Inside the Corner Office

In this episode, we catch up with Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam, President of Boston University. Dr. Gilliam became BU’s eleventh president in July 2024 and brings an impressive background spanning medicine, public health, interdisciplinary research, and higher education leadership. In this episode, we learn more about her path from physician to interdisciplinary researcher to university leadership, as well as her priorities as BU’s new president, the university’s work in convergent research, AI, and the arts, and how Boston University is partnering with government and industry to drive innovation and economic impact across the region.

In this episode, we catch up with Kathleen C. Marchi, CEO & President of Samaritans, Inc., headquartered in Boston and serving our region for the past 50 years. Kathy has had an impressive career in non-profit leadership here in New England, and has overseen remarkable growth at Samaritans. In this episode, we learn more about the services this organization offers in our communities and how you can support their important, life-saving work.

In this episode, we catch up with Bob Rivers, Executive Chair and Chair of the Board of Directors, Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank. In a wide-ranging conversation, Bob reflects on his incredible, four-decade career in the banking industry, and about Eastern Bank's incredible growth under his leadership. We also talk about the bank's work to support New England's gateway cities, address regional housingchallenges, and support a diverse workforce.

In this episode, we catch up with Dr. Elizabeth Chilton, President of the University of New Hampshire, who reflects on her first year leading the Granite State's flagship public university. President Chilton also highlighted UNH's incredible economic impact in the region, and how federally funded research on campus is leading to cutting edge new technologies and innovations.

In this episode, we sit down with Tess Kuenning, President and CEO of the Bi-State Primary Care Association. As Tess marks an incredible 30 years at the helm of the organization, we talked about her early career as a nurse—including four years spent working in Nepal—her transition into public health, and the tremendous growth Bi-State has experienced under her leadership. 

We also discussed the critical challenges facing Community Health Centers in New England today, from workforce shortages to recent federal budget decisions that threaten essential services like Medicaid and SNAP. Tess offered her insight on how these changes will impact some of the most vulnerable populations in our region, and how CHCs are adapting to meet evolving community needs—including mental health and rural healthcare access. 

In this episode, we sit down with Richard Davey, CEO of the Massachusetts Port Authority. We discussed the latest developments at Logan Airport, Worcester Regional Airport, and the Port of Boston, as well as the impact of President Trump’s tariffs on the port, and the urgent need for federal investment to modernize our air traffic control system.

In this episode, we sit down with Patrick W. McDermott, Norfolk County Sheriff. The Sheriff discussed his extensive career in public service at both the municipal and county levels. The conversation also took a deep dive into the role of the Sheriff's Department in preparing incarcerated individuals to reenter society and, perhaps more importantly, to be contributing members of our region’s workforce. Finally, we explored key federal policy priorities for his agency and other sheriff's departments across the state.

In this episode, we sit down with John O'Brien, recently appointed CEO of JERA Americas. John discussed his early career in the Massachusetts Legislature, where he served in the State Senate, as well as JERA Americas' expanding footprint in New England. He also shared his insights on how the shift in priorities under the new administration could impact federal energy investments moving forward.

In this episode, we sit down with the President of Emmanuel College, Dr. Beth Ross. President Ross shared her path to the presidency, where she had a front-row seat to Emmanuel’s incredible growth over the past 25 years.  

President Ross also highlighted how Emmanuel works to prepare students for the workforce through internships and partnerships with local employers, and shared her thoughts on the importance of the federal Pell Grant program, and changes at the federal level that can impact higher education.

This month’s episode of “Inside the Corner Office” is now available! 

In this episode, we sit down with 2024 New Englander of the Year, Retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond of Home Base Program. We had a great conversation about General Hammond’s impressive military career and how it led him to the helm of Home Base, and incredible organization that supports veterans and their families as they grapple with the “invisible wounds of war.”

The General also shared some updates on Home Base’s expansion, both here in New England and in other parts of the country, and offered his advice to the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs.