2nd Annual Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition Convening

Welcome to the second annual Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition convening. Today's event brings together leading employers, advocates, and government partners who share a commitment to supporting family caregivers in the workplace. Also today, we will honor this year's Caregiver Champions - employers, labor leaders, policymakers, workers, and advocates who demonstrate exceptional leadership and dedication to advancing caregiver support across the Commonwealth.

About each awardee 

Meet this year's Caregiver Champions!

Policy Trailblazer Champion: Senator Jo Comerford

Senator Jo Comerford has served the people of western Massachusetts long before she took public office in January 2019, elected to serve the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district in the Massachusetts State Senate. She is the first woman to hold the seat.

Her district comprises 25 cities and towns stretching from Northampton to Ashburnham, encompassing the Connecticut River in Hampshire and Franklin Counties and nearly circling the entire Quabbin Reservoir.

Jo has previously chaired the Joint Committee on Public Health and the Joint Committee on COVID-19, Emergency Preparedness and Management and currently chairs the Joint Committee on Higher Education, while also serving as Vice Chair of Senate Ways and Means.

Jo has filed legislation to support family caregivers in each session that Jo has served in the Senate.

Policy Trailblazer Champion: Representative Brandy Fluker-Reid

Brandy Fluker-Reid, Esq. is the Massachusetts State Representative for the 12th Suffolk District serving parts of Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Roslindale and Milton. She holds the esteemed position of Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary and proudly serves on the Women’s Caucus executive board, as well as being an active member of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Prior to her work in public service, Representative Fluker-Reid worked as a defense attorney and a public school teacher.

She is the sole caretaker of her mother, Rev Brenda Fluker, Esq., who has been her support system and inspiration for all of her accomplishments, especially as an advocate for caretakers throughout the Commonwealth

Employer Excellence Champion: Citizens Bank

At Citizens, caregiving is more than acknowledged—it’s celebrated and supported. The company recognizes that colleagues who care for loved ones bring empathy, resilience, and adaptability to the workplace, and has built a culture that honors those strengths.

Support includes mental health and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) resources through Spring Health for colleagues and their families, emergency back-up care, senior care management, MilkShip for traveling moms, a Dependent Care Reimbursement Account, and comprehensive legal benefits to meet a wide range of caregiving needs.

These benefits are amplified by the Caring for Citizens Business Resource Group, which fosters connection through peer networks, educational events, and inclusive volunteer opportunities.

Together, these programs reflect Citizens’ commitment to helping colleagues thrive—both professionally and personally.

Advocacy All-Star Champion: Tom Weber, Executive Director at Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education

Tom is the Foundation Fellow for Early Childhood at Eastern Bank Foundation and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education. Prior to joining Eastern, Tom was the longest-serving Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

Previously, Tom served as Undersecretary and Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education. Tom also has served as Legislative Director at Strategies for Children, Director of Community Partnerships at the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, Deputy Research Director at the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), Assistant Director of Government Affairs at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and Senior Issues Manager at the Office of United State Senator John F. Kerry.

Tom is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Suffolk University Law School. Tom is a native of the City of Lynn and lives in the Town of Reading.

Advocacy All-Star Champion: Darlene Lombos, President at Greater Boston Labor Council

Darlene Lombos is President and principal officer of the Greater Boston Labor Council (GBLC) and the first woman and person of color to be elected in this top leadership position. Darlene took office in 2000 and was reelected to a second term in 2024. The GBLC represents over 100,000 union members and their families within 24 cities and towns in the region, and has as its primary mission to build power for workers and progressive allies to advance our movement for social, economic and racial justice.

Darlene is the former Executive Director of Community Labor United (CLU), a partnership of unions and community organizations that has successfully moved strategic campaigns to protect and promote the interests of working class families and communities of color in Greater Boston. In 2008, CLU formed the Green Justice Coalition (GJC) in order to build a broader base of support for a sustainable, equitable, and clean energy economy in Massachusetts.

Darlene has been organizing around various community issues since 1996, including police accountability and home daycare justice at Direct Action for Rights and Equality in Providence, RI as well as transportation equity, gentrification and displacement, and education reform at Sisters in Action for Power in Portland, OR. She brings nearly 30 years' experience in community and youth organizing, leadership development and coalition- building to this work.