LYNN — When Greg Torress, longtime CEO of the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), a nonprofit civic organization, tragically passed away in 2023, the organization wanted to find a way to honor his memory.
“When he passed away, we wanted to do something to carry his memory forward and to carry his work and vision of social justice and community improvement forward,” MassINC CEO Joe Kriesberg said. “One of the things that many people who knew Greg talked about was his ability to identify talent and nurture talent and help you know people achieve more than they thought they could in their professional life, or maybe in their volunteer life or civic life. I certainly experienced that in the short time that I knew him, so we thought a fellowship program would be a good fit.”
Torres, who joined in 2007 as president and SEO and became chair of the board in 2018, was monumental to MassINC. He helped found The MassINC Polling Group in 2010 and, in 2012, pioneered both Commonwealth Magazine and Commonwealth Beacon as online digital publications, while also making it his mission to empower and support others. That includes philanthropy work, as Torres and his wife, Betsy Pattullo, were also supporters of Roca, a youth organization in Lynn.
The Greg Torres Senior Fellows Program was created just a year after his death, in 2024, with the intention of bringing together “seasoned professionals,” Kriesberg says, across Massachusetts who are either already established in their careers or even retired, but still want to support their community through research, policy, civic leadership, and journalism.
The two year fellowship program provides them the opportunity to work across different issues and departments that support MassINC’s mission-driven work, including conducting research, covering news, leading working groups and conversations.
“[It will] focus a lot on sort of expanding economic opportunity, improving education and ensuring that people have sort of the skills and opportunities they need to thrive,” he adds.
Those considered for the program will be based on whether they align with MassINC’s values, can provide expertise and contribute to the program’s goals and have an ability to communicate effectively, share new ideas, collaborate and have a proven track record of making an impact and “the ability to help elevate timely issues and urgent policy ideas,” it reads on MassINC’s official website.
The program starts in April and will run through March 2028. Applications opened Jan. 15 and will be accepted on a rolling basis. Kriesberg says they anticipate to select “most likely five fellows,” all of whom will receive a $7,500 annual stipend and a $2,500 annual program stipend to go towards any program costs such as travel, conferences and other events.
The 2024-26 fellows include Dina Fein, a retired judge who was the first justice for the Western Division of the Massachusetts Housing Courts; Pema Latshang, the founding executive director of Teach Western Mass; Charlotte Golar Richie, a former State representative, commissioner on the MA Commission Against Discrimination, and senior executive at YouthBuild USA; Mary Wambui, asset manager for the Planning Office For Urban Affairs (POUA); and lastly, Leverett Wing, president and CEO of Commonwealth Seminar.
The application for the upcoming Greg Torres Senior Fellows Program can be found on MassINC’s website under the About section.
“We hope to continue it for many, many years,” Kriesberg added.
