City of Champions Gala

Maura Healey is the 73rd Governor of Massachusetts, making history in 2022 as the first woman elected Governor in the state and the first openly lesbian Governor elected in the country. In just two years, she’s delivered major results for working families—cutting taxes for the first time in two decades, creating the most generous child tax credit in the nation, and signing the $5 billion Affordable Homes Act to tackle the housing crisis. She’s made community college free, expanded access to child care and maternal health, lowered health care costs, and invested billions in roads, bridges, and public transit.

A former two-term Attorney General and professional basketball player, Healey is a fierce advocate for justice, equity, and opportunity. She has safeguarded reproductive rights, driven investment in climate tech and biotech, and championed Massachusetts’ leadership in innovation. Raised in a working-class household, Healey brings deep empathy and purpose to her role—and continues to lead with vision, integrity, and results.

M.L. Carr launched his professional basketball career after graduating from Guilford College as an All American and NAIA Championship leader. He played in the ABA, NBA, and internationally—earning MVP honors with the Israel Sabras and All-Rookie honors with the Spirits of St. Louis. After joining the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, where he led the league in steals, Carr became one of the most sought-after free agents and signed with the Boston Celtics in 1979. He played through 1985, winning two NBA Championships and earning a place in Celtics history with his iconic steal and dunk in the 1984 Finals. He later served as Director of Basketball Operations, Head Coach, and Director of Corporate Development for the Celtics, and became a minority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats in 2004.
Beyond the court, Carr launched M.L. Enterprises, served as a spokesperson for major brands, and is now partner at New Technology Ventures.

A committed philanthropist, he founded the M.L. Carr Scholarship Fund and the John Henry Carr Alzheimer’s and Aging Foundation, earning numerous honors for his community work. He has served on several corporate and nonprofit boards, and is the author of three books. Carr and his wife Sylvia live in Boston and are proud parents and grandparents.

Ray Flynn was an All-American college basketball player at Providence College. Selected as the “MVP” in the 1963 NIT, he had a brief stint with the Boston Celtics. Before entering politics, he worked with young people. Flynn served in the Mass House from 1971 to 1979 and on the Boston City Council from 1978 to 1983. Elected mayor of Boston in 1983, serving until 1993, he addressed neglected neighborhoods, built thousands of units of affordable housing, parks, playgrounds, and a new Boston City Hospital. He prioritized ending the racial conflicts he inherited and providing economic opportunities for poor and working-class families in the city.

President Bill Clinton appointed Flynn as Ambassador to the Holy See (Vatican), a position he held from 1993 to 1997. Flynn has dedicated his life to helping children with special needs, volunteering at a Providence orphanage during college, and leading the state’s enactment of Chapter 766. He created the city’s first playground for children with disabilities at Columbus Park, along with five other similar playgrounds.

A recent book, The Battle for Boston: How Mayor Ray Flynn and Community Organizers Fought Racism and Downtown Power Brokers, by Don Gillis, many of his important social and economic justice initiatives. Flynn and his wife, Cathy, have six children and seventeen grandchildren.

National Grid is a leading energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people across the Northeast United States and the United Kingdom. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in London, with U.S. operations based in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company employs over 29,000 people globally—including more than 17,000 in the U.S.—and plays a critical role in delivering reliable electricity and natural gas to homes and businesses

National Grid is also a driver of workforce innovation. In partnership with CWS, the company helped launch the Energy Infrastructure Academy (EIA), an intensive, 8-week, 200-hour registered pre-apprenticeship program designed to prepare work-ready adults for careers in the energy sector. The program combines job readiness training with certifications in gas and electrical safety, OSHA-30, hands-on instruction, and on-site learning experiences.

Graduates of the EIA are equipped to pursue entry- and mid-level union roles at National Grid, creating access to stable, high-wage career paths in a growing industry. The initiative reflects a long-standing commitment to inclusive hiring and economic opportunity in the energy infrastructure space.