MassINC is proud to announce the establishment of the Greg Bialecki Leadership Seminar in honor of Greg Bialecki, the highly accomplished Secretary of Housing and Economic Development who served in that role from 2009 to 2014. The Seminar will be housed within the MassINC Policy Center’s Gateway Cities Innovation Institute, which works to unlock the economic potential of small- to mid-size regional cities. As Secretary, Greg worked closely with MassINC and Gateway City leaders to build the policy infrastructure that still supports those who work and live in these communities. Greg passed away in 2024, and this seminar will honor his legacy by advancing the work he championed throughout his career in the public and private sectors.
About Greg Bialecki
Greg Bialecki built a distinguished career focused on fostering economic growth and inclusive opportunities across Massachusetts. Before entering public service, he was a real estate and environmental attorney, where he worked on complex development projects that balanced economic potential with community and environmental concerns. As Secretary of Housing and Economic Development under Governor Deval Patrick, Greg played a pivotal role in driving statewide initiatives that promoted innovation, job creation, and inclusive economic prosperity. He was a strong advocate for Gateway Cities, supporting strategic investments in infrastructure, housing, economic, and workforce development. Signature accomplishments include: MassWorks, the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP), 43D Growth Districts, adoption of statewide housing goals, and regional planning efforts including the South Coast Rail Regional Plan.
He also helped to build a strong infrastructure to support local entrepreneurs, strengthen the state’s housing system, and create the Mass Life Sciences Center. After his time in government, Greg continued to advance economic and social progress through leadership roles in the nonprofit and private sectors, with a focus on equitable growth, regional development, and innovation policy. His career reflects a deep commitment to building a more prosperous Massachusetts.
About the Leadership Seminar
Greg believed deeply that progress in Gateway Cities required bold and innovative leadership, public-private partnership, and good governance. The Bialecki Leadership Seminar will help cultivate these qualities among Gateway City leaders at the highest level, including mayors, city managers, department heads, major employers, small business owners, real estate developers, and executives from anchor institutions and local nonprofits.
Core goals of the Bialecki Leadership Seminar:
- Creating opportunities for mayors and city managers to engage meaningfully and replicate successful local strategies and collectively tackle emerging challenges.
- Fostering productive dialogue among public and private leaders so that Gateway Cities can compete more successfully to grow jobs, residents, and economic potential.
- Helping Gateway City leaders, especially new officials, learn about state policy matters, connect with their peers, and elevate their collaboration and leadership skills.
The full scale of this effort will be a function of resources and further conversation with Gateway City leaders as well as Greg’s family and friends. Resources permitting, the Bialecki Leadership Seminar could also support:
- Convening mayors and city managers regularly to engage in shared learning and peer-to-peer support.
- Assembling a network of Gateway City real estate developers to build capacity for smart, inclusive development.
- Hosting “learning journeys” or site visits to Gateway Cities to foster shared learning and collaboration.
- Providing orientation and support to new municipal executives to promote collaborative leadership and good governance.
- Creating opportunities for private sector leaders to dialogue with municipal leaders to foster shared understanding and seed public-private partnerships.
- Connecting Gateway City leaders with experts on a wide range of topics so they can learn best practices and new strategies for tackling long-standing challenges.
- Engaging Gateway City leaders to collaboratively design research projects and programming that respond to those needs.
Get Involved
A group of Greg’s friends and colleagues who want to ensure that his legacy is reinforced and remembered are working together to build the Seminar. We invite you to reach out with your ideas on how we can make this project as successful as possible. For more information, contact Joe Kriesberg at jkriesberg@massinc.org.
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Support the Greg Bialecki Leadership Seminar
By supporting the Greg Bialecki Leadership Seminar, you help carry forward Greg’s commitment to opportunity, service, and community leadership. All contributions will be restricted to support the Greg Bialecki Leadership Seminar. Together, we can keep Greg’s vision alive and growing.