Message from Roundtable Staff

It is hard to believe we are already halfway through 2023! This quarter the Roundtable team has been busy holding meetings and events with members of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, members the Legislature, and advocating for a policy agenda focused on talent and competitiveness.

As summarized in our 2023 Mid-Year Highlights released in June, it has been a period of change for the Roundtable team. At the same time, our newly adopted strategic plan presents an opportunity to do more of what the Roundtable does well and strategically grow and engage partners and members in new and exciting ways. Through it all, one thing remains clear, the need for the business community to collaborate with policymakers in addressing many of the biggest issues impacting the Commonwealth, has never been more important.

We hope everyone has a wonderful summer and look forward to our work together throughout the rest of 2023!

Best,

JD and Tonja

Quarterly Policy Roundup

During a June Quarterly Board of Directors Meeting, the Roundtable shared its 2023 Mid-Year Highlights, promoting the progress and updates on our public policy priorities and other key initiatives over the course of the first six months of 2023.

Key highlights included:

• Submitting testimony supporting investments in early childhood education, workforce development, housing, targeted tax relief, and more.
• Releasing the 2023 Talent and Competitiveness Survey Results
• Leadership and Engagement with the Economic Development Planning Council
• Blog posts on the Future of Energy, Growing MA’s Labor Market, and Why Health Equity Matters

There have been many highlights in 2023 and it has been so great to see Roundtable members in person! Read the 2023 Mid-Year Highlights.

Talent and Competitiveness Roundup

Massachusetts Can Win in the New World of Work

Building on the Future of Work Surveys in 2021 and 2022, the Roundtable, in collaboration with McKinsey & Co., surveyed and interviewed members in April and May of 2023 to gain the latest insight on talent and economic competitiveness issues.

Media coverage included: The Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal, plus an OpEd by JD Chesloff in Commonwealth Magazine.

The survey highlights four key priorities for employers and the state:

• Invest in talent—the core of Massachusetts’ competitiveness: For 69% of survey respondents, their ability to attract and retain diverse and world-class talent in Massachusetts is the key factor influencing their decision to stay in the state over the next 1–2 years.
• Align skills training with employer needs: The skills selected as “most critical” by respondents were problem solving, creativity, critical thinking, team management, and interpersonal and emotional skills. On the other hand, less than 40% of respondents selected technical, software, or functional expertise as the most critical skills for their sectors.
• Promote policies to attract and retain employers and employees to the state: About 79% of respondents are concerned about inflation and a recession over the next 1–2 years, while 76% of those expect these to hurt their profits and 52% to impact their talent pipeline.
• Keep experimenting with the new world of work: The vast majority of respondents, 96%, allow some form of hybrid work, with only 4% requiring full in-person presence. With these changes, 47% of respondents plan to reduce their overall real estate footprint here, an acceleration compared to 36% in 2022.

Quarterly Board of Directors Meeting

Secretary Hao Discusses Strategies to Advance Commonwealth’s Economic Strengths 

On June 21, the Roundtable hosted a quarterly meeting of the Board of Directors. Secretary of Economic Development, Yvonne Hao engaged members in a discussion around policy recommendations and ideas as the Healey-Driscoll Administration undertakes a process to create an economic development plan for the Commonwealth. It was an opportunity for the Administration to hear directly from Roundtable members on issues impacting the state’s competitiveness and how best to capitalize on our strengths to move the Commonwealth forward. We conducted live pulse polling on a number of questions and members provided meaningful feedback on issues such as workforce development, retaining and attracting businesses, and making the Commonwealth more affordable to residents.

Welcome to the Roundtable

Max Bergeron

Manager of Stakeholder Relations

Enbridge

Brent Chrite

President

Bentley University

The Roundtable is thrilled to be hosting two policy fellows this summer. Please join us in welcoming Christian Rodas, Doctoral Candidate, UMass Lowell Global Studies Program and Rebecca Yemo, Doctoral Candidate, UMass Boston Global Governance and Human Security Program. Christian is a Civic Action Program (CAP) Summer Fellow and Rebecca was a CAP Summer Fellow in 2021 and is returning this summer as a Policy and Operations Fellow.

Christian Rodas

Rebecca Yemo

The Roundtable mourns the passing of Bob Popeo, a long time Roundtable member and pillar of the business community. Bob had a legendary career and was a trusted advisor, esteemed mentor, and dedicated supporter of the Roundtable. His impact will be his legacy. We pass along our thoughts and prayers to the Popeo family and the Mintz family. Bob will be sorely missed. May his memory be a blessing.

Going Around the Table

Sharing a few highlights from member companies!

UMass Boston Chancellor Reacts to Supreme Court Decision: Roundtable member Chancellor Suarez-Orozco of UMass Boston authored an OpEd in The Messenger entitled: How To Boost the Pipeline of Diverse Students in the Anti-Affirmative Action Era. In the Op-Ed, Chancellor Suarez-Orozco states: "Because opportunities to learn are differentially distributed by race, and ethnicity and class all start in the early years, we need to significantly increase the role of higher education in K-12 schooling in constructing a muscular pipeline of diverse students who are ready to thrive in higher education. The good news is we know how to do this." Read the entire OpEd in The Messenger.

Comcast Partners to Expand Broadband Adoption: Congratulations to Roundtable member company Comcast who is partnering with the Massachusetts Broadband Institute to provide $525,000 to Lead For America’s American Connection Corps (ACC) to build institutional knowledge on expanding broadband awareness and digital adoption across the Commonwealth. Corps members will support a range of broadband adoption activities, including the implementation of digital skills training for economic mobility, building awareness, and assisting individuals with enrollment into the Federal Government’s Affordable Connectivity Program. Read more.

MITRE awarded $2M for BlueTech OCEAN Project: Last month, Roundtable member organization MITRE received a $2M grant from Massachusetts Technology Collaborative for the BlueTech OCEAN project. This grant will help MITRE fund and outfit a state-of-the-art BlueTech Lab on its Bedford campus, create a national marine data network, and establish new workforce programs to promote blue economy career opportunities. You can read more here.

Expanding the Table

Roundtable member companies promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace

Addressing the Labor Shortage in Massachusetts: The Roundtable was thrilled to join The Harvard Project on Workforce, Eastern Bank Foundation and SkillWorks for a virtual on convening on “Addressing the Labor Shortage in Massachusetts: Tapping Hidden Talent.” With historically tight labor markets threatening businesses and the economy, and in the midst of stubborn opportunity gaps and continued racial and economic inequities, demographic and social trends strongly suggest that the acutely tight labor market is here to stay and that one of the few solutions is tapping the “hidden workforce.” The event was consistent with the Roundtable’s Talent Agenda focus on both developing untapped talent and creating diverse talent pipelines. View the recap and recording of the event here.

Advancing Health Equity in the Commonwealth: The Health Equity Compact convened its first Health Equity Trends Summit at UMass Boston on June 13. More than 700 individuals in the private and public sector convened virtually and in-person for a discussion on roadblocks and resolutions to address health inequity; the economic case for Massachusetts health equity reform; the power of business leaders to advance health equity; health equity in state government; and strategies for sustaining the health equity movement. The summit was an insightful opportunity that encouraged a thoughtful discussion of the state of health equity in the Commonwealth and featured the release of a new report by the Compact and Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation - The Time is Now: The $5.9B Case for Massachusetts Health Equity Reform. Read more details about the summit in a recently published blog post by Roundtable Policy and Operations Fellow Rebecca Yemo.

Roundtable Receives 2023 NAACP Boston Freedom Fund Award: The NAACP held its first post-pandemic Freedom Fund award ceremony on June 26 at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. The theme for the event was “Democracy Under Attack: The Fight Against Regressive Policy” and in line with this, several leaders and businesses making strides in advancing equity and racial justice were honored. The Roundtable received a Corporate Leadership Award and was recognized for its policy and legislative work. Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP Boston President, shared how the Roundtable has proven to be a partner in advancing equity. Roundtable member company, Fidelity Investments, also received a Corporate Leadership award for its $250 million Invest in My Education initiative.

Upcoming Opportunities & Events

The Partnership’s Next Generation Executive Program: Registration is open for The Partnership’s Next Generation Executive program, a nationally recognized leadership development program for executives of color with 10+ years of experience. The program equips leaders with a toolkit and network to reach the top tier of their industries through personalized assessments, executive coaching, faculty-led curriculum, and a network of peers. The Class of 2024 begins in October and registration is open now through September 25, 2023. The Roundtable has been a long-time supporter of The Partnership and former Roundtable staff member Claire Cooper recently joined The Partnership as Vice President of Business Development. Interested individuals as well as HR and Diversity & Inclusion leaders seeking professional development opportunities for executives of color are invited to email Claire Cooper or view the website to learn more about the program and other opportunities to advance professionals of color.

Apprenticeship as a Hiring Strategy: Has your company thought about an apprenticeship model as a strategy to meet your hiring needs? Would your company like to explore apprenticeship as a way to build a strong talent pipeline? Looking to scale your apprenticeship program? Or simply, want to learn what apprenticeship is? The Roundtable in collaboration with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Accenture invites you to join the Massachusetts Apprentice Network, a network of employers, training providers, talent sources, and more focused on leveraging apprenticeship to hire untapped talent. Want to learn more? Email Roundtable EVP, Tonja Mettlach.

Annual Jobs and Workforce Summit: The Roundtable is pleased to join the Workforce Solutions Group for the 14th Annual MA Jobs & Workforce Summit on Thursday, October 26. Save the date and more details including speakers will be announced soon.