WORCESTER MA, Wednesday, August 14- The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce recently announced the selection of 28 talented professionals who will make up the class of 2025.
Members of the Leadership Worcester Class of 2025 are:
| First name | Last name | Employer |
| Michell | Addo | Advocates Inc. |
| Eliana | Agudelo | City of Worcester |
| Shepard | Allen | Bartlett Wealth Management |
| Briana | Azier | Bri’s Sweet Treats |
| Giovanni | Blue | Workplace Resource |
| Christon | Carney | Mechanics Hall |
| Jose | Castro | Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll) |
| Tina | Cicero | Leominster Credit Union |
| Guillermo | Creamer | Thrive Support & Advocacy |
| Karlene | Cudak | CASA Project Worcester County |
| Brian | Edmonds | Prince Lobel Tye, LLP. |
| Patricia (Tita) | Feraud-King | College of the Holy Cross |
| Jennifer (Jenn) | Grant | The Hanover Insurance Group |
| Bwann Kellie | Gwann | Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| Michelle | Johnstone | City of Worcester |
| Leah | Maroney | City of Worcester |
| Christine | McCall Martello | Consigli Construction |
| Dr. Sheri-Ann | McLean -Williams | Mclean Coaching and Consulting, LLC. |
| Casey | Onuigbo | Worcester Police Department |
| Jillian | Phillips | Friendly House |
| Ellen | Piccioli | Worcester Polytechnic Institute |
| Amie | Richard | Pernet Family Health Service |
| Sylvia | Ruiz | Sevita Health |
| Jordan | Sealey-Ashford | Worcester Red Sox |
| Stefanie | Silva | Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce |
| Mikayla | Tucker-Davis | MassHire Central Career Centers |
| Brandon | Wills | Cunningham & Associates |
| Moses Laguerre | Zenon | MA Department of Correction |
The class was carefully selected by committee and includes a diverse group of individuals committed to Leadership Worcester. The selection committee sought motivated individuals who aspire to take an active leadership role in the city and who want work collaboratively across sectors on system changes. The selected applicants were notified this July.
The 2025 class will get underway on September 5, 2024, with an overnight retreat offering participants an opportunity to get to know one another, determine individual leadership strengths, learn more about participants’ experiences, and to understand more about the Worcester community.
Monthly sessions will explore topics that are critical to the city. The daylong sessions will take place one Thursday a month from October through May and culminate in a graduation in June 2025. Session topics include Urban Sustainability, Education, Economic Development, Public Health, Community Safety, Government, Arts & Culture, and Food Security.
“This Class of 2025 of Leadership Worcester is the tenth cohort of the program lead by the Chamber. The Chamber ran a similar program for many years but stopped in the 1990s,” said Karen Pelletier, Executive Vice President of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Since 2015, the program has been extremely competitive, with 66 applications this year for 28 spots. Leadership from various sectors and stakeholders curate each session, volunteering their time to help ensure an informed network of future leaders for the City.”
“Now more than ever, we need leaders – those who understand the needs of our community and will step up to facilitate change and inclusivity,” said Timothy P. Murray, President and CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. “For ten years Leadership Worcester has been cultivating just such individuals. Graduates of the program have gone on to do incredible things in our community and beyond. I know that this new class will do the same to help our great city continue to grow in the fields of science, education, healthcare, technology, and more.”
“As a past Leadership Worcester graduate, several years ago, I have since then overlapped with many LW classmates that are now involved in the community and it is incredibly heartening for me to see so many recent grads of Leadership Worcester getting involved with local organizations. It is a fabulous program, and it helps the Worcester area advance as a great place to live and do business! Leadership Worcester grads really make a difference.” – Deb Cary, Community Advocacy and Outreach Manager, Mass Audubon, Central Region
The cost to participate in the program is $3,200. Scholarship assistance from employers and a number of Worcester foundations including: Greater Worcester Community Foundation, George F. and Sybil H. Fuller Foundation, George I. Alden Trust, Stoddard Charitable Trust, Hoche-Scofield Foundation, the Fletcher Foundation, and the Leadership Worcester Alumni Fund which is made up from alumni donations.
Applications for the next class will be available online in February 2025. For more information, visit www.leadershipworcester.com.
