Deep Dives

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with Rick Weissbourd, Faculty Director of Human Development and Psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The director of the Making Caring Common Project, Rick’s work focuses on children's moral development, on vulnerability and resilience in childhood, and on how to encourage and prioritize caring, compassion, and companionship among...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with Francis Goulliart and Lorena Lorenzet, two local food entrepreneurs who helped create Local Lunchbox, an innovative new program borne out of the pandemic that provides free, fresh, locally-prepared food for families. Francis is the CEO of Stock Pot Malden, and Lorena is a celebrated local chef and owner of the Farm Girl Food Truck.  Local Lu...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with Aaron Feuer, Co-Founder and CEO of Panorama Education. A fast-growing, ed-tech company based out of Boston, Aaron works with school districts across the country to help make education better for kids, and to include students in the process of assessing and improving the way schools work. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Aaron’s work with Pano...

In our fifth installment of our special series, “Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston”, Jill talks with John Barros. The Chief of Economic Development for former Mayor Marty Walsh, Barros previously ran for Mayor of Boston in 2013. John Barros joined Mayor Walsh’s administration in 2014 to establish the new Economic Development cabinet and lead the department for seven years. Before working f...

In the fourth episode of our special series, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston, Jill talks with Dr. Jon Santiago, State Representative for the 9th District of Suffolk County. An attending physician in the Boston Medical Center’s emergency room, he has served as a State Representative since being elected in 2018. Raised in Boston after his family immigrated from Puerto Rico, Rep. Santiago w...

In our third episode of our special series, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston, Jill talks with Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell. A lifelong resident of Boston who represents District 4, Andrea has served on the council since being elected in 2015. Raised in Roxbury and the South End, Councilor Campbell graduated from Boston Public Schools and Boston Latin School, going on to attend Pr...

We are excited to release our special podcast series on the Boston mayoral election, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston.  2021 is an important year for Bostonians -- we will recover from Covid-19, and we will elect a new mayor. This is a historic election. For the first time in history, Boston will have a mayor who is a person of color. With six candidates and an open seat following Mayor W...

We are excited to release our special podcast series on the Boston mayoral election, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston.  2021 is an important year for Bostonians -- we will recover from Covid-19, and we will elect a new mayor. This is a historic election. For the first time in history, Boston will have a mayor who is a person of color. With six candidates and an open seat following Mayor W...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with District Attorney Rachael Rollins of Suffolk County. Since 2019, DA Rollins has been the chief law enforcement officer for Boston, Winthrop, Chelsea, and Revere. She is the first woman ever elected as District Attorney in Suffolk County and the first woman of color ever elected District Attorney in Massachusetts. A lifelong resident of Bosto...

In today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Lee Pelton, current President of Emerson College, who will soon become the CEO of The Boston Foundation. Starting officially at The Boston Foundation on June 1st, Dr. Pelton has an extensive background in higher education and a deep passion for service. Throughout his career, Dr. Pelton has worked to address social justice issues. A common...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Massachusetts Attorney General, Maura Healey. The people’s lawyer, Attorney General Healey talks to us about her work in representing all residents of Massachusetts as well as how her support and information from her office intersects with solving current key state-wide issues including food access and housing security. Maura Healey began serv...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Maria Fenwick, founder and Executive Director of The Teacher Collaborative. A former teacher in Boston Public Schools herself, Maria talks to us about how teachers are dealing with the pandemic and navigating remote teaching and learning. Maria has spent her career working with and supporting teachers across Massachusetts as a teacher in Bosto...

In today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Deanne Galdston, Superintendent of Watertown Public Schools. As more and more school districts in Massachusetts begin to reopen their schools, Superintendent Galdston talks to us about Watertown Public Schools’ COVID-19 surveillance testing program and how they successfully and safely brought students back to school. Superintendent Galdston...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Natalie Wexler, education writer and author of The Knowledge Gap, her most recent novel on the achievement gap and how to fix America’s education system. A senior contributor to Forbes.com, we talk to Natalie about The Knowledge Gap, the exacerbating effect of Covid-19, the state of America’s education system, and how to fix it. Having been fe...

On this week’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Latoya Gayle, former executive director of Boston Schools Finder and co-founder of March Like a Mother. Latoya is a community activist focused on the success of all students and families in Boston. She is planning to launch a new civic innovation lab, Liberation Lab, where she will focus on supporting families and communities in buildin...

On today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Mitchell Weiss, Richard L. Menschel and Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School. The former chief of staff to Mayor Thomas Menino of Boston, Jill talks to Mitch about his new book, We the Possibility. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Feng Zhang, a founder of CRISPR, McGovern Investigator and professor in MIT’s Departments of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and of Biological Engineering. A core member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, today’s conversation with Feng focuses on COVID-19 testing, vaccines, vaccine shortages, virus variants, and more relevant issues. L...

Happy New Year! In the first episode of Catalysts for Change in 2021, Jill talks to Mayor Michael Tubbs, Mayor of Stockton, California. Having collaborated with key movers and shakers in the Democratic Party, Mayor Tubbs has been a major figure in politics, as well as a significant supporter of guaranteed income programs. A lifelong resident of Stockton, Tubbs grew up poor and was raised in a sing...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Steve Koczela, president of MassINC Polling Group. Founded in 2010, Steve has helped grow MassINC Polling into a leader of measuring and interpreting public opinion in Massachusetts and in the United States. A recent poll conducted by MPG has revealed important feedback from families regarding  learning during the pandemic in Massachusetts sch...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Todd Rose, co-founder and president of Populace. A former professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Todd’s innovative work focuses on the way we think, work and live.  Todd’s work regarding individual potential, and ultimate success, involves his research on the myth of being average, and his focus on empowering individuals. At Po...

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, we talk to James Morton, President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Boston. The CEO of the largest social services provider in Massachusetts, James advocates for all families in Boston and works to nurture the potential of every child and promote health and social responsibility. The 13th president and CEO of the YMCA, James previously served at YMCAs in Spri...

On today’s Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Andrew Yang, former 2020 Democratic Presidential candidate and founder of Move Humanity Forward. As you may know, the Shah Family Foundation working on a guaranteed income strategy in Chelsea, MA, and Yang’s work to educate and advocate for a universal basic income has influenced awareness to the degree that over 55% of the American population now und...

On today’s Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook and co-chair of the Economic Security Project. As the Shah Foundation begins to support a new guaranteed income program in Chelsea MA, Chris’s work with the Economic Security Project and focus on guaranteed income is relevant and important to understanding guaranteed income initiatives. Chris’s work with the Econom...

In today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Dr. Alessio Fasano, world-renowned gastroenterologist and chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC). Renowned for his pediatric and gastroenterology work, we focus on Dr. Fasano’s most recent research on COVID-19 and its impact on children. A leader in celiac disease research, Dr. Fasano...

On today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Sarah Cherry Rice, founder and Executive Director of Digital Ready and Year 13, aiming to support students in Boston and prepare them to thrive in a diverse, vibrant economy. An innovator in the education sector, Sarah’s work with Digital Ready seeks to break down systemic barriers that historically have prevented many from achieving social...