New Executive Director Announcement

Leadership MetroWest is proud to announce today the hiring of Brandon Ward as its new Executive Director. Ward is replacing the retiring Helen L. after she served in the Executive Director’s position since 2000.?

Before joining Leadership Metrowest, Brandon Ward served as a Senior Program Manager at the Harvard Kennedy School's Center for Public Leadership (CPL), where he facilitated leadership development cohorts for graduate students committed to public service and social justice. Prior to CPL, Ward worked at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy as a faculty assistant to former Canadian politician Michael Ignatieff, at the international development nonprofit BRAC USA as the special assistant to the CEO, and in the U.S. Senate as a congressional aide to Senator Joe Lieberman . Outside of work, Ward serves as a school committee member for the South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical School ( Keefe Tech ) and on the boards of Downtown Framingham, Inc. and FRIENDS OF SAXONVILLE INC , where he serves as Board President. He has spent time volunteering in Haiti and western Kenya on projects related to rural health and primary education. He is a proud graduate of Trinity College-Hartford and Framingham High School .

“Our Search Committee, comprised of several current Board members and dedicated Leadership MetroWest alumni, conducted a comprehensive search process over the past several months to find our next Executive Director,” said Chris Brown, Esq., AWI-CH , Chair of Leadership MetroWest’s Board of Directors, in announcing the hiring. “We knew with Helen retiring that these were big shoes to fill, but in Brandon, I am confident that Leadership MetroWest can continue to thrive and grow as an organization. Brandon distinguished himself during the search process with his grasp of leadership development and civic engagement, both key themes explored every year in the Leadership Academy. We were also very impressed with and energized by his ideas and strategies to enhance our organization’s impact in the region in the future. The Board and I are very excited to work with and support Brandon in his new role for us.”

As the Executive Director of an organization with one full-time staff member, Ward will have the responsibility for programming (which includes a 10-month Leadership Academy that meets monthly), revenue generation (including fundraising), communications, and finance, with support and strategic guidance from an engaged board of directors who bring a range of skill sets, perspectives, and geographic and sector diversity.?

“I’m delighted to join Leadership MetroWest as the next Executive Director and to take on the challenge of finding new and innovative ways for this organization to lead within our community,” said Brandon Ward, Executive Director of Leadership MetroWest. “I care deeply about building a MetroWest that is equitable and inclusive – and in order to do that, you need community leaders who lead with courage, compassion, and authenticity. I look forward to collaborating with local community organizations and government officials to empower our next generation of leaders to do just that.”

Ward concluded by saying, “Leadership MetroWest is a highly-respected organization thanks to the hard work of Helen Lemoine and the board of directors, and I’m honored to be entrusted with leading this organization into its next chapter.”

Earlier in March, the Board began the search process by releasing a job posting seeking a candidate who has the skills and drive to team up with the Board to implement their vision, manage the flagship Leadership Academy, interact with alumni, and strengthen community partnerships in order to grow and sustain the next generations of MetroWest leaders. Ward was unanimously selected by the Leadership MetroWest Board after being recommended by the Board’s Search Committee.

He has already begun transition meetings and has confirmed an official start date of July 25th.