Future of Pay Equity for MA & Beyond | 2021 EqualPayMA Roundtables

Our LAST EqualPayMA Roundtable of the year will focus on pay equity progress (or lack of) in Massachusetts and nationally. We will also cover a range of workplace practices and proposed laws that would take steps toward closing the racial and gender wage gap.

For more information or for reasonable accommodation, please email EqualPayMA@tre.state.ma.us.

Para adaptaciones razonables debido a una discapacidad o si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor envíe un correo electrónico a EqualPayMA@tre.state.ma.us.

Denella Clark, Chairwoman
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women

Ms. Clark is a proud Jamaican immigrant and Boston, MA resident. She currently serves as President and CEO of Boston Arts Academy Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that secures essential private funding that supports Boston Arts Academy, the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts. She also has significant experience with public policy and legislation, specifically related to women and people of color. In April 2016, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker appointed Ms. Clark to the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW), a volunteer Board whose purpose is to advance women and girls toward full equity in all areas of life and to promote rights and opportunities for all women and girls.

Ms. Clark and the MCSW successfully advocated for the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act, signed into law in 2016 and effective as of July 1, 2018. To implement the Equal Pay Act, Ms. Clark and the MCSW supported Just Ask! salary negotiation workshops and facilitator trainings, empowering women to ask for the salaries and benefits they deserve throughout their careers. She continues to speak locally and nationally on equal pay and is working on additional legislation to ensure the law meets its full potential.

Ms. Clark has also advocated for legislation that addresses the issues of women’s self-sufficiency and economic security, including ending gender discrimination in insurance policies with acts that provide equitable coverage in disability policies, guaranteeing family and medical leave, and allowing women running for office to use campaign funds to pay for childcare while working on their campaigns.

Celia J. Blue, CEO & President
Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition

Celia J. Blue is the Interim Director of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS). A cabinet level position reporting to Governor McKee, Interim Director Blue oversees approximately 1000 employees in multiple divisions, with a budget of over $800M, providing services to approximately 300,000 or 1/3 of Rhode Island’s population. She oversees many partnerships and collaborates with many federal and state stakeholders including the legislature and community organizations. Prior to being appointed as Interim Director, Blue served as a former Chief of Staff and Deputy Director at DHS for over four years. Blue was also DHS’ Chief Administrative Officer and the executive lead for human resources/personnel, information technology systems and support, performance analytics and continuous improvement as well as civil rights, diversity, equity and inclusion.

She is the former Registrar/CEO of Motor Vehicles for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is a seasoned executive leader with over 25 years of leadership experience in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Blue is the first African American in Massachusetts’ history to serve as the Registrar for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Prior to her roles in Rhode Island, Celia spent nine years in the transportation industry in Massachusetts and nationally gaining experience in multiple modes; aeronautics, rail and transit, highway and the registry of motor vehicles. First appointed as a commissioner for the former Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, she was later appointed as Assistant Secretary for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and then promoted to the position of Registrar/CEO of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles.

In 2015, Celia worked with 12 women of color from across Massachusetts and led the development and public launch of the Massachusetts Women of Color Coalition (MAWOCC) Inc., a volunteer-led organization. In her current role as President and CEO, she oversees the day-to-day operation, champions the organization and advocates its mission.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Worcester State University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Anna Maria College. She has received awards for her leadership and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and was recently named in the Power 50, Class of 2021 by Worcester Business Journal.

Blue sits on the boards of a number of civic, community organizations in Central and Eastern Massachusetts. She is the Chair of the Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School District Board of Trustees, Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Finance and Education Committee member and she is a board member of the Worcester Regional Research Bureau Board. She is also a board member of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy Advisory Board, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, University of Massachusetts, Boston and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials Advisory Board, Boston Chapter. In addition, Blue is a Corporator for Girls Inc. and the YMCA of Central MA.

Wendy Chun-Hoon, Director
Department of Labor Women’s Bureau

Wendy Chun-Hoon serves as the 20th director of the Women’s Bureau, appointed by President Biden on February 1, 2021. Wendy is skilled at coalition building, bridging strategy across grassroots community organizing, and public sector policy making at state and national levels. She has held senior positions in Maryland state government and private philanthropy, overseeing large-scale, results-driven initiatives for worker and family economic justice. For the past 10 years, Wendy’s led Family Values @ Work, a national network of grassroots coalitions that have won more than 60 new paid leave policies bringing new rights to 55 million workers and their loved ones and are organizing to win greater access to childcare, and fair wages and employment conditions for workers.

Recognizing the ways in which her own family would be excluded from new policies for paid time to care, Wendy spearheaded the development of the Family Justice Network, building cross-movement organizing among paid leave advocates, communities of color, groups working for reproductive and disability justice, equality for LGBTQ individuals, and organized labor that has made inclusive family recognition a hallmark of the paid leave movement. Under Wendy’s leadership, FV@W’s staff and board grew and are now majority women of color. She was also instrumental in bringing together dozens of organizations to form a coordinated national campaign known as Paid Leave for All.

Born and raised in Hawaii, Wendy graduated from Vassar College before earning master’s degrees in Philanthropic Studies and Nonprofit Management from Indiana University. An avid soccer player, Wendy lives with her wife and their two kids in Silver Spring, MD.

Sasha Goodfriend, President
Mass NOW

Sasha Goodfriend is a community organizer, curating feminist & queer experiences through partnerships with statewide government, community organizations & creatives alike. She works to advance this mission through her roles as President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Organization for Women (Mass NOW) as Chair of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, Board member with the Transgender Emergency Fund and Co-Founding Board Member of Trans Resistance. Sasha graduated with a B.A. from the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University majoring in International Relations with a minor in Women, Gender & Sexuality studies and received her Masters in Public Policy from Simmons University.