanging from the rafters. TD Garden’s CEO has also kept the North End jumping with major concerts, watch parties, and the pulse-pounding 4 Nations Face-Off. All of that led to the Garden being named a finalist for Sports Business Journal’s Facility of the Year.
108. Yolanda Coentro
President and CEO, Institute for Nonprofit Practice
→ 3,000+ participants in Leadership Learning Series in 2024
→ 13 program sites across the country
When the Boston Foundation wanted to provide guidance for nonprofits facing burnout, turnover, and workforce shortages, it brought in Coentro, who conducted research and led a panel discussion there last fall. The Rhode Island Foundation just partnered with her as well—in fact, throughout the city and region, you’ll find social service and philanthropic organizations that have benefited from Coentro’s work, which only figures to become more important as those organizations pick up the slack from services cut by the Trump administration.
109. Joe Kriesberg
CEO, MassINC
→ 1,055 stories published in CommonWealth Beacon in 2024
Part policy center, part polling firm, part news site, the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth has become, under Kriesberg’s leadership, indispensable to anybody whose life or work intersects with state politics. He’s lured talent to the reporting side, and, earlier this year, added former Congressman Joe Kennedy III to his board of directors, all while pumping out policy papers on Gateway Cities, development, and much more.
110. Chrissy Lynch
President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
→ 500,000 members represented from more than 800 local unions
You’ve got to be tough, smart, and well connected to rise to the top job at the state’s AFL-CIO charter. You no longer need to be male, however, since Lynch—who has all the other qualities in abundance—broke that 130-plus-year streak. Want to know exactly how connected Lynch is? Earlier this year, she was Senator Ed Markey’s guest at President Trump’s State of the Union address.
111. Yvonne Garcia
Chief of Staff to the CEO and head of internal communications, State Street
→ 40,000 employees for which she handles communication
Beyond her roles at State Street, Garcia has quickly become a familiar presence in Boston’s civic life. You’ll find her involved just about anywhere in town where they’re helping the less advantaged, especially her fellow Latinas, and she was recently named one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Finance by Women We Admire.
112. Katie Rae and Emily Knight
CEO and managing partner, Engine Ventures; CEO and president, the Engine
→ $398 million raised for third Engine Ventures fund
Tasked with turning the tech genius of MIT into viable companies that will shape our collective future, Knight and Rae split the job in two: Knight runs the incubator itself, while Rae heads a spinoff venture capital firm. Together they have incubated—and often invested in and advised—dozens of companies, many located in Greater Boston. To help others succeed where she had, Rae also cofounded the Equity Summit, which convenes women and minorities in venture capital.
113. Eric Paley
Managing partner, Founder Collective
→ 300+ startups invested in (more than two dozen of which have a $1 billion+ valuation)
In the vital Boston game of matching funds to those with great ideas, venture capitalist extraordinaire Eric Paley is always at the center, highly sought after by company founders from Uber to Whoop. In fact, Founder Collective launched its fifth fund, worth a whopping $95 million, in 2023.
114. Aman Narang
COFOUNDER AND CEO, Toast
→ 100,000+ restaurants served
Narang’s smart payment platform has been the invisible engine powering Boston’s dining renaissance—a transformation we’re all savoring. He recently told investors he’s now working on AI tools to elevate restaurant marketing and menu optimization, empowering businesses to reach new heights. And he hasn’t stopped there: Narang is now expanding his technological prowess to make shopping easier at your local grocery store, corner market, and liquor store, too.
115. Patrick Tutwiler
Massachusetts Secretary of Education
→ $50 million proposed for early-literacy funding
After taking on the teachers’ union with his opposition to the controversial Ballot Question 2—eliminating the MCAS graduation requirement—Tutwiler entered 2025 with a laundry list of big goals: making pre-K education more available and affordable; improving early literacy; boosting special education spending; “reimagining” the high school experience to prepare students for today’s workforce; tackling student mental health issues; and making substantial infrastructure improvements at public higher education campuses. That’s quite an agenda, with direct or indirect impact on almost every Bostonian.
116. Rachel Flor
Executive director, John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
→ 175,000+ annual visitors
The Trump administration, in its cost-cutting fervor, has canceled a lot of funds and laid off many, many people. But when they did it to the JFK Library, Flor’s institution fought back. It took less than a day for the facility to reopen and less than a week for the fired employees to be reinstated. That’s a taste of the power and influence of the institution, its high-wattage board, and the woman who has now been in charge for nearly six years.
117. Will Keyser and Eileen O’Connor
Partners, Keyser Public Strategies
→ $350,000 in consulting services provided to Massachusetts Port Authority since 2022
The married West Roxbury couple is reportedly shaping the communications strategy of Boston mayoral candidate Josh Kraft (see #37). They certainly have a solid track record: Keyser, formerly on the late Ted Kennedy’s team, helped put and keep former Governor Charlie Baker in office; O’Connor worked on Lowell Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s campaigns. Both have discreetly represented plenty of other government, business, and nonprofit clients as well; if you’re a
Bostonian, the messages they’ve crafted have undoubtedly shaped your perceptions.
118. George Church
Synthetic Biology Lead, Harvard Wyss Institute
→ 165 patent publication coauthored
→ Around 50 biotechnology companies cofounded
Widely recognized as the “father of” genetics research and innovation, Church has been leading the pack for so long, one might overlook how far ahead he remains right now. But just look at GC Therapeutics, which he launched last fall with $75 million of backing and a promise to revolutionize cell therapy. That’s after GRO Biosciences, which spun out of his lab in 2016, raised $60 million to fund therapies for gout and other conditions earlier in the year. And then there’s EnPlusOne Biosciences, an RNA therapeutics developer Church collaborates on, which added $10 million of funding this year.
119. Kairos Shen
Chief of Planning, City of Boston
→ 20 million+ square feet of real estate managed
Shen was given great credit for his city-planning work under mayors Tom Menino and Marty Walsh. Now Michelle Wu has brought him back from his MIT job to work more magic. Like his predecessor, Arthur Jemison, Shen has Wu’s full trust; at the same time, developers who are sometimes skeptical of the mayor believe that Shen understands their point of view—so much so that one local columnist, when Shen was hired last fall, wrote that “Shen might as well be a human olive branch” from Wu to local business leaders.
120. Pamela Everhart
Senior vice president of regional public affairs, inclusion, and impact, Fidelity Investments
→ 30+ years with Fidelity
→ $250 million committed through Fidelity’s Invest in My Education initiative
While Fidelity’s Abigail Johnson keeps her famously low public profile, Everhart continues to expand her presence and impact in Boston. Governor Maura Healey recently appointed her to the powerful MassPort Board of Directors—the second assignment she has given her. At Fidelity, Everhart spearheads the investment giant’s local government and community relationships, keeping her connected with the city’s power players.
121. David Nagahiro
Principal and president, CBT Architects
→ $56 million+ in-state billing in 2023
→ $250,000 committed to the Boston Society for Architecture’s Equity and Climate Innovation Pilot
Nagahiro is the brains behind much of Boston’s public appearance, while improving the city in ways you can’t as easily see. His firm’s 121 Seaport tower, for example, is not only visually striking—its design has led the way in Boston’s climate-resiliency push for energy and materials efficiency. Nagahiro has also been active in equity and diversity efforts within the local architecture profession.
122. Noelle Trent
President and CEO, Museum of African American History
→ 3,000+ accrued items in collection
Trent, a Boston native, returned two years ago after managing collections and education at the prestigious National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, and she’s brought some of her star power with her (just check out the Bridgerton-inspired gown she wore to draw attention to the MAAH’s Living Legends Gala). As such, Trent has quickly become a leader in the local Black community—not just in Boston, but on Nantucket, where the MAAH-operated African Meeting House just celebrated the 200th anniversary of its founding.
123. Danielle Kim
Executive director, the Boston Foundation Asian Community Fund
→ $450,000 awarded to 52 organizations in 2024
→ $725,000+ raised at inaugural gala
When Kim threw her first gala for the fund she launched with the Boston Foundation in 2020, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (see #7) gave the keynote; Bob Rivers (see #8), executive chair of Eastern Bank, attended to receive an honor; and Raj Sharma (see #74) served as cochair. That shows some serious juice as Kim works to assist Asian-American organizations in the area.
124. Annissa Essaibi George
Former president and CEO, Big Sister association of greater boston
→ 1,550 girls served in 2023
→ 931 Big Sisters in 2023
This spring, the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston merged with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts; Essaibi George is helping the organization through the transition and may ultimately take a new formal role. But the former city councilor’s networks and experience remain highly valued in other corners of the city. She is chairing a Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester awards event, holding “living room politics” gatherings in her home, commenting on local events for local media, and serving on a variety of boards. And don’t count out a return to public life if the opportunity arises.
125. Pratt Wiley
President and CEO, the Partnership
→ 5,000+ multicultural executives and professionals sponsored
→ 500 corporate collaborators
Is there a business or social leader in Greater Boston who hasn’t collaborated with Wiley and the Partnership? Developing and placing diverse professionals with the organization’s myriad corporate collaborators, Wiley also sits on Governor Healey’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment. From one of Boston’s legendary families, Wiley combines all these spheres of influence into a powerful personal network.
126. Tye Brady
Chief technologist, Amazon Robotics
→ 30 patents held
→ $1 billion+ in funding for MassRobotics startups
Everybody wants practical robotics and artificial intelligence these days, and that has them watching Brady, who’s been leading the field for a decade. Amazon now has more than 750,000 robots at work, including thousands at the massive new warehouse in North Andover. And Brady’s not afraid to bring more bots to Boston: He also cofounded MassRobotics, a nonprofit championing new robotics startup companies.
127. Youngme Moon
Professor, Harvard Business School
→ 2 million case studies published and sold
Moon, who has become known for her case studies of innovative companies, preaches the gospel of not playing it safe in business. She practices what she preaches, serving on the boards of industry giants like Mastercard, where she chairs the risk committee, and disruptors like Sweetgreen, Whoop, and Blank Street. Beyond the boardroom, she teaches one of the most popular courses at HBS, where students look to her as they make their way through Boston’s business world.
128. Eric Papachristos
Cofounder and CEO, A Street Hospitality Group
→ $70 million in revenue in 2024
→ 700 employees
Through his 10 dining establishments, Papachristos has changed what Bostonians expect from a restaurant experience. Opened last year in the Back Bay, his most recent undertaking, La Padrona, is yet another testament to his successful 15-year partnership with chef Jody Adams. It’s been called a “culinary gem,” but that’s what we’ve come to expect from Papachristos, along with ambiance and class.
129. Dion Irish
Chief of operations, City of Boston
→ $900 million capital building program
→ 1,000 Boston locations where graffiti has been removed by the Property Management Department
Irish runs the property management, inspectional services, and public facilities departments, but that doesn’t just mean checking permits and reviewing code violations. He’s the guy Mayor Michelle Wu leans on to oversee details of the White Stadium renovation, climate mitigation plans, school construction, rat eradication, and much more. And for good reason: Irish knows the city and City Hall as well as anybody, having served several mayors running the Inspectional Services Department, the Office of Civil Rights, and the Election Department over the past 25 years.
130. Shirley Leung
Columnist, the Boston Globe
→ 4-time finalist for the Gerald Loeb Award for Commentary
→ 95 episodes of Leung’s Say More podcast
Lots of people report the daily happenings in the city; plenty more express opinions on those topics. But nobody’s words matter more than Leung’s, whose columns get info straight from the top people in business and government and often include her own informed judgment on the city’s key issues. Her articles are widely read and have shifted public opinion on such issues as Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax proposal, White Stadium plans, and the candidates in the upcoming mayoral race—as well as, frequently, the failure of government and corporations to pursue diversity goals.
131. David Wade
Coanchor, WBZ-TV News
→ 30 regional Emmy awards
Wade just might be the next local Boston TV news anchor (after David Muir at ABC News) to go national; last August, CBS began using him as an occasional fill-in to anchor the national news broadcast. Wade isn’t just passing through Boston, though: A Somerville native and Emerson College alum, he has spent most of his career living, working, and volunteering in this city.
132. Najee Janey
Performing artist
→ 12,500+ Instagram followers
→ 1,800+ monthly listeners on Spotify
With his Break Free EP last June, Janey cemented his spot as the next big talent from Roxbury, earning a Boston Music Awards nomination for R&B Artist of the Year in the process. His range of talents, from rapping to singing to production, makes him hard to pin down (oh, and yes, in case you were wondering, he is the nephew of former Boston Mayor Kim Janey). But that unusual mix of skills is earning him a following throughout the city.
133. Elizabeth Turnbull Henry
President, Environmental League of Massachusetts
→ 230+ legislative cosponsors of ELM’s top priority bills
→ 26,000+ email subscribers
In the press release celebrating the big economic development bill signing in November, Governor Maura Healey’s office made a point of quoting Turnbull Henry’s praise for the bill’s investment in climate technology. That wasn’t entirely surprising, considering Turnbull Henry consistently has the ear of elected officials, whose voters pay close attention to ELM’s endorsements and candidate questionnaires.
134. Joe Dwinell
Executive Editor, Boston Herald
→ 16,000+ weekday print circulation
→ 19,700+ Sunday circulation
Reveling in the Herald’s version of resistance journalism in the Wu-Healey era, Dwinell does double duty as executive editor and enterprise reporter. That has him frequently rapping city expenditures and state action on immigrants—often channeling, reflecting, and shaping popular but underrepresented conservative perspectives in a largely progressive media environment.
135. Bekah Salwasser
Executive director, Red Sox Foundation
→ 40,000+ veterans, service members, and their families served via Home Base
→ $167 million+ raised in partnership with the Jimmy Fund
Once known for her soccer skills with the Boston Breakers, Salwasser can be found on the boards of nonprofit organizations, and at their events, all over town—particularly those serving women and people of color. But her biggest impact is with the Red Sox Foundation and her role as executive vice president for social impact with the Red Sox, both of which have her distributing crucial funds for local charitable causes.
136. Brian Worrell
City Councilor
→ 1,000 Thanksgiving turkeys donated to Boston families in 2023
→ 37 new liquor licenses approved from legislation
Thanks to changes adopted in 2021, the council has more say in the annual budget tussle with the mayor, and Worrell, who chairs the budget-writing committee, isn’t afraid to tussle with her. His communication style certainly seems to be working: Wu recently signed on to cosponsor his home-rule petition that ultimately got the state legislature to give Boston more liquor licenses. Worrell has also teamed up with his brother, a state representative, to offer constituent services in and around Dorchester. No wonder he’s emerged as the new star of City Hall.
137. Reetika Vijay
Managing principal, IA Interior Architects
→ 150,000-square-foot average project size
→ 2021 HiP “For Greater Good” award recipient
When CarGurus moved its headquarters to 225,000 square feet on 10 floors in the Back Bay, it hired Vijay’s firm to design it all. It was right up Vijay’s alley, given that she specializes in hybrid workspaces that encourage collaboration and flexibility. Her firm is a top-10 Interior Design “Giant” of the industry, working on projects everywhere, and Vijay’s local impact includes serving on the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children advisory board.
138. Eric Aulenback
Owner, Broadway Restaurant Group
→ 400+ employees
Not that long ago, eating out in South Boston meant meat-and-potatoes Irish fare. Aulenback has helped change that dramatically, with restaurants in the neighborhood showcasing modern American, southern-inspired, Italian, Mexican, and Japanese cuisines. Lately he and his partners have been transforming Charlestown, with three establishments thus far—Prima, Waverly Kitchen & Bar, and Monument Restaurant & Tavern. Next up, we’re told, Aulenback will take on the South End.
139. Heather Campion
Managing Director, DSG Global
→ 11,000+ attendees at the 2024 Massachusetts Conference for Women
→ 7 years as DSG Global
Campion’s executive search and consulting firm is one of the biggest in the country, and her connections are widespread: As the former CEO of the JFK Presidential Library Foundation, the one-time banking exec and presidential campaign veteran has worked with key people in Boston and beyond. She’s also heavily involved in the city’s leadership organizations, including the Massachusetts Conference for Women.
140. Mikko Nissinen
Artistic director, Boston Ballet
→ 32 George Balanchine works performed under his direction
For 24 years, Boston’s most famous Finn has ensured that Boston Ballet remains one of the world’s finest dance companies, performing classic story ballets and mixed repertory programs that have earned rave reviews from critics as jaded as the European press corps, who were breathless about the ballet’s Paris tour last spring.
141. Michael Carucci
Executive vice president, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
→ $3 billion+ in career sales
→ #3 ranked individual agent in Boston
The key to selling high-end Boston real estate is knowing and being known by the area’s rich and powerful. That kind of influence is why Carucci gets exclusive listings for $10 million homes in the Back Bay, Westwood, and Martha’s Vineyard. His digital Rolodex reads like a who’s who of Boston’s elite, making him the broker of choice when luxury properties change hands. It’s also why he has testimonials from some of his fellow most influential Bostonians, including Ernie Boch Jr. (see #83) and Bruce Percelay (see #28).
142. Peggy Fogelman
Norma Jean Calderwood director, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
→ 10 galleries restored since 2019
→ 108 new works presented since 2019
With more than 200,000 annual visitors, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of Boston’s premier cultural attractions, and the powerhouse at its head runs things with an élan and attention to detail that Mrs. Jack would admire. Most notably, Fogelman has flipped the script surrounding the $500 million heist the museum suffered, turning it into a matter of mystique rather than embarrassment.
143. Jim Sullivan
President and CEO, NWN
→ $1 billion+ in sales in 2024
→ 1,000+ employees
Running a top AI solutions company seems like a good place to be these days, with a market estimated at $100 billion. Add the financial might of private equity company American Securities, which bought NWN last year, and the picture gets even rosier. The optimism and room for growth showed in NWN’s acquisition of Leverage Information Systems last fall, which put the company into the federal government market. But the company’s nationwide expansion hasn’t taken Sullivan’s focus away from local business or charity—witness his company’s work with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester.
144. Sylvia Watts McKinney
CEO and president, Cathleen Stone Island Outward Bound School
→ 1,900+ students served in 2024
What can you do with a $12 million donation? Watts McKinney has ideas for her organization, which provides experiential education on Cathleen Stone Island (formerly Thompson Island) to Boston Public School students. The first woman of color to lead Boston’s Outward Bound school, Watts McKinney will renovate facilities, grow her team, and create new programming with a focus on climate education. It’s a tall order, but she’s no stranger to inspiring Bostonians—she previously led the Museum of African-American History.
145. Leverett Wing
President and CEO, Commonwealth Seminar
→ 1,700+ Commonwealth Seminar alumni
→ $1 million+ raised for Asian American Diabetes Initiative at Joslin Diabetes Center
“Leverett the Connector” is all about building bridges and forging bonds with Boston’s top leaders, which puts him in a position to influence many spheres in the city. His Commonwealth Seminar, meanwhile, aims to demystify the legislative process for those looking for a window into state government. You’ll also find him on boards of Boston Harbor Now, Meet Boston, and Eastern Bank—a wide-ranging list that enables him to keep his hands in much of the city’s business.
146. Barb Reilly
President and CEO, the Ad Club
→ 30+ events every year
→ 67 member companies
Since Reilly took control in 2023, the 115-year-old marketing and communications trade group has doubled its membership and transformed the annual Women’s Leadership Forum into a can’t-miss, sold-out event. That’s in part due to Reilly’s powerful friends and partners (Arnold CEO George Sargent recently became the Ad Club’s chair) in one of Boston’s most important and venerable industries, where she serves as the premier connector—a position uniquely suited to further help strengthen Boston’s evolving media landscape.
147. Anna Berik
Owner and clinical director, Newton Dental Associates
→ 30+ years and countless teeth
If changing people’s lives for the better counts, Berik has earned her place on this list many times over. Her national reputation and media presence as a smile-fixer just earned her a spot on Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders list in 2024. She created the Berik Acceleration Method, which uses near-infrared light therapy to accelerate tooth realignment. She founded Bubble Children’s Dentistry and Orthodontics, a pediatric practice also in Newton. She has, in short, given a great many Bostonians reason to smile—and the ability to do so.
148. Ricardo Rodriguez
Realtor, Ricardo Rodriguez & Associates
→ $4 billion+ in career sales
→ #1 Coldwell Banker Large Team in New England
The local economy depends, in large part, on keeping the beautiful homes in Boston and the surrounding suburbs filled with residents. Rodriguez plays a crucial role in ensuring this happens; his office is one of the top luxury property-selling teams in the entire Boston area. Beyond his professional success in real estate, this powerhouse agent maintains an active presence in the city’s vibrant social scene, demonstrating his community involvement through activities such as cochairing the prestigious Shakespeare Under the Stars gala last year.
149. Andrew Kendall
Executive director, Henry P. Kendall Foundation
→ $900,000+ in grants so far in 2025
Is Boston ready to rely on regionally grown, sustainable food sources? Andrew Kendall certainly thinks so. For decades, the Kendall Foundation has been dedicated to environmentalism; under Andrew Kendall’s leadership, that focus has homed in on so-called farm-to-school programs in New England, with the goal of cooking up more-nutritious lunches for students. Now, he has unveiled a five-year plan centered on strengthening the region’s food systems and bolstering the state’s agricultural businesses.
150. Karen Read
Defendant in the trial of the decade
→ 40+ national demonstrations in support of Read before her second jury trial
→ $830,000+ raised for her legal defense fund
Whatever happened to Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe on that snowy January night three years ago, one thing is certain: We have all lived in Karen Read’s world ever since. We followed all of the twists in the trial last spring and hung on each character’s every move, from family members to Aidan “Turtleboy” Kearney. And as of this writing, we’re diving headfirst into a second trial and a chance to debate every aspect all over again.
BONUS BABY: 151. Mira Wu Pewarski
Mayor Michelle Wu’s Newborn
→ 8 lb. 4 oz. at birth
Born this January, baby Mira clearly runs this town. She goes everywhere advocating for the city, with nothing but rave reviews and reception. She traveled to Washington, DC, to help her mother stand up to Congressional questions about Boston’s policies on immigrants. She attended a cabinet meeting and met with the press afterward. She even made an appearance at the State of the City address. Forget campaign strategists—the Hub’s tiniest VIP has already mastered the art of winning hearts, and she’s not even walking.
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Original story HERE.