Diversity & Inclusion

Judges for the 2025 Outstanding Women in Business

Nominees were evaluated independently by three volunteer judges, who scored each on their professional achievements, community contributions, and mentorship of young professionals.

WBJ names the 2025 Outstanding Women in Business

What sets the 2025 Outstanding Women in Business apart is how vital they are to their communities.

🔒Auditor: Worcester among hardest-hit communities in unequal Mass Save benefits distribution

A state auditor report has found the Mass Save program provides a skewed distribution of its resources...

🔒Longtime leader of The Arc of Opportunity to retire

Sixteen years after joining The Arc of Opportunity in North Central Massachusetts as its president and CEO,...

Legendary Legacies awarded $150K for workforce program employing previously incarcerated individuals

Legacy Transport delivers more than 1.8 million pounds of food each year to more than 7,000 monthly households.

O’Brien’s first meeting back at helm of CCC scheduled for October, social consumption hearing delayed

Chairwoman Shannon O'Brien has returned to the Cannabis Control Commission and the agency is delaying the finalization of its long-awaited rules for social marijuana establishments as a result.

Worcester uses $500K Polar Park settlement to launch grant program for minority- and woman-owned construction firms

The City of Worcester is offering grants of up to $25,000 for certified minority- and woman-owned businesses to help expand their capacity for contracting opportunities.

🔒A gathering place for marijuana: Designed to diversify the industry, cannabis cafes are close to reality, although the finances are challenging

Law enforcement and some municipal voices have called for strict regulations for consumption sites. But advocates warn overregulating these businesses will make them stiff and sterile, killing their viability and leaving social equity participants out in the cold

🔒Preparing for disaster: With nonprofits teetering following federal cuts, the United Way has set aside $500K for the next crisis

Realizing federal cuts will impede nonprofits’ ability to respond in time of crisis, the United Way of Central Massachusetts launched the United Response Fund in August.