MASSTECH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Manufacturing Education Director / Center for Advanced Manufacturing
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- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Committee
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- Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Executive Committee
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- Community Engagement & Marketing Manager / Center for Advanced Manufacturing
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- Chief Investment Strategist and Program Executive / Executive
Ben Linville-Engler is the Chief Investment Strategist and Program Executive at MassTech where he works across the agency's programs and funds to manage strategic investments into emerging technologies, align investments with growth strategies, and identify new opportunities for growth to ensure maximum impact on the Commonwealth's tech and innovation economy. Ben also provides program oversight for the agency's Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM), MassCyberCenter, and the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI).
Previously, Linville-Engle r served as the Industry and Certificate Co-Director for MIT System Design and Management (SDM) where he first joined as a Fellow in 2016. SDM is jointly offered by MIT's School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management; focusing on solving complex socio-technical challenges by taking a systems thinking approach to multi-stakeholder management, multi-disciplinary problem solving, model-driven engineering, design, and strategic decision throughout the entire product/system lifecycle. In this role, he established strategic industry partnerships and collaborations, identified industry trends, and taught medical device and project-based courses to help partner companies and students develop new technologies, products, and leaders.
Job Titles:
- Grant Operations Coordinator / Innovation Institute
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- Senior Payroll and Benefits Specialist / Human Resources
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- Senior Communications & Web Manager / Communications & Marketing
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- Director of Communications and Marketing
- Director of Communications and Marketing / Communications & Marketing
- Director of Communications and Marketing, at
- Media Inquiries
Brianna Wehrs joined MassTech in June 2019 as Chief of Staff. Brianna utilizes her operations and organizational management experience to help MassTech deliver its programs statewide. She works closely with MassTech's division directors and senior leaders to manage work flows and to help advance MassTech's goals and objectives.
Brianna came to MassTech from the Office of Governor Charlie Baker, where she managed all scheduling for both the Governor and Lt. Governor as Associate Chief of Staff for Scheduling and Executive Assistant to Governor Baker. Prior to her work in the Baker-Polito Administration, Brianna worked on several political campaigns. Brianna holds a B.A. in International Relations from Boston University.
Carolyn A. Kirk was selected by the Executive Committee of the Mass Tech Collaborative (Mass Tech) as the agency's executive director in February 2019. Mass Tech is a state economic development agency whose mission is to strengthen the tech & innovation economy across a variety of industries including advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, digital health and other emerging tech areas such as artificial intelligence, fintech, blue tech/marine tech, and robotics.
Kirk previously served as the Deputy Secretary in the cabinet level secretariat of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, a role she held since January 2015. As second-in-command, Kirk was responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of this approximately 1,000 person, billion dollar agency including IT, HR, Communications, Finance and Legal. In addition, she served in various leadership capacities, managed an economic development program portfolio, served alongside the Lieutenant Governor as Vice Chair of the Seaport Economic Council, and tackled difficult assignments for the Administration.
Prior to her roles in state government, in 2007 Kirk became the first woman popularly elected as Mayor of the City of Gloucester, going on to win three subsequent terms. With a strong mayor form of government, Kirk was responsible for all aspects of executive management of the City of Gloucester including public safety, public works, public health, community and economic development, and served as member of the elected School Committee.
Not only did Kirk lead the city through public health, infrastructure and natural disaster emergencies, Mayor Kirk pulled the city through the unpredictable challenges of the Great Recession through strong and disciplined fiscal management. Kirk's economic development plan focused on diversifying the local economy, traditionally focused on the commercial fishing industry, and emphasized community values and strengths which led to job creation and expansion of the commercial tax base. A key pillar of the city's economic plan was a focus on the blue economy.
Kirk's professional career spans more than 25 years and includes long-time experience as a management consultant, working with clients that included many of the Top 20 banks in the U.S. along with Fortune 500 companies.
She was raised in Clinton, N.Y., and moved to Massachusetts to attend college, graduating from Boston College.
Job Titles:
- Manager, Digital Equity, Outreach & Engagement
Job Titles:
- Director / Center for Advanced Manufacturing
- Director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Christine Nolan is the director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) based at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the agency focused on growing the tech and innovation sectors across Massachusetts. The Center's mission is to foster a competitive manufacturing ecosystem from innovation through production. She works in collaboration with the Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative, a group of industry, academia, and state government, chaired by the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development, to set a strategy for growth statewide.
To this role, Nolan brings a wealth of senior level experience from manufacturing and technology organizations in Massachusetts. She began her career as a manufacturing engineer where she saw progressive roles on the manufacturing floor and into the world of strategic account management.
She transitioned into economic and community development and spent 10 years at the Mass Tech Leadership Council, a non-profit helping to build the tech economy here in the State. The Center's focus on driving innovation in the advanced manufacturing sector is helped by Nolan's background in mechanical engineering and her educational background, which includes a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Job Titles:
- Government Affairs Associate
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- IT Manager / Information Services
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- Chairman, Governing Board of the Innovation Institute at MassTech / Attorney - at - Law, Dubendorf Law / Chairman, Governing Board of the Innovation Institute at MassTech
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- Senior Research Scientist
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- Outreach and Content Specialist
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- Account Management and Consulting Project Director
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- Managing Director
- Member of the Executive Committee
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- Director, Advanced Technology Programs & Workforce Development / Center for Advanced Manufacturing
Farhad Vazehgoo started his career designing semiconductor circuits and systems. He earned his bachelor's degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from the University of Manchester, Manchester, U.K. He is a senior IEEE member and currently holds the position of Acting Director for the Center of Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) at MassTech where he manages investments made under the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, or M2I2, a program from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to advance innovation and job growth in key advanced manufacturing sectors.
Farhad joined MassTech from his previous role as the Director of Technology & Functional Safety Products in the automotive business unit at Analog Devices. Prior to Analog Devices he held various engineering positions with Fairchild Semiconductors, Kendall Square Research, and Tandem Computers to name a few.
He holds three patents and has over 30 years of experience designing and managing the development of leading edge circuits and systems for automotive and non-automotive applications.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner and COO / Keator Group, LLC / Managing Partner and COO
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- Human Resources Officer / Human Resources
Holly has been responsible for leading human resource activities for both the investment and technology sectors. She has served a diverse group of employees by managing the responsibilities of employee relations, compensation and benefits, recruitment and staffing, organizational development, performance planning and immigration/ex-pat programs. With experience in managing several corporate acquisitions, she has acted as an Organizational Development consultant to align talent with human capital needs and enhance culture. Holly holds a Master's degree in Human Resources from the University of Connecticut, an undergraduate degree from Boston College, a project leadership certification from Cornell University and has received her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) designation from the Society of Human Resources.
Job Titles:
- Public Relations Manager / Communications & Marketing
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- Member of the Innovation Team
- Project Assistant / Innovation Institute
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- Director of Operations & Programs / Innovation Institute
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- Deputy Director / Innovation Institute
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Partner
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- General Counsel & Director of Government Affairs
- Records Access Officer for MassTech & Its Divisions
Jennifer was named the General Counsel & Director of Government Affairs of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative in 2019. Jennifer has extensive experience across Massachusetts state government, having served as General Counsel for both the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means, Legal Counsel for the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, and Director of Program Integrity and Deputy General Counsel at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. She started her career consulting on how to improve indigent defense systems across the country, and spent two years as an adjunct lecturer for Northeastern University Law School's Legal Skills in Social Context program.
In March 2020, Jennifer was named one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly's In-House Leaders in the Law. Jennifer was President of the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts for the 2019-2020 term. She graduated from American University's Washington College of Law, and attended college at Binghamton University in New York.
Job Titles:
- Accounting Supervisor
- Finance
John began his career as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force in 1998 and served in the Republic of Korea in 1999. In September 2001, while supporting C-17 missions, he deployed to Sicily to support forward operating bases during the initial phases of the US war in Afghanistan. He then deployed to Germany to provide intelligence for C-17 missions delivering humanitarian airdrops to starving Afghans. John entered on duty with the FBI as an Intelligence Analyst in 2004, where he assisted in the creation of the Connecticut Intelligence Center Fusion Center and with the FBI InfraGard public outreach program. While in New Haven, he also led the analytic review of computer hard drives related to the Babar Ahmad/Tooting Group international terrorism investigation. In 2007, John transferred to the FBI Boston Field Office. As an Intelligence Analyst, he supported Civil Rights and Public corruption investigations until becoming a Supervisory Intelligence Analyst supporting analysis over all criminal programs in 2010.
In 2013, John was a day shift intelligence supervisor during the Boston Marathon Bombing manhunt and led the computer forensic review of all subjects' digital media. During the Marathon Bombing investigation and subsequent trial, John led the post processing analytical review of the Tsarnaev family's digital media. He wrote the initial digital analysis used in support of the Tsarnaev trial. He led the review of more than 33,000 emails, 120,000 photos, and 12,000 videos for the purposes of criminal discovery and trial preparation. He wrote over 50 reports, which, were used in testimony to support Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's eventual conviction. In 2016 he earned a Master of Science in Information Security from Boston University and became FBI Boston's Chief Security Officer.
Before joining the MassCyberCenter, John was the Director of Cybersecurity for Magna5's Boston Metro Area. He managed day-to-day operations of the company's Security Operations Center. He managed endpoint and network protection, cybersecurity awareness training, and Security Information Event Management software. He developed cybersecurity plans and vulnerability assessments and ensured clients' cybersecurity governance models followed best practices with frameworks like NIST/SOC2/PCI/CMMC. He delivered presentations to local companies and professional organizations.
John has been a featured speaker at the Massachusetts National Cyber Crime Conference and at the Microsoft Digital Crimes Community Conference in Vienna, Austria in 2016. He was a featured speaker at ThreatLocker Zero Trust World and the International Crisis Management Conference in 2023. He has delivered remarks locally at many universities and professional organizations.
He completed the 2017 Boston Marathon Tough Ruck, which was a 26.2 mile hike carrying 15-50 pounds in tribute to fallen military comrades and in memory of those victims of the Marathon Bombing. He is a proud father of three children.
Job Titles:
- Director of Enablement & Integration
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- President / Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists
Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists (MOSES)
Job Titles:
- Director of Program Development
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- Executive Assistant / Innovation Institute
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Chancellor / University of Massachusetts Lowell / Chancellor
Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, MeHI Innovation
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- Senior Graphic Designer & Brand Manager / Communications & Marketing
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- HR Generalist / Human Resources
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- Director
- Director of the Massachusetts EHealth Institute
- Senior Management
Keely Benson is the Director of the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) at MassTech.
She has over twenty years of experience in the healthcare field working in a variety of areas, including health information technology, interoperability projects to support clinical and public health use cases, digital health, and payer operations at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). While at MeHI, Keely has focused on developing healthcare partnerships through her work with hospitals, community health centers, medical practices, behavioral health organizations, and the Mass HIway (the state's HIE).
She holds a Master of Public Administration/Health Administration degree from Suffolk University in Boston.
Job Titles:
- Account Manager
- Business Analyst
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- Grant Accounting Coordinator
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- IT Support Specialist / Information Services / Jacobs
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- Senior Manager, Advanced Technology Programs / Center for Advanced Manufacturing
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- Executive Director / Franklin Regional Council of Governments / Executive Director
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- Chief Financial Officer
- Finance
Lisa Erlandson was named Chief Financial Officer of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative in May 2018. Lisa brings over 25 years of experience managing accounting and financial operations at MassTech, having joined the agency as a staff accountant in 1990. Prior to being named to the CFO position, Lisa was the Director of Financial Operations and Controller for MassTech, where she managed the agency's general accounting processes, led the development and approval of the annual corporate budget, and oversaw the annual corporate audit. Lisa holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Worcester State College, with a concentration in Accounting and Finance.
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, Operations
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary
- Secretary / Executive Office for Administration and Finance, Commonwealth of Massachusetts / Secretary
Executive Office for Administration and Finance, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; Designee: Sean Cronin, Senior Deputy Commissioner, Division of Local Services, Department of Revenue, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Job Titles:
- Facilities Manager / Facilities
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- Ecosystem Program Manager
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- Resiliency Program Manager
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- Program Director, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems & Strategic Advisor, Robotics Department / Innovation Institute
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- Senior Program Manager / Center for Advanced Manufacturing
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- Director & MBI General Counsel
Michael Baldino was named Director and General Counsel of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the Mass Tech Collaborative in January 2019.
Michael comes to MBI with a wealth of public sector policy experience. He served in Mass Tech's Legal Department for over 23 years, providing legal advice and counsel to MassTech's divisions. During his tenure, Michael was actively involved in supporting MBI's mission since the division's inception in 2008.
During his tenure at MassTech, Michael also managed complex grant programs, including the Waste-To-Energy Grant Program which disbursed over $55 million to 138 cities and towns in the Commonwealth, and the Southeastern Massachusetts Defense Manufacturing Grant Program.
Prior to joining MassTech, Michael held staff positions in the New York State Assembly and the Massachusetts State Senate.
Michael holds a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- International Vice President
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- Executive Assistant / Executive Administration
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Principal
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Senior Director, Corporate and Public Affairs
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- Chairman of the Executive Committee
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- Deputy Director
- Member of the Innovation Team
- Director, Innovation Institute / Innovation Institute
- Founder and Director of the Innovation Institute
Patrick Larkin is Founder and Director of the Innovation Institute, the economic development division of the MassTech Collaborative (MassTech), one of the nation's first state agencies to focus on innovation-based economic development. The Innovation Institute at MassTech collaborates across sectors and regions to support the Commonwealth's Innovation Economy, which drives jobs, startups, and business growth. Mr. Larkin is one of the Commonwealth's earliest practitioners to focus on collaboration between industry, academia, and government to strengthen ecosystems for innovation and devise and deploy pathways for economic growth and opportunity. A nationally recognized economic development organization, the Innovation Institute's efforts include playing a leading role in facilitating innovation driven economic growth in Gateway Cities through nimble public sector investments and customized, on-the-ground intervention to seed the conditions for sustainable economic growth.
Job Titles:
- President / Nicolai Law Group, P.C. President
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- Senior Counsel & Regulatory Specialist
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- Director, Department of Robotics / Innovation Institute
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- Member of the Executive Committee
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Vice President, Legal, Vaccine Business Unit / Takeda
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Director / Draper
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- Portfolio Director, Research & Development Fund / Innovation Institute
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- Communications Associate / Communications & Marketing
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- Federal Financial Compliance Manager
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- Program Manager / Innovation Institute
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- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary