Governor Healey Announces DRIVE Acceleration Team Members to Advance Research and Discovery in Massachusetts

Governor Healey Announces DRIVE Acceleration Team Members to Advance Research and Discovery in Massachusetts 

BOSTON – Today, Governor Maura Healey announced members of her new DRIVE Acceleration Team to advance research and discovery in Massachusetts. Governor Healey signed an Executive Order on August 1 creating this team as part of her Discovery, Research, Innovation for a Vibrant Economy, DRIVE Initiative, which aims to grow Massachusetts’s world-renowned research and innovation economy and create thousands of new jobs.  

The Acceleration Team is charged with exploring new methods and strategies to strengthen Massachusetts’ research and innovation ecosystem, which employs tens of thousands of people in education, health care, life sciences and advanced manufacturing, while also sustaining jobs in construction, food services, retail, transportation and more. The group will evaluate opportunities to bolster the sector, including proposing funding structures to finance research projects and developing public-private partnerships across industries to improve its resilience.  

“People around the world rely on the cures and scientific advancements that come from Massachusetts researchers,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Not only is our work critical to global health, but it is the economic lifeblood of our economy. The work of this group and my recently filed DRIVE legislation will allow Massachusetts to preserve jobs, strengthen our economy and continue to be a global leader in innovation.”  

“The research and innovation sector is a powerhouse for the Massachusetts economy. By bringing together this group of experts, we will ensure we pull out every stop to grow this critical ecosystem for years to come,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “I'm grateful to the DRIVE appointees for dedicating their time to this critical work.” 

The group is chaired by Governor Healey’s Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey, and includes leaders from the science research sector, higher education, labor, business groups and philanthropists.   

“The importance of the research and innovation sector to both the Massachusetts economy and global health cannot be overstated,” said Federal Funds and Infrastructure Director Quentin Palfrey. “Now is the time to think big about how to grow this sector, create more jobs, and strengthen our leadership globally, and I look forward to working with DRIVE members to carry out this critical work.” 

“Massachusetts’s research ecosystem is one of our most valuable assets as a state,” said Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. “By bringing together a range of experts with diverse perspectives, the DRIVE Acceleration Team has a tremendous opportunity to chart the course forward for Massachusetts’s nation-leading innovation sector.” 

As part of the DRIVE Initiative, Governor Healey has also filed legislation that proposes investing $400 million in state funds to leverage private and institutional resources to supercharge the sector and retain world-class talent. 

See the Governor’s appointees to DRIVE below. In addition to these members, there will be both Legislative and Administration appointees as listed in the Governor’s Executive Order here. 

• Dr. John Shaw, Vice Provost for Research, Harvard University 

• Dr. Sarah Fortune, Chair of the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  

• Dr. George Q. Daley, Dean, Harvard Medical School 

• Dr. Ian Waitz, Vice President of Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

• Dr. Akram Alshawabkeh, Interim Senior Vice Provost, Northeastern University  

• Dr. Gloria S. Waters, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Boston University  

• Dr. Bernard Arulanandum, Vice Provost for Research, Tufts University  

• Dr. Eric W. Dickson, President and CEO, UMass Memorial Health  

• Dr. Michael F. Collins, Chancellor, UMass Chan Medical School 

• Dr. Eric S. Lander, Founding Director, BROAD Institute 

• Leslie-Ann McGee, Chief Innovation Officer, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI)  

• Nate Mackinnon, Executive Director, Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges 

• Dr. Linda Thompson, President, Westfield State University 

• Danielle R. Holley, President, Mount Holyoke College 

• Dr. Jennifer Anne Hanselman, Associate Provost and Dean of Research, Clark University 

• Dr. Sarah Willie-LeBreton, President, Smith College 

• Dr. Bogdan Vernescu, Vice President and Vice Provost for Research, Worcester Polytechnic Institute 

• Dr. Paul Anderson, Chief Academic Officer, Mass General Brigham 

• Michelle Cox, Senior Vice President, Research Operations, Dana Farber Cancer Institute 

• Dr. Gyongyi Szabo, Chief Academic Office, Beth Israel Lahey Health  

• Irene Abrams, Vice President, Technology Development & New Ventures, Boston Children’s Hospital  

• Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, Director, BU Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Boston Medical Center  

• Steve Walsh, President and CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association  

• Dr. Andrew W. Artenstein, Chief Physician Executive and Chief Academic Officer, Baystate Health  

• Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, Advisory Board Chair, Strategic Counsel to ModeX Therapeutics 

• Brian Johnson, President, MassMEDIC  

• Kendalle Burlin O’Connell, President and CEO, MassBio  

• Oliver Dodd, COO and Co-Founder, Nucleate 

• Rob McCarron, President and CEO, AICUM 

• Jodie Morrison, CEO, Q32 Bio 

• Dr. Vanessa Bradford Kerry, Co-Founder and CEO, Seed Global Health 

• Julie Kim, President, US Business Unit, US Country Head and Interim Head of Global Portfolio Division, Takeda Pharmaceuticals  

• James E. Rooney, President and CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce  

• Brooke Thomson, President and CEO, Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM) 

• Doug Howgate, President, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation 

• JD Chesloff, President and CEO, Massachusetts Business Roundtable  

• Max Page, President, Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) 

• Chrissy Lynch, President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO 

• Frank Callahan, President, Massachusetts Building Trades Union (MBTU) 

• Jessica Tang, President, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Massachusetts 

• Zoe Carey, United Auto Workers  

• Rebecca Davis, COO, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership (MACP) 

• Dr. John Holdren, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School 

• Dr. Alondra Nelson, Professor, Institute of Advanced Study 

• Dr. Rafael Reif, President Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology  

• Kei Koizumi, former Special Assistant to the President for the Office of Science and Technology Policy 

• Cristin Dorgelo, Senior Fellow at Federation of American Scientists  

• Daniel Correa, CEO at Federation of American Scientists  

• Kumar Garg, President, Renaissance Philanthropy  

• Dr. David E. Golan, Dean for Research Initiatives and Global Programs, Harvard Medical School  

• Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Senior Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School  

• Dr. Nipam Patel, Director of the Marine Biological Laboratory and Professor at University of Chicago 

• Mark Nunnelly, Former Managing Director, Bain Capital 

• Jamie Goldstein, Founding/Managing Partner, Pillar VC  

• Tracy Palandjian, CEO and Co-Founder, Social Finance 

• Gerald Chertavian, Founder and Advisor, Year Up 

• Tom Kuo, Co-Founder and Managing Director, A-Street