Friday, February 26, 2010
By Jenny Armini and Sarah Magazine, of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus
We just got back from the MWPC awards ceremony and have realized that it would take countless hours to figure out exactly how many lives Greg Torres has transformed. The task is probably impossible because Greg leaves an indelible stamp on the heart and the head – and how can one quantify life’s intangibles? The tangibles are equally impressive and much easier to tally, so let’s start there. Consider this:
For several years, Greg was one of the nation’s most innovative and effective leaders in the human services field. He held every position imaginable – from line staff in a shelter for young people to President and CEO of The MENTOR Network, a Boston-based national human services company. In 2005, Greg assumed the role of Chairman of the Board.
He provided remarkable leadership as Chief of Staff for Senate Ways & Means under its first female chair, Senator Pat McGovern. Who is his biggest fan? You guessed it: Pat! Prior to that, he served two governors as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Never content to sit out the day’s great debates, Greg refused to retire; instead, he took on the job as President of MassINC, the state’s top public policy think tank. Today, he develops and advances a unique nonpartisan agenda focused on strengthening the Bay State’s invaluable middle class. Under his leadership, CommonWealth – the organization’s quarterly magazine – is pursuing an aggressive reform agenda, rooting out waste, corruption and hypocrisy in Massachusetts institutions – public, private and nonprofit.
Back to the intangibles: What makes Greg Torres a good guy – no, a great guy and an extremely cool guy – is his passion and commitment to justice; his genuine belief in equality (he treats the Wall Street titan and the wayward youth with the same respect); his remarkable ability to sympathize and empathize; and his abundant good humor.