business_resources_sec.gif  


A Note from our Executive Director


Dear TCI Community,

I want to bring you up to date on a number of changes taking place at The Commonwealth Institute--but first I want to thank all of you who joined us for our 10 th Anniversary Celebration.  It was a wonderful evening with great speakers and the presentations of our first Silverman Awards for Entrepreneurship.  Under the theme of “The Business of Life, Leadership and Legacy,” Ann Fudge and Rosabeth Moss Kanter shared their wisdom with us and gave us a lot to think about for the future.

Our congratulations to our first three Silverman Award winners:  Gretchen Fox , CEO of Fox Relocation Management, Phyllis Godwin, CEO of Granite City Electric Supply Co., and Trish Karter , CEO of Dancing Deer Baking Company.  The awards were given to these three women based on their success as entrepreneurs and their commitment to giving back to their communities – attributes that Lois Silverman holds dear.  We had many deserving nominees, and I want to thank Martha Felch from Sovereign Bank and Mim Minichiello from Tufts Health Plan for their help in selecting the winners.

For 2008 we are focusing on several major initiatives, and I am very pleased to say that I will be staying as Executive Director to lead the organization forward.  I have no doubt that the next few years will be filled with challenges and opportunities as we move The Commonwealth Institute to the next level.

Now for the changes.   As you know, Maria Halvorsen left TCI after seven years of serving as our Membership Director. We thank her for all she has done for the organization and we wish her great success in her future endeavors.

With Maria leaving, we have restructured the work load at TCI.  We've hired Abby Tracy as our Director of Member and Sponsor Relations.  Abby comes to us from the Boston College Development Office, where she had great success in managing and motivating alumni volunteers for a successful reunion fundraising campaign.  Abby will working with all of our current members and sponsors to ensure that you are receiving the value and benefits from you affiliation with The Commonwealth Institute.

Patricia Cooper has joined us as the Director of Business Development. Pat brings both entrepreneurial experience as the former partner in a boutique media communications agency and business development and marketing expertise from her work with large corporations. Emily Sweeney , our Program and Membership Coordinator, will be assisting Abby in the execution of programs, as well as assisting Pat with the recruitment of new members.

This is an exciting time for The Commonwealth Institute.  I want to thank you for all your support, feedback, and ideas over the years. We really appreciate the ongoing communication we have with all of you, and we look forward to hearing more from you in the future.  On that note, I want to let you know that we are now planning for our Breakfast for Champions to be held in Spring 2008.  At this event, we usually have a speaker who has made a notable business accomplishment.  Previous speakers include Linda Kaplan Thaler of The Kaplan Thaler Group, Ltd. and Ann Moore, CEO of Time Inc.  Please let me know if you have suggestions for speakers you would love to hear from for this or other events.  We always value your suggestions and opinions, and we are looking forward to an exciting year with all of you.

Thank you, and all the best for a wonderful holiday season.
 
 
AileenJPEG_1.gif



Aileen Gorman
Executive Director
The Commonwealth Institute