Annual Business Gala Dinner 2019

Join us for Cocktails, Dinner, Annual Awards & a Silent Auction while celebrating the Chamber's 2018 progress at our 2019 Annual Business Dinner. This is going to be a great evening with special MC host, comedian Christine Hurley and special guest speaker, Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Mike Kennealy.

Mike Kennealy, Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,  is responsible for advancing the Baker-Polito Administration’s agenda to create economic opportunity for residents, collaborative leadership in communities, an environment that supports job creation and business growth, and new housing for residents through targeted investments.
 
In early 2015, Kennealy joined the Administration as Assistant Secretary for Business Growth. As Assistant Secretary, Kennealy played an integral role in advancing the administration’s strategy for job creation and business development across the entire Commonwealth and provided leadership in key sectors, including serving as co-chair of the board of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center.
 
Kennealy combines a successful track record in the private sector with a strong commitment to the public good. He began his career in private equity at TA Associates, a Boston-based firm. In 1997, he joined Spectrum Equity, a private equity firm founded in 1994 with offices in Boston and San Francisco. During his more than 15 years at Spectrum, he helped grow the firm to become an established market leader with nearly $5 billion in assets under management and investments in over 100 high-growth internet, software and information services companies. After his career in private equity, Kennealy spent two years as Special Advisor to the Receiver at Lawrence Public Schools, where he worked with the state-appointed superintendent/receiver on strategic and financial initiatives to support the school district’s turnaround plan.
 
Kennealy and his family live in Lexington, Massachusetts, where they have been highly involved in town government, education and youth sports. He has served on the Board of Trustees of St. John’s Prep in Danvers since 2009 and currently serves as Chairman, and he serves on the Board of Visitors for The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and the Social Sciences at Dartmouth College.
 
Kennealy received a A.B. in Government from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
 

Christine Hurley loves what she does…making people laugh! Married to Jimmy Hurley and having five kids, Christine is never at a loss for comedic material.

Like any great comedian, Christine has an innate ability to see humor in "everyday" situations. For years, she entertained family, friends and neighbors in their kitchens, at barbeques and the grocery store aisles. The only difference now is she uses a microphone and a stage.

Christine’s maiden voyage into the world of stand-up comedy was an open audition in New York City. The television network Nick at Nite was looking for "AMERICA'S FUNNIEST MOM." She figured if it didn’t go well, no one in New York would have known who she was anyway… Turns out it went well! Out of thousands of entries, Christine was selected to be a finalist on the nationally televised show.

Christine Hurley has quickly become a favorite in the Boston comedy world. She works with, and is respected by Boston's comedic legends. Among them being; Don Gavin, Lenny Clarke, Steve Sweeney, Paul D'Angelo, Paul Nardizzi, Patty Ross, Tony V, Loretta Laroche,…and her biggest fan and mentor Johnny Pizzi.