About the Torres Senior Fellows Program

Building on our record of research, convening, and coalition-building, MassINC is establishing the Greg Torres Senior Fellows Program to broaden our capacity, impact, and network across key issues facing Massachusetts. Torres Senior Fellows will be a group of diverse professionals who partner with MassINC for a two-year period to explore a variety of research, policy leadership, and convening opportunities. Named after MassINC’s former CEO and board chair, Greg Torres, the program honors his penchant to elevate innovative and urgent ideas and promote talented leaders committed to improving the Commonwealth.  

  

The program’s purpose is to serve as:  

• A laboratory for research and development, exploring and testing new policy and program ideas. 
• A home for a diverse cohort of community leaders across the state seeking to engage with new audiences, advance civic discourse, and gain new skills and perspectives. 
• An opportunity to deepen MassINC’s ability to take on big issues facing our state by broadening our network of thought leaders. 

  

Torres Senior Fellows will customize their goals and workplan to meet MassINC’s organizational needs and their professional interests. Torres Senior Fellows will engage in a wide range of activities, including: convening working groups to tackle complex challenges, organizing events and conferences, writing articles and reports, guiding ongoing MassINC research, facilitating introductions and partnerships, and collaborating with MassINC staff and interns. 

Meet the Fellows

Dina has been instrumental in designing City of Homes, a pilot project based in Springfield that repurposes distressed residential properties for affordable first-time home ownership. As a Greg Torres Senior Fellow, she will scale the City of Homes model to other Gateway Cities by developing a set of best practices, engaging housing courts, municipal governments, and nonprofit partner to assist jurisdictions in operationalizing their own projects. Her work will also be informed by a UMass Donahue Institute evaluation of the City of Homes pilot. 

  

Charlotte brings a rich history of facilitating community conversations, most recently through a series of forums in partnership with GBH. As a Greg Torres Senior Fellow, she will organize a series of public convenings highlighting diverse voices and viewpoints to improve equitable community outcomes for all. Topics may include maternal health, strides in small business and local government, developing a new generation of local leaders, and how media shapes our collective narratives.  

  

Pema’s career in education has ranged from the classroom to district administration, reform advocacy, and beyond. In 2016, she founded Teach Western Mass to provide a holistic approach to teacher training and promote educational equity in the Western Massachusetts region, with a particular focus on educator diversity. As a Greg Torres Senior Fellow, Pema will conduct a case study on the story and success of Teach Western Mass and explore how to replicate the model statewide, sharing best practices for establishing Educator Preparation Providers (EPP) in other regions. 

  

Mary has tirelessly advocated for equity in Massachusetts’ clean energy transition. She has brought attention to the disparities in energy costs for consumers and the immense economic potential that the clean energy transition holds, particularly regarding job creation and the involvement of BIPOC and disadvantaged businesses. With state emissions reduction targets in place, Mary’s focus is on ensuring energy affordability for the most vulnerable communities in the state. As a Greg Torres Senior Fellow, Mary will work to enhance access to residential energy efficiency programs through advocacy and pursuing policies that prioritize disenfranchised communities. Her advocacy will also extend to promoting rate structures that safeguard low-income residents as communities transition to electrifying homes. 

  

Leverett’s leadership at Commonwealth Seminar has shaped legions of civic leaders by demystifying the processes behind state government and building an alumni network of nearly 2,000 graduates to engage stakeholders and influence decision-makers statewide. Through a series of seminars with on-the-ground practitioners, Seminar participants learn the mechanics of legislation, administration, advocacy, media and public relations, and more. As a Greg Torres Senior Fellow, Leverett will launch a pilot of Commonwealth Seminar at the municipal level, with a particular focus on Gateway Cities.