Board of Directors

Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz

Co-Chair, Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance

Matthew Gorzkowicz is the Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. He has more than 25 years’ experience in state finance and budgeting in the Commonwealth. He has served as the Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance at the University of Massachusetts President’s Office for more than a decade, where he has had a direct role in setting the University’s long-range administrative and financial goals and managed the development of an annual operating budget of $3.8 billion. Prior to UMass, Secretary Gorzkowicz worked in the Massachusetts Senate, the Department of Mental Health, the School Building Authority, and the Executive Office for Administration and Finance under Governor Deval Patrick, where he served as Assistant Secretary for Budget and then Undersecretary. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and lives in Winthrop, MA with his wife and two children.

Interim Secretary Ashley Stolba

Co-Chair, Interim Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development

Ashley Stolba is the Interim Secretary of the Executive Office of Economic Development, which aims to make Massachusetts the best place in the country for businesses to start, scale, and succeed; for individuals to pursue rewarding careers; and for communities to thrive. Before becoming Interim Secretary, she served as Undersecretary of Economic Foundations for the Executive Office of Economic Development, working to advance the state’s mission to foster foundational economic opportunities for residents, communities, and businesses across Massachusetts. As undersecretary, Stolba led the teams that invest hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for public infrastructure and tax credits for businesses through the office’s Community One Stop for Growth and the Business Front Door. She also oversaw the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, which assists businesses relocating and expanding in the state, and served as the secretariat’s climate officer focused on climate infrastructure needs. She worked to promote the blue economy through her close collaboration with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and as Vice Chair of the Seaport Economic Council, to support Massachusetts military installations through the Massachusetts Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force, and to expand opportunity for rural communities and small businesses.

Prior to joining the Executive Office of Economic Development, Stolba was Chief of Staff at the Harvard Allston Land Company, overseeing Harvard’s non-institutional development of the Enterprise Research Campus in Allston. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Port Authority and held roles at the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and in the Massachusetts state legislature.

Stolba is a native of Mashpee and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School.

Christopher M. Coburn

Chief Innovation Officer, Mass General Brigham

Chris Coburn is Chief Innovation Officer, Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care system that includes Harvard University affiliates Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, and McLean Hospital. Mass General Brigham is the nation’s largest academic research enterprise with over $20 billion in annual revenue, 1.5 million patient visits and more than $2.9 billion in research expenditures. It also has a managed care organization, out-patient facilities and community hospitals. 7,000 of its faculty are appointed at Harvard Medical School.

A member of the senior leadership team, Coburn is responsible for the commercial application of the unique capabilities of MGB’s 82,000 employees. His 140 person business development group’s activities include strategic industry collaborations, company creation, investing, translational development, commercial strategy setting, licensing, and innovation management. His group also manages a nearly $500 million venture fund.

Prior to joining Mass General Brigham, Mr. Coburn was founding director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations. During his tenure, Cleveland Clinic spun off 57 companies that raised more than $700 million in equity financing. Previously he was Vice President at Battelle and served on the staff of Ohio Governor Richard Celeste.

Mr. Coburn serves on multiple boards. He and his wife Nancy have three grown children.

Valerie Fleishman

Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association

Valerie Fleishman is Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA), where she leads strategic initiatives, innovation advancement, and new business development, positioning the organization and its members at the forefront of healthcare transformation. In this role, she spearheads statewide programs to expand and support the healthcare workforce, and promote innovations in digital health, artificial intelligence, health equity, and new models of care.

Valerie is an accomplished healthcare executive with over two decades of leadership experience driving innovation, policy, and transformative change across the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.

Prior to joining MHA, Valerie served as Executive Director of the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation and policy. She led the organization’s growth from a regional think tank into a trusted, national voice in health policy. Under her leadership, NEHI became a platform for cross-sector collaboration, convening coalitions of payers, providers, biopharma, medtech, patient groups, policymakers, and other leaders to tackle complex issues of patient safety, public health, healthcare spending, and health IT. Valerie oversaw the publication of more than 75 reports, issue briefs, and white papers, translating research into actionable policies that influenced legislation and industry practices.

Earlier in her career, Valerie held leadership roles in management and strategy consulting. At Scient Corporation, she was a director in the Health and Wellness Practice, driving digital health solutions. Previously, she worked at Arthur D. Little, where she developed business strategies for high-tech ventures and earned the firm’s Presidential Award. Valerie has also been honored with the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award. She is deeply committed to community and civic service and serves on multiple boards.

Valerie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard University. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband and two children.

Brian Johnson

President, Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC)

Brian Johnson was named president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council (MassMEDIC) in July 2018. An accomplished author, journalist, and media entrepreneur, Brian serves as the association’s second chief executive officer in its history, managing its day-to-day operations. Since its establishment in 1996, MassMEDIC has grown to more than 350 member companies – manufacturers and developers of medical products, suppliers, research institutions and academic health centers – representing nearly 40,000 employees across the Commonwealth. MassMEDIC has advanced public policy interests of the New England medical device sector on Capitol Hill, Beacon Hill, and before various federal agencies, ensuring that patients across the world have access to the most innovative healthcare technology. During his tenure at MassMEDIC, Brian has expanded membership, doubled the organizations budget and successfully worked with state officials to improve the Massachusetts life sciences ecosystem. In 2023, he was a key member of a small group, which won the headquarters of the newly formed federal healthcare agency ARPA-H.

In 2007, Brian conceived and later launched MassDevice.com, where he created and managed the strategic vision of the company, from inception through the summer of 2018, including leading the company through an acquisition in 2015 by WTWH Media.

As publisher, Brian brought MassDevice from 0 to 100,000+ readers each month and led the company to profitability in just 3 years. In 2011, Brian conceived and launched DeviceTalks, a live-interview series featuring leaders in medicine. The event, which is held three times annually in Boston, Minnesota and Orange County, California, has attracted thousands of medical device executives to date and featured leaders from some of the world’s largest medical technology companies. In 2015, Brian also founded and launched two additional magazines, Medical Design & Outsourcing and Drug Delivery Business News, bringing total readership under his supervision to over 1.5 million, before he left the company.

Under Brian’s direction, MassDevice and its associated properties were widely recognized for its commitment to quality journalism. The editorial boards of the New York Times, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post cited MassDevice’s coverage of issues pertaining to the medical device industry. In 2012, MassDevice won a prestigious Communicator award in 2012 for excellence with its live web video series “Disruptors.”

An experienced reporter and author, Brian has worked for The Associated Press, Boston Globe digital and The Eagle-Tribune newspaper, covering business and economics, local government and crime. In 2017, his critically acclaimed first novel “MWD: Hell is Coming Home” was released by Candlewick Press.

Brian resides in Brookline, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

Marty Meehan

President, University of Massachusetts

Marty Meehan, the 27th president of the University of Massachusetts, is the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the system. He was named to the presidency after eight successful years as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he propelled that institution forward by every important measure of higher education. During his tenure, UMass Lowell achieved record growth in enrollment, student retention and funding for research and scholarships. The campus underwent a stunning physical transformation with new academic buildings and residence halls, upgraded academic and research facilities, and enhanced student activity spaces.

While chancellor, he was honored by the Lura Smith Fund with the Living the Dream Award in 2015 for embracing the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through his faith and commitment to social justice. In 2014, he received the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) President of the Year Award at the organization’s 100th anniversary celebration and the Robert H. (Tex) McClain, Jr. Distinguished Public Administrator Award from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Society of Public Administration. He received the Chief Executive Leadership Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) at the annual District I program in 2012.

A former congressman, President Meehan represented the 5th Congressional District of Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2007, where he served on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees. Widely respected as a reformer, he established a national reputation for his legislative leadership in transforming campaign finance laws and protecting the public from the health risks of tobacco use. Previously, he served as Massachusetts’ deputy secretary of state for securities and corporations and he was the first assistant district attorney of Middlesex County.

President Meehan graduated cum laude from UMass Lowell in 1978 with a degree in education and political science. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1986. He holds honorary degrees from Suffolk University, Green Mountain College in Vermont and Shenkar College of Engineering & Design in Israel.

Dana L. Mendenhall

SVP and Global Head of Commercial and Portfolio Strategy for the Plasma Derived Therapies Business Unit, Takeda

Dana is a patient-centric, data-driven, results-oriented senior commercial leader with nearly three decades of progressive experience, backed by a proven track record of success in the healthcare industry. Her extensive industry experience is uniquely diverse, with increasing leadership and accountability across marketing, sales, strategic planning, operations, manufacturing, and engineering. Dana’s ability to apply her technical expertise across diverse disciplines underscores her knack for identifying global opportunities, defining strategic visions, executing successful commercial strategies, and driving organizational and market growth. She also excels in developing cross-functional, inclusive initiatives within constantly evolving environments, contributing to significant top- and bottom-line performance. A self-defined servant leader, Dana’s greatest passion is not only improving standards of care and increasing access to life-sustaining therapies for patients, but also developing, coaching, and inspiring talent to deliver unprecedented results while contributing to a common cause. Currently, Dana is employed by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company in Cambridge, MA, where she serves as SVP and Global Head of Commercial and Portfolio Strategy for the Plasma Derived Therapies Business Unit.

Dana earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX, and her Master of Business Administration Degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. A published author and motivational keynote speaker, Dana delivers high-energy, high-impact presentations that challenge audience members to create the lives they desire to live and redefine the rules along their journey. In the book Break Through Featuring Dana L. Mendenhall, readers gain first-hand accounts of how a “do or die” mindset coupled with the courage to Redefine “NO” transforms failure and rejection into success and opportunity.

The self-proclaimed “world’s best auntie”, Dana also describes family and service as cornerstones of her life. Dana is an active member of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Boards of Directors and maintains active involvement in several community service organizations.

Pam Randhawa

CEO and Founder, Empiriko

Pam Randhawa is Founder and CEO of Empiriko, an integrated precision medicine company focused on early disease detection, prognosis, prediction, and ongoing therapeutic monitoring.

Pam has 20 years of experience in the healthcare and life sciences industries with expertise ranging from policy, corporate strategy, product development, analytics and marketing for Fortune 500 companies, startups and government. Prior to founding Empiriko, Pam co-founded AgroGreen Biofuels, an alternative biofuels technology company from plant waste. The company’s patented synthetic liver technology (Biomimiks™) provides a platform for analyzing the liver’s metabolic reactions to drugs, food, and other chemical compounds – serving as a foundation for the company’s diagnostic device, Personalized Metabolic Fingerprint™ (PMF).

Previously, Pam served as VP of Strategic Development at Sermo, the largest Physician Online Community in the US, where she was responsible for identifying and developing new markets in the areas of clinical development, analytics and international expansion. Before joining Sermo, she served as VP of Global Marketing at Phase Forward (acquired by Oracle), a leader in Electronic Data Capture (EDC), management and drug safety for clinical trials, where she was responsible for the planning and execution of the company’s global marketing and product strategy. Previously, Pam was Director of Analytical Development at McKesson Corporation, where she effectively developed healthcare products that leveraged healthcare longitudinal data to assess the effectiveness of various therapies, disease severity, healthcare costs, and quality of care provided to healthcare plan members. She also served as an independent consultant to the State of Ohio, Department of Health, where she led a statewide task force focusing on the Health Status of Ohioans for the State Health Plan and developed a 5-point plan to improve public health in Ohio.

Ms. Randhawa holds a Bachelors Degree in economics from the University of Rajasthan, India, and received a Masters Degree from the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Julie Chen, PhD

Chancellor, UMass Lowell (Board designee for President Marty Meehan)

Dr. Julie Chen is the Chancellor for Research & Economic Development and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell (www.uml.edu). As the Chief Research Officer, Dr. Chen also oversees industry partnerships, technology transfer, startups & innovation, core research facilities, centers & institutes, and economic development programs. She has fostered and supported many collaboration models including unique co-location partnerships with Raytheon and the Natick Soldier RDE Center (HEROES), and 3 NSF Industry-University centers in wind energy, biomanufacturing, and 3D Printing. With support from the Commonwealth (M2I2), UMass Lowell established the first center in the nation to integrate three Manufacturing USA institutes (AFFOA – smart textiles, NextFlex – flexible electronics, and ARM – robotics) under the Fabric Discovery Center (FDC) umbrella. The FDC, in cooperation with the University’s Medical Device incubator (M2D2) and Innovation Hub, will work with industry to create new technologies in areas such as wearable electronics, medical textiles, performance clothing, robotics & automation, physical therapy and rehabilitation.

Dr. Chen is also one of the co-PIs on a $3.5M NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grant to help advance women faculty in STEM at UMass Lowell and was a leader of the University’s successful effort to be one of the first three institutions in the US to receive the AAAS SEA Change (STEM Equity Achievement) Award.
Dr. Chen served as the Program Director of the Materials Processing and Manufacturing and the Nanomanufacturing Programs in the Division of Design, Manufacture, and Industrial Innovation at the National Science Foundation from 2002-2004. Dr. Chen has also served as the 2010 Technical Program Chair for the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition and has served on editorial boards, advisory committees, and review panels for several journals and federal agencies, including NSF, NIH, the National Academies, DOE, ARL, and AFOSR.

Dr. Chen received her PhD, MS, and BS from MIT in Mechanical Engineering and recently was awarded an honorary degree from Queens University Belfast.