Michael O’Brien named to Baker-Polito transition team

Brighton- Governor-elect Charlie Baker today announced the formation and leadership of transition committees on Human Resources, the State of the State, and five advisory committees organized around Jobs, Schools, Communities, Healthcare and Better Government. Lieutenant Governor-elect Karyn Polito is chairing the transition team and will announce policy committee members in the weeks ahead.

“The transition leaders will be vital to our efforts in assembling the best possible team to carry out the administration’s goal; making Massachusetts great everywhere,” said Lieutenant Governor-elect Karyn Polito. “I am honored to serve as chair of the team and today is a major step toward hitting the ground running in January. Consistent with our bipartisan and idea driven campaign, the transition team is tackling hugely important and specific policy areas vital to the success of Massachusetts as a commonwealth.”

The Baker-Polito Transition Team Committees and Committee Co-Chairs

State of the State:

Linda Carlisle, Co-Chair – Former Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS) – now the Department of Children and Families – from 1993-1999. She was appointed by Governor William Weld to implement significant changes to the state’s child welfare system. In her six years as commissioner, she was credited with stabilizing the agency, establishing and implementing performance measurement systems, implementing a large, complex case management information technology system, expanding programs, and dramatically increasing adoption finalizations.

Richard Taylor, Co-Chair – Current chairman of the Taylor-Smith Companies, where he manages multiple real estate business entities. Taylor is the former vice president of development at FMR Properties Inc., where he helped convert the old Commonwealth Pier in Boston Harbor into Boston’s World Trade Center. In the 90s, Taylor joined Governor Bill Weld as his first secretary of transportation and helped reestablish rail service from Worcester to Boston and oversaw construction of the Ted Williams Tunnel and the Dudley Station Bus Terminal. He initiated construction of the new South Station Bus Terminal, the Old Colony Commuter Rail project, and the $14 billion Central Artery project.

Michael O’Brien, Co-Chair – Executive Vice President at Winn Companies, prior to joining Winn, Mr. O’Brien spent nine years as the City Manager of Worcester. During that time, Mr. O’Brien successfully implemented multiple programs to spur economic development and improve neighborhoods. As a result, Worcester is currently rated one of the safest communities in the country, among cities with a population of 100,000 or more, and is experiencing more than $1.3 billion in planned or current economic development activity.

Human Resources:

Deb Hicks, Co-Chair – Deb has over 30 years of HR experience, including diverse leadership roles in human resources development, organization development, HR operations, training and development, and talent management. She is currently the SVP, Chief HR Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). Prior to DFCI she had been the Associate Dean and Chief HR Officer at Harvard Medical School.

Dan T. Henry Sr., Co-Chair – As a Chief Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility Officer, Dan has a unique blend of general management and human capital leadership skills. His business career spans over twenty years with leading consumer products, retail and service companies. In his current role with Bright Horizons, Dan provides thought leadership while guiding the delivery of leading-edge people solutions to more than 24,000 global employees and to clients and prospective client partners through Horizons Workforce Consulting, a Bright Horizons Solution at Work.

ADVISORY COMMITTEES

Better Government:

Stephen Goldsmith, Co-Chair – Daniel Paul Professor of the Practice of Government and director of the Innovations in Government Program at Harvard Kennedy School. He is a nationally recognized expert on government management, operational efficiency, and innovation. Goldsmith currently directs Data-Smart City Solutions, a project to highlight local government efforts to use new technologies that connect breakthroughs in the use of big data analytics with community input to reshape the relationship between government and citizen. Goldsmith previously served as deputy mayor of New York and mayor of Indianapolis, where he earned a reputation as one of the country’s leaders in government innovation.

Steve Poftack, Co-Chair – Executive Director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at the Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, Poftak was Director of Research and Director of the Center for Better Government at the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research. Before Pioneer, Poftak worked at the Commonwealth’s Executive Office for Administration and Finance, where he managed the $1.3 billion capital budget, prepared the state’s quarterly cash flow reporting, and monitored non-tax revenue receipts. His prior experience includes service as Director of Corporate Finance for a privatization fund in Southeastern Europe. He holds an MBA from the Olin School at Babson College and a BA in Political Science from Middlebury College. He is a Boston resident, is married, and has children who attend the Boston Public Schools.

Community:

Robert Lewis Jr., Co-Chair – Robert works with urban youth to combat violence and improve their lives by leveraging sports, education, and teamwork. The BASE empowers student athletes from Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan and other urban areas to “build champs on and off the field.”

Chrystal Kornegay, Co-Chair – Appointed President & CEO in 2011 after 11 years of roles with increasing responsibilities at Urban Edge. Her 20-plus years of community development experience began at The Community Builders, Inc. in Boston. Chrystal is a 2012 graduate of the Achieving Excellence Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, holds a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and earned a Bachelor of Arts at Hunter College.

Schools:

Chancellor Marty Meehan, Co-Chair – Marty Meehan has served as the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell since 2007, overseeing consistent growth that has propelled UMass Lowell into the top tier for national universities based on public research and return on investment for graduates. As chancellor Meehan sought innovative and entrepreneurial ways to obtain resources, presiding over the largest fundraising years in the history of the institution. From 1993 to 2007, Meehan represented the 5th Congressional District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was widely respected for his leadership on campaign finance reform and anti-tobacco legislation.

Beth Anderson, Co-Chair – Beth Anderson founded and serves as CEO for the Phoenix Charter Academy Network, operating two schools in Chelsea and Lawrence for over 300 “at-risk” youths between the ages of 14 and 22. Drawing on her early experiences as a teacher in Los Angeles, Anderson seeks to help students who too often slip through the education-system cracks. This fall, Anderson plans to open a third charter school in Springfield. She has previously worked as a social worker at Girls, Inc., a Lynn nonprofit, and at the Department of Social Services, now the Department of Children and Families.

Healthcare:

Deb Enos, Co-Chair – Deborah C. Enos provides strategic leadership working with the Board of Directors and the Senior Leadership Team to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies. Ms. Enos carries working relationships with local and national organizations, including the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, and the Association of Community Health Plans as well as advocacy groups, state regulatory agencies, and others. Ms. Enos currently serves on the boards of several organizations including the American Heart Association, Association for Community Affiliated Plans, Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, and UMass Boston — College of Nursing and Health Sciences Advisory Board. Ms. Enos received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Dartmouth College and her Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Keith Hovan, Co-Chair – President and Chief Executive Officer of Southcoast Health System, Inc. and Southcoast Hospitals Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Southcoast Health System. Keith also serves as Treasurer of the Massachusetts Hospital Association Board, President of the National Association of Urban Hospitals, Vice President of the Massachusetts Council of Community Hospitals Board, and represents the Massachusetts Hospital Association on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board for Region 1. Keith also serves as Chairman of the Yankee Alliance Supply Chain Solutions, LLC a Group Purchasing Organization.

Jobs And The Economy:

Jay Ash, Co-Chair – Jay is his native Chelsea’s longest serving CEO, having first been appointed city manager in 2000. His leadership has produced model municipal management and development, including securing credit rating increases, unprecedented economic development and, most recently, a second All-America City designation for Chelsea. Outside of Chelsea, Jay has led statewide initiatives on health insurance, youth violence, transportation infrastructure and expanded gaming in Massachusetts. Before working directly for the City, Jay served his community from the State House as the staff director to the House Majority Leader.

Karen Kaplan, Co-Chair – A driving force behind Hill Holliday’s growth to more than $1 billion in annual billings and impressive list of premier clients, Karen Kaplan has been recognized by Business Insider and Advertising Age as one of the most influential women in advertising. She serves on the Boards of Directors for numerous civic and professional organizations, and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative, an action-oriented community of the most effective CEOs, heads of state, Nobel Prize winners, and non-governmental leaders in the world.

Roger Crandall, Co-Chair, – Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), headquartered in Springfield, Mass. During Mr. Crandall’s tenure as CEO, MassMutual has grown to serve more than five million customers, reached a record $639 billion in assets under management. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Council of Life Insurers, and a member of the Smithsonian National Board. Mr. Crandall also serves on the Wharton Board of Leadership Advisors, the Business Roundtable, the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership, the Massachusetts Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, and the Corporate Advisory Board for The Boston Club, which promotes the advancement of women to leadership positions.