Annual Celebration

The Burton Family, through the Ron Burton Training Village, have impacted the lives of thousands of children and young adults in the New England region over the past three decades.  The family includes the wife, children, and grandchildren of the late New England Patriots player Ron Burton, Sr.  For over 30 years, the family has operated and grown the Ron Burton Training Village (RBTV) in Hubbardston, MA, keeping alive Ron’s dream to create a village where children could come to train and attain personal growth.  RBTV’s mission is to train challenged youth to achieve their purpose through education, leadership, physical wellness, social advancement, and spiritual growth.  The family’s incredible contributions have been recognized by organizations such as the Corey C. Griffin Foundation and Room to Grow, and the family was honored as “Heroes Among Us” at the TD Garden.   

Home Base is a national nonprofit dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war for Veterans of all eras, Service Members, Military Families and Families of the Fallen through world-class, direct clinical care, wellness, education and research – all at no cost to them – regardless of era of service, discharge status or geographical location. The program was founded by Massachusetts General Hospital and the Boston Red Sox in 2009, and has served more than 35,000 Veterans and their Family Members and trained over 85,000 clinicians across the nation. Since 2012, Home Base has been led by Retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond, a decorated U.S. Army combat leader and private sector innovator who has served on advisory groups for presidents, governors and businesses.  During his 29-year military career, Gen. Hammond led U.S. and NATO forces in combat and counter-terrorism operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  He holds degrees from the University of Massachusetts and Boston University, and completed a National Security Fellowship at Harvard University. 

U.S. Representative Ann McLane Kuster was first elected to Congress in 2012 and has represented New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District for six terms. Throughout her time in Congress, she has been a tremendous advocate for not just the Granite State, but the entire New England region. The Congresswoman has fought to advance federal policies that create good-paying jobs and increase economic opportunities for New Hampshire residents. As the founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force, she has been a leader in efforts to combat addiction and expand access to behavioral health services. In the 118th Congress, Congresswoman Kuster has served as Chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of 100 House Democrats dedicated to breaking through partisan gridlock to advance innovative, inclusive, and forward-looking policies. In March 2024, Rep. Kuster announced that she would not run for reelection and would retire from Congress at the end of her current term.   

Bob Rivers has served as the Chair and CEO of Eastern Bank, the largest commercial bank headquartered in Massachusetts with $23 billion in total assets and 120 locations, since 2017. A leader in Boston’s business community, Bob has been recognized by many organizations for his work in championing diversity and social justice and has been regularly named among the Top 5 “Most Influential People in Boston” by Boston Magazine. In addition to the New England Council, he serves on several other boards including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and is a Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education, and a co-founder of Eastern’s innovation hub, Eastern Labs. Most recently, he was appointed to the Federal Reserve’s Federal Advisory Council. He received his undergraduate degree from Stonehill College and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Rochester. 

Melissa Smith is the Chair, CEO, and President of WEX, and the galvanizing force that has transformed the company into a global leader in financial technology solutions. Since joining WEX in 1997, she’s held a variety of leadership roles, shepherded the company through its IPO, overseen growth in revenue from $818 million to $2.5 billion, and helps the company fulfill its purpose of simplifying the business of running a business. Under her leadership, WEX has diversified from a U.S.-based fleet card provider to a global enterprise spanning Mobility, Corporate Payments, and Benefits across 15 countries and more than 7,200 employees worldwide and has been recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity and America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women for 2024. A lifelong Maine resident, Melissa earned a bachelor’s in business administration and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, both from the University of Maine.