MassHire Awards 2025
Know someone who goes above and beyond? Help us recognize their impact.
Nominations are now open for the 2025 MassHire Awards! These awards honor the incredible contributions of workforce system staff, partners, and participants who are making a difference across Massachusetts. Award winners will be honored at the Massachusetts State House on November 19, 2025.
State Workforce Board committees and open meetings
The Performance and Accountability Subcommittee develops and oversees strategies to enhance the workforce system’s capacity to support MassHire’s mission, vision, and values. It develops and reviews model program metrics and impact reporting standards.
The MassHire Recognition Subcommittee works to highlight and promote workforce best practices and success stories. The Subcommittee is currently engaged in developing the 2025 MassHire Awards taking place in November 2025.
Committee meetings are open to the public. Visit the Open Meetings page for more information on past meetings, and future committee meeting dates, times, and locations.
Resources
WIOA requires workforce planning at the state, regional, and local levels to foster partnerships that address the workforce needs across the state. Access regional workforce blueprints below.
Membership
| Name | Title | Organization | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherry Dong | Director, Community Health Improvement Programs | Tufts Medical Center | Governor Appointed |
| Lauren Jones | Secretary | Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development | Title I and III Representative |
| Robert LePage | Assistant Secretary for Career Education | Executive Office of Education | Title II Representative |
| Patrica Yu | Executive Office of Health and Human Services | Title IV Representative | |
| Emily MacCormack | Deputy Chief of Staff | Executive Office of Economic Development | Other Representative |
| Tina Wolf | Commissioner | MassAbility | Other Representative |
| Jennifer Almeida | Director of Education | Massachusetts Restaurant Association | Business and Industry |
| Nancy Luc | Deputy Executive Director | Building Pathways | Business and Industry |
| Maddrey Goode | Executive Director | New England Culinary Arts Training | Business and Industry |
| Megan Driscoll | Founder and CEO of Megan Driscoll Consulting | Wage Equity Now Coalition | Business and Industry |
| Rainer Gawlick | Progress Software | Business and Industry | |
| Randall Lyons | Executive Director | Massachusetts Marine Trades Association | Business and Industry |
| Tonja Mettlach | Executive Vice President | Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) | Business and Industry |
| Joanne Pokaski (Chair) | AVP, Workforce Planning and Development | Beth Israel Lahey Health | Business and Industry |
| Radhames Nova | President and CEO | Junior Achievement of Greater Boston | Business and Industry |
| Representative Kip Diggs | Representative, Second Barnstable District | Massachusetts House of Representatives | Legislature |
| Senator Jake Oliviera | Senator, Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester | Massachusetts Senate | Legislature |
| Chrissy Lynch | President | Massachusetts AFL-CIO | Labor |
| John G. Mann | President | NAGE, Local 292 | Labor |
| Elizabeth Skidmore | Business Representative/Organizer | North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters | Apprenticeship |
| Maria Ferreira-Bedard | Executive Director | Southeastern Mass SER-Jobs for Progress | Community-based Organization |
| Dr. Pam Eddinger | President | Bunker Hill Community College | Community-based Organization |
| Paul Coogan | Mayor | City of Fall River | Chief Elected Official |
| Joshua Garcia | Mayor | City of Holyoke | Chief Elected Official |
| Anna Yu | Executive Director | Artists for Humanity | Business and Industry |
| Derek Costa | Superintendent | Bristol County Agricultural High School | Community-based Organization |
| Kelly Aiken | Director of Workforce Development | UMass Memorial Health | Business and Industry |
| Liseth Velez | Founder and CEO | LJV Development | Business and Industry |