Eastern Bank Corporation Announces New Trustees and Corporators To Its Board
Business and Community Leaders Further Expand Eastern’s Reach In The Communities It Serves
Business and Community Leaders Further Expand Eastern’s Reach In The Communities It Serves
BOSTON, July 24, 2018 – Following its 2018 Annual Meeting, Eastern Bank, America’s oldest and largest mutual bank, is pleased to announce the election of six business and community leaders to its governing body. The newly elected Trustees are:
- Steven Joncas, Principal, Joncas Associates,
- Michele “Mitzi” Lawlor, President & CEO, The D’Alelio Management Company, and
- Rebecca A. Lee, Chair, Real Estate Development Practice, Mintz Levin.
The newly elected Corporators are:
- Herby Duverné, Principal and CEO, Windwalker Group, LLC,
- Malia Lazu, Founder of The Urban Labs, and
- Jody Rose, President, New England Venture Capital Association.
“As a mutual bank, providing fairly priced financial services to organizations and people in our market area has been a guiding purpose since our founding 200 years ago,” said Bob Rivers, Chair and CEO of Eastern Bank. “Aligning community challenges and interests to Eastern’s core banking products and philanthropic and advocacy efforts has long been our approach—one we think is both ‘right’ and ‘smart’—and we are so pleased to welcome Steve, Mitzi, Rebecca, Herby, Malia, and Jody to our Board. They are thoughtful leaders, and we look forward to their insights in areas that include real estate and economic development, community lending, support of minority-owned businesses, innovation and start-ups, and the advancement of women and diverse communities.”Eastern Bank Corporation, the holding company of Eastern Bank, is governed by a group of individuals, known as the Board of Trustees, who act in the best interests of the Corporation. Their duties and responsibilities are specified by state law and the Bylaws of the Corporation, and have been delegated to the Board of Trustees Executive Committee, whose members are also the Board of Directors of Eastern Bank. Members of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors are also Corporators of Eastern Bank Corporation. Eastern’s Corporators represent the many communities served by the Bank.
Background on the new Trustees:
Steven Joncas, Principal of Joncas Associates, is an influential business and community leader in Lowell where he serves as a real estate development consultant and has extensive private and public-sector experience. Steve focuses on housing and commercial development, often utilizing state and federal tax programs, and specializes in multiple source private and public real estate finance, land development, military base reuse, historic preservation, and reuse of existing buildings. Previously, Steve was a Managing Director at MassDevelopment, Chief of Staff for Congressman Meehan, and District Director for Congressman Paul Tsongas, later becoming State Manager and Director of Economic Development when Mr. Tsongas was elected to the U.S. Senate. Steve is the former president and current board member of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, a past president of the Circle Home board, a member of the Lowell Plan/Lowell Development and Financial Corporation boards, a Trustee of the Lowell Folk Festival Foundation, and a Corporator of Lowell General Hospital.
Background on the new Trustees:
Steven Joncas, Principal of Joncas Associates, is an influential business and community leader in Lowell where he serves as a real estate development consultant and has extensive private and public-sector experience. Steve focuses on housing and commercial development, often utilizing state and federal tax programs, and specializes in multiple source private and public real estate finance, land development, military base reuse, historic preservation, and reuse of existing buildings. Previously, Steve was a Managing Director at MassDevelopment, Chief of Staff for Congressman Meehan, and District Director for Congressman Paul Tsongas, later becoming State Manager and Director of Economic Development when Mr. Tsongas was elected to the U.S. Senate. Steve is the former president and current board member of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, a past president of the Circle Home board, a member of the Lowell Plan/Lowell Development and Financial Corporation boards, a Trustee of the Lowell Folk Festival Foundation, and a Corporator of Lowell General Hospital.
Michele “Mitzi” Lawlor, President & CEO of The D’Alelio Management Company, has worked at her family’s Dunkin’ Donuts business since the age of 16. Today, she and her siblings own and operate 19 Dunkin’ Donuts locations throughout greater Boston. Under her guidance, the company grew from one location with 15 employees to 19 locations with more than 300 employees. She has led many volunteer efforts throughout Greater Boston. She is a Trustee of The Governor’s Academy as well as Bellesini Academy, an independent, tuition-free middle school in Lawrence, and supports organizations such as The Joyal Capital Management $100 for 100, The Jimmy Fund, Boston Children’s Hospital, and The Ron Burton Training Village. In 2007, she started The Helen D’Alelio Family Foundation in honor of her late mother and mentor. In 2016, Mitzi was named an Outstanding Women of Family Business by The Warren Group, which honors female family business professionals with outstanding leadership and commitment to their businesses and communities. The D’Alelio Management Company has also received the Medford Chamber of Commerce Executive Director’s Award, a Business of the Year honor.
Rebecca Lee, Chair of the Real Estate Development Practice at Mintz Levin, represents developers, lenders, nonprofit organizations, and other parties in real estate matters related to financing, leasing, site acquisitions and assemblages, and related tax incentive transactions. Rebecca has extensive experience relating to land use and development permitting in the Greater Boston area. She previously served as Chief of Staff/Special Counsel to the Director at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (now known as the Boston Planning & Development Agency) where she was responsible for policy development and representation of the agency in financing transactions, among other areas. She is involved with many community organizations, including Ricesticks and Tea Asian Food Pantry, A Better City, WGBH, Boston Harbor Now, Asian Community Development Corporation, and CREW Boston. She is the former President of Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, and the former Northeast Regional Governor of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She has also been named to GK100 2018: Boston’s 100 Most Influential People of Color by Get Konnected!
Rebecca Lee, Chair of the Real Estate Development Practice at Mintz Levin, represents developers, lenders, nonprofit organizations, and other parties in real estate matters related to financing, leasing, site acquisitions and assemblages, and related tax incentive transactions. Rebecca has extensive experience relating to land use and development permitting in the Greater Boston area. She previously served as Chief of Staff/Special Counsel to the Director at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (now known as the Boston Planning & Development Agency) where she was responsible for policy development and representation of the agency in financing transactions, among other areas. She is involved with many community organizations, including Ricesticks and Tea Asian Food Pantry, A Better City, WGBH, Boston Harbor Now, Asian Community Development Corporation, and CREW Boston. She is the former President of Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, and the former Northeast Regional Governor of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. She has also been named to GK100 2018: Boston’s 100 Most Influential People of Color by Get Konnected!
Background on the new Corporators:
Herby Duverné, Principal and CEO of Windwalker Group LLC, leads the company’s internal and external branding, sales, and commitment to superior client service. Windwalker is an award-winning 8(a) small business offering physical and cybersecurity solutions. From 2012 to 2017, Herby grew Windwalker’s workforce more than ten-fold. In addition, Windwalker is one of the first participating enterprises in the Business Equity Initiative launched in 2017 by the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. In 2017, Windwalker was recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. magazine. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Herby was Director of Emergency Management and Deputy Director of Aviation Security at Massport, and served as Regional Security Manager at State Street Corporation. Herby serves on the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Board and the Governor’s Office Task Force on Refugees and Immigrants, and as Board President of the Boston Foundation’s Haiti Development Institute.
Malia Lazu, Founder of The Urban Labs, has mentored more than 100 entrepreneurs in the fields of food, fashion and design, and helps businesses better understand the nuances of diversity. At The Urban Labs, she helps businesses integrate culture and diversity into strategy, leadership and corporate culture. She has also led a start-up accelerator encouraging entrepreneurs in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan to launch businesses. Previously, she was Executive Director of Future Boston Alliance and an Adjunct Professor at Emerson College. Earlier in her career, she spent more than 20 years establishing grass roots involvement in political advocacy and civic engagement. She worked for cultural icon and civil rights legend Harry Belafonte as Executive Director of The Gathering for Justice, a national movement to generate an environment of hope and opportunity. An author, speaker and advocate for economic justice, Malia has been named an “Activist of the Year” by MTV and one of “50 Black Women Founders To Watch” by Essence Magazine. She is a member of The NationMagazine Editorial Board, the Boston Society of Architects Board and the Black Economic Council of MA Board.
Jody Rose, President of the New England Venture Capital Association, works in partnership with the venture and start-up communities on initiatives that position New England as the best region in the world for entrepreneurs and investors. Most recently, she co-founded Hack.Diversity, a program that tackles the underrepresentation of Blacks and Latinos in Boston’s innovation economy, and was named to The 100 Most Influential People list in 2018 by Boston Magazine. Jody has held executive-level roles with enterprise corporations and start-ups in mobile, eCommerce and digital media. She began her career in cable and telecommunications and quickly rose through the ranks at MTV Networks, The Food Network, and HGTV. Jody’s experience also includes numerous board positions in the telecommunications and media industries. She serves on the board of My Sister’s Keeper, an organization focused on educating and financially empowering women in South Sudan, and is a member of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum and The Boston Foundation’s Innovation Economy Leadership Council. In 2017, she received the Ad Club’s Rosoff Award for visionary empowerment of diversity and in 2016, she was named to The Boston Business Journal’s Power 50: The Game Changers.
Herby Duverné, Principal and CEO of Windwalker Group LLC, leads the company’s internal and external branding, sales, and commitment to superior client service. Windwalker is an award-winning 8(a) small business offering physical and cybersecurity solutions. From 2012 to 2017, Herby grew Windwalker’s workforce more than ten-fold. In addition, Windwalker is one of the first participating enterprises in the Business Equity Initiative launched in 2017 by the Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation. In 2017, Windwalker was recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America by Inc. magazine. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Herby was Director of Emergency Management and Deputy Director of Aviation Security at Massport, and served as Regional Security Manager at State Street Corporation. Herby serves on the Massachusetts Children’s Trust Board and the Governor’s Office Task Force on Refugees and Immigrants, and as Board President of the Boston Foundation’s Haiti Development Institute.
Malia Lazu, Founder of The Urban Labs, has mentored more than 100 entrepreneurs in the fields of food, fashion and design, and helps businesses better understand the nuances of diversity. At The Urban Labs, she helps businesses integrate culture and diversity into strategy, leadership and corporate culture. She has also led a start-up accelerator encouraging entrepreneurs in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan to launch businesses. Previously, she was Executive Director of Future Boston Alliance and an Adjunct Professor at Emerson College. Earlier in her career, she spent more than 20 years establishing grass roots involvement in political advocacy and civic engagement. She worked for cultural icon and civil rights legend Harry Belafonte as Executive Director of The Gathering for Justice, a national movement to generate an environment of hope and opportunity. An author, speaker and advocate for economic justice, Malia has been named an “Activist of the Year” by MTV and one of “50 Black Women Founders To Watch” by Essence Magazine. She is a member of The NationMagazine Editorial Board, the Boston Society of Architects Board and the Black Economic Council of MA Board.
Jody Rose, President of the New England Venture Capital Association, works in partnership with the venture and start-up communities on initiatives that position New England as the best region in the world for entrepreneurs and investors. Most recently, she co-founded Hack.Diversity, a program that tackles the underrepresentation of Blacks and Latinos in Boston’s innovation economy, and was named to The 100 Most Influential People list in 2018 by Boston Magazine. Jody has held executive-level roles with enterprise corporations and start-ups in mobile, eCommerce and digital media. She began her career in cable and telecommunications and quickly rose through the ranks at MTV Networks, The Food Network, and HGTV. Jody’s experience also includes numerous board positions in the telecommunications and media industries. She serves on the board of My Sister’s Keeper, an organization focused on educating and financially empowering women in South Sudan, and is a member of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum and The Boston Foundation’s Innovation Economy Leadership Council. In 2017, she received the Ad Club’s Rosoff Award for visionary empowerment of diversity and in 2016, she was named to The Boston Business Journal’s Power 50: The Game Changers.
