Constructing the Future: Building Trades Report Release

Benjamin Forman is MassINC’s research director. He coordinates the development of the organization’s research agenda and oversees production of research reports. Ben has authored a number of MassINC publications and he speaks frequently to organizations and media across Massachusetts. With a background in urban revitalization and sustainable growth and development, he is uniquely suited to the organization’s focus on strong communities and economic security.

Prior to joining MassINC in 2008, Ben oversaw strategic planning for the District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation, a large agency providing critical services to youth and families in neighborhoods throughout the city. He also worked as a research assistant at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington, DC and Nathan Associates, a global economic development consulting firm.

As a graduate student, Ben was awarded a Rappaport Public Policy Fellowship and served in the City of New Bedford’s planning department. He also worked as a graduate research assistant on a multi-year longitudinal analysis measuring the impact of new information technologies on neighborhood social networks.

Ben graduated from Trinity College, Hartford in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. In 2004, he completed his master’s degree in city planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He lives in Boston with his wife Anne and two daughters, Eloise and Cecily.

With nearly two decades of specialized research experience in clean energy and workforce development analysis, Phil leads BW’s East Coast climate and energy practice, driving innovation and design thinking strategies. Renowned for his exceptional project management skills and analytical insight, Phil excels in communication, problem-solving, and guiding strategic initiatives with strong technical skills in survey research, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. At BW, Phil has played a pivotal role in transforming how businesses and governments address energy and workforce challenges. His creation of a groundbreaking methodology for tracking energy jobs in the U.S. and Canada has contributed significantly to understanding the economic benefits of the clean energy transition. His expertise in economic development and workforce gaps within innovation industries has driven industry-leading policy changes and implementation.

Phil has advised numerous notable international governments, including his work for the U.S. State Department, supporting allied nations in their clean energy transitions and industrial decarbonization efforts. His strategic counsel has supported nations on policy formulation aimed at fostering economic growth and optimizing workforce planning, and his leadership in policy development and supply chain analysis has made him a trusted voice in the global energy and innovation economy.

Driven by a passion for creating equitable opportunities for underrepresented communities, Phil is committed to using data-driven planning to ensure a fair and economically prosperous future for all people. Phil has developed replicable models for community benefit planning that ensure diverse perspectives are heard. His on-the-ground experience with domestic and international stakeholders has shaped his understanding of national and global contexts, making him an invaluable asset in the transition to a more sustainable and equitable economy.

Phil holds a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Resource Economics from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. with a focus in Environment and Land Law from Boston College. He is a LUMA-certified Human-Centered Design Practitioner and serves as a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.

Jennifer Applebaum is the Managing Director of Workforce Development at the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.  A former teacher and entrepreneur with a broad range of curriculum, training, and program innovation experience, Jennifer focuses on designing and scaling workforce development programs that address a range of barriers facing new entrants.  Prior to her work at the MassCEC, Jennifer led a statewide youth employment program centered on progressive skill-building and a curriculum-based career readiness initiative that reached over 100,000 participants across multiple states. Jennifer completed her undergraduate degree at Barnard College of Columbia University and holds a master’s degree in education from City College of CUNY.

Frank Callahan began his career in the labor movement with the Pioneer Valley Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO in 1990. He was appointed Legislative Director for the Massachusetts Building Trades Council, AFL-CIO in 1996, and elected President in 2007. He is a member of the International Union of Painters & Allied Trades Local 939. He is also Executive Vice-President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Delegate to the Greater Boston Central Labor Council, President of the Construction Institute, a member of the School Building Advisory Board of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, a member of the Board of Directors of the Friends For Children and serves on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Labor Advisory Committee.

Mark Erlich is a Wertheim Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Center for Labor & a Just Economy. He retired as Executive Secretary-Treasurer (EST) of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, a 20,000 member organization, in March 2017. A member of Carpenters Local 40 since 1975, he worked at the craft as an apprentice, journeyman, foreman, and superintendent. While EST, Erlich chaired the New England Carpenters Benefits Funds and the New England Carpenters Training Fund. He was a Vice-President of the Mass AFL-CIO and Mass Building Trades. He served as a member on the Boston Zoning Board of Appeals and the Federal Reserve Advisory Council.

In addition to his career in the trades and the labor movement, Erlich has written and lectured extensively on labor issues. He is the author of three books, With Our Hands: The Story of Carpenters in Massachusetts (1986) and Labor at the Ballot Box (1990), both published by Temple University Press, and The Way We Build (2023) published by the University of Illinois Press. He has written dozens of essays, articles, and op-eds on contemporary union issues and labor history in academic publications and popular journals and newspapers.

Kristen Gowin is the Executive Manager for the Boston Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), one of the largest Chapter’s in the country. In this capacity, Gowin represents nearly 200 signatory electrical construction companies in the Greater Boston, Maine and New Hampshire areas. She works to provide the membership with a myriad of services, including labor relations, contract negotiations and administration. She serves as a management trustee on various Pension, Health/Welfare & Annuity plans with funds that exceed a billion dollars.

In addition, Gowin and her team’s duties include external industry relations, government relations, education and training and general management of the chapter’s affairs. Gowin served as the Assistant Manager for six years before assuming the Executive Manger role in 2020. Gowin holds an MBA from Bentley University and a BA in political science and public relations from Quinnipiac University. She lives on the South Shore with her husband and four children.