Members serve as community ambassadors and business leaders in the communities Eastern serves

Eastern Bank is pleased to announce the election of six local community and business leaders to its Board of Advisors and Board of Ambassadors.

The newly elected Advisors are:

- Daniel Rivera, President and CEO, MassDevelopment

- Andrea Silbert, President, the Eos Foundation, and

- Grace Sterling Stowell, Executive Director, The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY)

The newly elected Ambassadors are:

- Robert Corley, CEO, NeighborWorks Housing Solutions

- Aisha Francis, PhD, President and CEO, Franklin Cummings Tech, and

- Wilnelia Rivera, President and Founder, Rivera Consulting, Inc.

“Eastern is deeply committed to building and sustaining our organization, including our boards, to reflect the makeup of our workforce, customers and communities we serve, because simply put, it makes good business sense,” said Bob Rivers, CEO and Chair of the Board of Eastern Bank. “Daniel, Andrea, Grace, Rob, Aisha and Wilnelia are at the forefront of their respective areas in the public and private sectors, and we look forward to benefiting from their insights and perspectives as we advance our work of creating opportunity for all.”

Eastern Bank is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of the same individuals who serve as directors of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. In addition, the Bank has a Board of Advisors and a Board of Ambassadors, whose members serve as advisors and ambassadors for Eastern and centers of influence in the communities that Eastern serves.

Background on the new Advisors:

Daniel Rivera, President and CEO of MassDevelopment, focuses on many facets of the Massachusetts economy through economic and community development. He previously served as Mayor of the City of Lawrence, MA, leading investments in housing, job creation, downtown development, and transit-oriented development, among other areas. During his time as Mayor, the city saw significant commercial development, record new units of housing, and tens of millions of dollars invested in economic development. During the pandemic, Mr. Rivera was a member of the state-wide COVID-19 Reopening Advisory Board, bringing the municipal viewpoint to the Commonwealth’s strategy to reopen the economy, and the COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group. He also served on the Latino Advisory Commission addressing concerns of the Massachusetts Latino community and promoting economic prosperity and well-being. He has held various positions in the private and nonprofit sectors, and is a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Andrea Silbert, President of the Eos Foundation, is a nationally and locally recognized leader in economic development and gender and racial equity. Her current efforts focus on fighting hunger and poverty and addressing structural barriers to gender and racial equity. Ms. Silbert was previously a candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, campaigning on a platform of job creation, economic development and economic justice. She is committed to economic empowerment for women and has run grassroots economic development initiatives from inner-city Boston to Latin America. She founded the Center for Women & Enterprise, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit entrepreneurial training centers, and co-founded Springboard Enterprises, which helped fast-growth women entrepreneurs raise over $2 billion in angel financing and venture capital. Ms. Silbert served as founding Board Chair for the Association of Women’s Business Centers promoting legislation to assist women-owned small businesses, and was appointed to the National Women’s Business Council. She serves as Vice Chair of the boards for the Alliance for Business Leadership and the Harwich Conservation Trust.

Grace Sterling Stowell, founding Executive Director of The Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth (BAGLY), has been a leader in the LGBTQ+ youth, transgender and social justice communities for over 40 years. Her work at BAGLY for both youth and adults led to the AGLY Network of Massachusetts and BAGLY’s youth-led programs becoming a local and national model for LGBTQ+ youth leadership development and community organizing. A pioneer in the national movement to expand community organizing, advocacy and support for the LGBTQ+ youth and transgender communities, Ms. Stowell is a founding member of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) for LGBTQ youth, and both the MA Commission on LGBTQ Youth and the MA Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Commission. A longtime Steering Committee Member of the MA Transgender Political Coalition and a Breaktime Board Member, Ms. Stowell continually advocates for the needs of LGBTQ youth and transgender communities in Massachusetts and nationally.

Background on the new Ambassadors:

Robert Corley, CEO of NeighborWorks Housing Solutions (NHS), leads a regional nonprofit housing organization committed to creating affordable housing, providing housing resources and promoting homeowner education. Under his leadership, NHS has greatly expanded the geography, capacity and diversity of its services, serving more than 20,000 households, including individuals, families, elderly, formerly homeless individuals and veterans across Plymouth, Bristol, and parts of Norfolk County. Prior to becoming CEO, Mr. Corley served as Director of Real Estate, overseeing housing development activities and transforming a one property portfolio into hundreds of units of affordable and special needs housing across the region.

Aisha Francis, PhD, President and CEO of Franklin Cummings Tech, is an award-winning academic, nonprofit leader and strategist focused on organizations and individuals transforming underserved communities, specifically around accessibility and equity of educational and economic opportunities. Prior to becoming the first female President of Franklin Cummings Tech, Dr. Francis served as the college’s Chief of Staff overseeing external and government relations and developing a new workforce development programming framework that has generated millions of dollars in new contracts. She has also held leadership positions at Harvard Medical School, Economic Mobility Pathways, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and Boston Medical Center. Dr. Francis is devoted to the civic health of Boston, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and as a Trustee for public radio station WBUR. She has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 leader and by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce with a Pinnacle Award.

Wilnelia Rivera, President and Founder of Rivera Consulting, Inc., is a transformational consultant, facilitator and researcher with 20 years of experience in community planning and sustainable community economic development. A leader in understanding that important economic and social issues—from race and class to the environment and education, transportation and health care—are all interconnected, Ms. Rivera focuses her management and strategy consulting firm on helping organizations transform at the intersection of planning, engagement and equity. She is a leading movement building professional and strategist working at the connection of cross-sector collaboration, organizational development and planning. Ms. Rivera has been recognized for her efforts as one of the 100 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston Magazine as well as by Tufts University Alumni Magazine.

About Eastern Bank

Founded in 1818, Boston-based Eastern Bank has more than 120 locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, southern and coastal New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. As of June 30, 2023, Eastern Bank had approximately $22 billion in total assets. Eastern provides banking, investment and insurance products and services for consumers and businesses of all sizes, including through its Eastern Wealth Management division and its Eastern Insurance Group LLC subsidiary. Eastern takes pride in its outspoken advocacy and community support that includes $240 million in charitable giving since 1994. An inclusive company, Eastern employs approximately 2,100 deeply committed professionals who value relationships with their customers, colleagues and communities. Join us for good at www.easternbank.com and follow Eastern on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. Eastern Bankshares, Inc. (Nasdaq Global Select Market: EBC) is the stock holding company for Eastern Bank. For investor information, visit investor.easternbank.com.

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