Past Presidents

John Peculis
2021-2022

John Peculis is Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer of Clinton Savings Bank. Formerly the President & CEO of the Exchange Authority, Allied Appraisal Associates of New England, and the Worcester Young Businessmen’s Association, John also serves on the Nichols College Board of Advisors (his alma mater), and is a recipient of the Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award.

Select a decade to learn more about past presidents of the Worcester Economic Club:

 

2020s

2020-2021 Dana Levenson

Dana Levenson is the former President and CEO of Southgate at Shrewsbury, the premier retirement community and skilled nursing facility in central Massachusetts.  He is also a former investment banker as well as the former CFO of the City of Chicago and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.  He holds an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree with honors in European History from Brown.

2010s

2018-2019 John P. McMorrow

John P. McMorrow is a tax attorney specializing in executive compensation and workforce benefits attorney at Mirick O’Connell in Worcester, MA. He received his JD from Suffolk University Law School, LLM in Taxation from New York University School of Law, and his AB from Princeton University. John is admitted to practice law in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Illinois. He received a National Performance Award from Al Gore Vice President of the United States for his work on the PBGC Negotiated Rulemaking Group.

2017-2018 Steven Rothschild

Steven Rothschild is a commercial real estate developer and CEO of Access Fixtures. Previously he was CEO and a founder at Furniture.com, Bulbs.com, a founder of Merchant Internet Group, and the Professor of Innovations and Entrepreneurship at Clark University. He earned a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Business Administration at Norwich University.

2016-2017 Tim Gray

Tim Gray is Partner of The Gray Group at UBS, a wealth-management practice serving individual and institutional clients across the U.S. He earned his MBA from Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley; his M.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and his B.A. from Pomona College in Claremont, CA.

2015–2016 Richard A. Cella

Richard A. Cella is an Attorney at Law with offices in Leominster, MA and Gardner, MA.  He earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.A. from Clark University.

2014–2015 James J. Paugh III

James J. Paugh III is the President & CEO of WorkersComp Analytics LLC.

2013–2014 Gayle Flanders Weiss

Gayle Flanders Weiss is Vice President and Chief Litigation Counsel at Unum US Law Department.  She earned her J.D. at Suffolk University Law School in 1985.

2012–2013 Thomas E. Ryan

Thomas E. Ryan is Chief Advancement Officer at St. John’s High School. He has more than 30 years of experience in the advancement field, including vice president of Institutional Advancement at Assumption College from 1999 to 2012.

2011–2012 Thomas McNamara

Thomas McNamara is vice president of Institutional Advancement at Worcester State University.

2010–2011 Jack P. Calareso

Jack P. Calareso serves as president of Anna Maria College (AMC). Prior to AMC, he was president of Ohio Dominican University in Columbus and Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. He has extensive experience in Catholic education.

2000s

2009–2010 Richard J. Burke

Richard Burke is division president of Senior Care Services and Government Programs for the Fallon Community Health Plan. Before joining FCHP, he served as Vice President of Public Affairs at Assumption College.

2008–2009 John J. Spillane

John J. Spillane is a partner in the Worcester and Hyannis law firm of Spillane & Spillane LLP. He serves as general counsel for various nonprofit organizations in Central Massachusetts.

2007–2008 Daniel F. Shimkus, Jr.

Daniel F. Shimkus, Jr. serves as Sr. Vice President and director of nonprofit, healthcare and higher education lending of TD Banknorth. His career with TD Bank spans more than two decades.

2006–2007 J. Michael Grenon

J. Michael Grenon is a Certified Investment Management Analyst, vice president and principal of Grimes & Company. Previously, he worked at UBS Financial Services for 12 years.

2005–2006 Kimberly Rozak

Kimberly Rozak is a partner at Mirick O’Connel law firm. She was a winner of the 2011 Worcester Business Journal’s 3rd Annual Outstanding Women in Business Award.

2004–2005 Jeffrey Hillis

2003–2004 Charlene L. Nemeth

Charlene Nemeth serves as Director of Foundation Relations at UMass Medical School and UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc.

2002–2003 Gerald M. Gates

Gerald M. Gates serves as president of American Stop Loss Insurance Brokerage Services, Inc. Previously, he held senior strategy and marketing management positions at UMassMemorial Health Care, the Provident Insurance Companies and the Paul Revere Corporation.

2000–2001 Christopher W. Bramley

Christopher W. Bramley served as President and CEO of TD Banknorth Massachusetts. Previously, he served as Director of Worcester Community Foundation and Director of various professional and community associations. He holds is MBA and B.A. from Providence College.

2001–2002 Kevin O’Sullivan

Kevin O’Sullivan is President and CEO of the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives in Worcester.

1990s

1999–2000 David W. Hillis

David W. Hillis is President and CEO of AdCare Hospital of Worcester. Mr. Hillis has more than 40 years of hospital administrative experience. He serves on the boards of several community organizations.

1998–1999 Mary Jane McKenna

Mary Jane McKenna became the first woman elected to the Board of Selectmen in the Town of Holden. She spent many years working in politics at the local, state and federal level, including working with Governor Dukakis and Governor Bill Weld.

1997–1998 Michael J. Toomey

Michael J. Toomey was president and CEO of Flagship and Trust Compan.

1996–1997 Rev. Paul D. Kennedy

Rev. Paul D. Kennedy served the Massachusetts Lutheran and Episcopalian community. Rev. Kennedy sat on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, served as President of the Worcester Chapter of the American Cancer Society and was a member of several other community associations.

1995–1996 Alexander E. Drapos

Alex practiced law in Worcester for 45 years, specializing in immigration and entertainment law. He was a director with the law firm of Fletcher, Tilton and Whipple, for nearly 20 years. He served on several boards and as a trustee in many community organizations, including the Worcester Business Development Corporation and the Worcester Regional Research Bureau.

1994–1995 Robert Fischer

Robert Fischer was the Vice President of Fidelity Investments for more than 15 years.

1992–1993 Thomas P. Lavigne

1991–1992

1990–1991

1980s

1989-1990 Jon C. Strauss

Jon C. Strauss is the President of Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. He also served as the thirteenth president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 1985 to 1994.

1988–1989 F. William Marshall, Jr.

F. William Marshall, Jr. was elected as the Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s eighteenth chairman. He has more than 35 years of experience in commercial banking, and is retired as president and CEO of SIS Bancorp Inc.

1987–1988 James B. Kenary

1986–1987 Dr. Abraham W. Haddad

Dr. Abraham W. Haddad was on the board of the Worcester Area Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Massachusetts Biomedical Initiatives and several other medical and community associations. Dr. Haddad was awarded the highest honor from the American Board of Special Care Dentistry.

1985–1986 Dr. Attiat F. Ott

Dr. Attiat F. Ott is a Research Professor at Clark University and President of the Institute for Economic Policy Studies.

1984–1985

1983–1984 William J. O’Brien

William J. O’Brien graduated from Sacred Heart Academy and was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He had worked for 35 years with the meter reading and credit departments of Commonwealth Gas Company in Worcester.

1982–1983 Vincent A. Moulton

1981–1982 William F. Sullivan

William F. Sullivan was President and CEO of the William F. Sullivan Insurance Agency of Worcester. He was active in the Worcester region’s economic affairs, and was a member of the Worcester Redevelopment Authority.

1980–1981 Dr. Mortimer H. Appley

Dr. Mortimer H. Appley was President of Clark University from 1974 to 1984. He also served as dean of the graduate school and coordinator of research at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

1970s

1979–1980 Aubrey K. Reid

Aubrey K. Reid became the seventh president of Paul Revere. He was a chairman of the United Way of Central Mass. Campaign, director for the downtown Worcester Development Corp. and served as a member on several other local associations.

1978–1979 Stewart F. Oakes

1977–1978 Rev. John E. Brooks, S.J.

Rev. John E. Brooks served as the twenty-eighth president of the College of Holy Cross in Worcester from 1970 to 1994. He graduated from the Boston Latin School in 1942. He was a member of the Faculty of the Theology Department at Holy Cross and served as Vice President and Dean.

1976–1977 John Adam Jr.

John Adam, Jr. attended Clark University and received his A.B. from Oberlin College. He received an honorary degree from Clark University. He served as President of Hanover Insurance Company and Worcester Mutual.

1975–1976 Robert Cushman

Robert Cushman was an Honorary Trustee for the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research for the UMass Medical School.

1974–1975 Robert C. Achorn

1973–1974 Dr. Wilfred T. Small

1972–1973 W. Douglas Bell

1971–1972 Dr. George W. Hazzard

1970–1971 George L. Hogeman

1960s

1969–1970 Philip H. Breen

1968–1969 Elden L. Auker

1966–1967 William T. Buckley

1965–1966 Richard C. Steele, Wallace W. Robbins

1964–1965 Robert J. Whipple

1963–1964 Raymond J. Swords

1962–1963 Rev. Gordon M. Torgersen

1961–1962 Hon. Joseph Goldberg

1960–1961 Arthur Branwell, Ralph F. Gow

1950s

1959–1960

1958–1959 Dr. Samuel Van Valkenburg

1957–1958 Dr. James S. Maxwell

1956–1957 Andrew B. Holmstrom

1955–1956 Roland A. Erickson

1954–1955 Carter F. Maynard

1953–1954 Joseph F. Talamo

1952–1953 Joseph F. Talamo

1951–1952 Reverend Richard G. Preston

1950–1951 Paul Swan, Howard B. Jefferson

1940s

1949–1950 Henry Tilton

1948–1949 Joseph O’Connor

1947–1948 Linwood Erskine

1946–1947 Robert Whipple

1945–1946 Myron Converse

Myron Converse was president of the Worcester Savings Bank.

1944–1945 Raymond Harold

1943–1944 Thomas Sherrard Roy

1942–1943 Judge Carl Wahlstrom

1941–1942 Charles Tatman

1940–1941 Clifford Anderson

1930s

1939–1940 George Avery White

George Avery White was president of the State Mutual Life Assurance Co.

1938–1939 Frank Smith Jr.

Frank C. Smith, Jr. was a Harvard graduate, counsel to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Inc., and a director of Mechanics Bank. Along with two other Harvard Law School graduates, he formed the Thayer, Smith & Gaskill law firm.

1937–1938 Chandler Bullock

1936–1937 John F. Tinsley

John F. Tinsley was president of the Crompton & Knowles Loom Works.

1935–1936 John Higgins

John Higgins was the president and treasurer of the Worcester Pressed Steel Company from 1912 to 1949. After acquiring a significant acquisition for his collection of armor, he opened the Higgins Armory Museum in 1931. It is the largest museum in the United States solely devoted to armor.

1934–1935 Maurice Reidy

Maurice Reidy founded Maurice F. Reidy & Co.. He was also an early member in the National Association of Realtors, president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, and founder of the Worcester Board of realtors.

1933–1934 Walter Young

1932–1933 George Stobbs

After serving as special justice for the Central District Court of Worcester and Captain in the State Guard of Massachusetts, George R. Stobbs was elected to Congress from 1925 to 1931.

1931–1932 Admiral Ralph Earle

Admiral Ralph Earle served as president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute from 1927 until his death in 1939. Prior to becoming president of WPI, he was an American naval officer and responsible for the North Sea mine barrage.

1930–1931 Rev. Dr.Maxwell Savage

Rev. Dr.Maxwell Savage was a pastor in California and Kentucky before becoming pastor of the First Unitarian Church in Worcester.

1920s

1929–1930 William B. Aspinwall

Dr. William B. Aspinwall was the principal of Worcester Normal School from 1912 to 1940. He guided the school (now Worcester State University) from a normal school to a state teachers college. He was especially interested in improving rural education.

1928–1929 Chester T. Porter

Chester T. Porter was principal of the Worcester Classical High School from 1917 to 1928.

1927–1928 Charles B. Rugg

Charles B. Rugg was an attorney in Worcester.  He served in the U.S. Navy during World War I.

1926–1927 Stephen Ireland

Stephen Ireland was superintendent of agencies of the State Mutual Life Assurance Company. In addition to the Worcester Economic Club, Ireland was a member of the Worcester Country Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

1925–1926 Charles E. Hildreth

Charles E. Hildreth was president of the Whitcomb-Blaisdell Machine Tool Co. He also served on the Worcester Board of Trade (now the Worcester Chamber of Commerce.)

1924–1925 Wallace W. Atwood (2nd term)

1923–1924 Wallace W. Atwood

Wallace W. Atwood was a geographer, geologist and President of Clark University from 1920 to 1946. His main contribution was his idea of Global Species Consolidation.

1922–1923 Reginald Washburn

1921–1922 Rev. Dr. Henry S. Bradley(resigned); Arthur C. Comins

1920–1921 Frederick B. Washburn(resigned); Harry C. Smith

1910s

1919-1920 Paul B. Morgan

1918-1919 Charles M. Thayer

1917-1918 Harry G. Stoddard

1916-1917 Hon. James Logan

1915-1916 Judge Edward T. Esty

1914-1915 George F. Booth

1913-1914 Dr. George H. Blakeslee

1912-1913 Dr. Daniel W. Abercrombie

1911-1912 Hon. William T. Forbes

1910-1911 Rev. Vincent E. Tomlinson

1900s

1909-1910 Pres. Thomas E. Murphy

1908-1909 Dr. John C. Berry

1907-1908 J. Russell Marble

1906-1907 Homer P. Lewis

1905-1906 Hon. Charles G. Washburn

1904-1905 Hon. Joseph H. Walker