Skip to Main Content
  • About
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Member Directory
  • Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • Membership FAQ
    • Join NEC
  • Issues
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Energy & Environment
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • Housing
    • Technology & Innovation
    • Trade
    • Transportation & Infrastructure
    • Partnerships for Talent Pipeline Directory
  • News
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • 2025 Centennial Celebration
    • Washington Leaders’ Conference
    • Politics & Eggs
    • Inside the Corner Office
    • Rising Stars Network
    • Celebrating 100 Years
      • New England Council Fellows Program
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Contact
  • About
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Member Directory
  • Membership
    • Membership Benefits
    • Membership FAQ
    • Join NEC
  • Issues
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Energy & Environment
    • Financial Services
    • Healthcare
    • Higher Education
    • Housing
    • Technology & Innovation
    • Trade
    • Transportation & Infrastructure
    • Partnerships for Talent Pipeline Directory
  • News
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • 2025 Centennial Celebration
    • Washington Leaders’ Conference
    • Politics & Eggs
    • Inside the Corner Office
    • Rising Stars Network
    • Celebrating 100 Years
      • New England Council Fellows Program
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • Contact

Past New Englanders of the Year

The highlight of each year’s Annual Celebration is the presentation of the prestigious “New Englander of the Year” awards. First presented nearly 60 years ago, the award honors residents or natives of the New England states for their commitment and contributions in their fields of work, as well as their leadership and impact on the New England region’s quality of life and economy. Over the years, the Council has honored leaders from both the public and private sectors, including U.S. Senators and Representatives, Governors, cabinet secretaries, college presidents, non-profit executives, and CEOs of some of the region’s most respected and successful businesses.

2024

The Burton Family, Ron Burton Training Village
Home Base & Retired Brigadier General Jack Hammond, Executive Director
The Honorable Ann McLane Kuster, U.S. House of Representatives, 2nd New Hampshire District
Robert F. Rivers, Executive Chair and Chair of the Board, Eastern Bank
Melissa Smith, Chair, Chief Executive Officer, and President, WEX

2023

Latoyia Edwards, Anchor, NBC10 Boston & NECN
Dr. Jim O’Connell, President, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program
Pamela D.A. Reeve, Chair of the Board, American Tower Corporation
The Honorable Martin J. Walsh, Executive Director, National Hockey League Players’ Association

2022

Andrew Dreyfus, President and Chief Executive Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Linda Henry, Chief Executive Officer, Boston Globe Media
David Long, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance
The Honorable Katherine Tai, United States Trade Representative
Willie O’Ree, Retired Player, Boston Bruins – Lifetime Achievement Award

2021

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, United States House of Representatives, Connecticut
Sandra L. Fenwick, Chief Executive Officer 2013–2021, Boston Children’s Hospital
Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive Officer & President, Vertex

2020

Marianne Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer, John Hancock
Ibram X. Kendi, Ph.D., Professor of History, Director, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research
The Honorable James P. McGovern, United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts
Udit Batra, Former CEO, and CEO, Waters Corporation
MilliporeSigma
The Honorable Samantha Power, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, 2013-2021

2019

Margaret Brennan, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, CBS News and Moderator of “Face the Nation”
Roger W. Crandall, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, MassMutual
The Honorable Maggie Hassan, United States Senator, New Hampshire
Jerry Remy, Red Sox Color Analyst, NESN; Former Second Baseman, MLB

2018

General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, President and CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Staff Sergeant (ret) Travis Mills, Army Veteran and Founder, Travis Mills Foundation
The Honorable Niki Tsongas, U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts

2017

The Honorable Charles D. Baker, Governor, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Collette Divitto, Founder, Collettey’s Cookies
Joseph L. Hooley, Chairman and CEO, State Street Corporation
Navyn Salem, Founder and CEO, Edesia

2016

R. Nicholas Burns, Ambassador (Ret.), Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School
Abbey D’Agostino, U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team
Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO, GE
The Honorable Gina M. Raimondo, Governor, The State of Rhode Island

2015

Karen Kaplan, Chairman and CEO of Hill Holliday
U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz
Ryan M. Pitts, Medal of Honor Recipient
Jack Williams, longtime WBZ-TV anchor

2014

Peter Frates, ALS Research Advocate and Inspiration for the “Ice Bucket Challenge” Fundraising Campaign
Dr. Gary L. Gottlieb, President and CEO, Partners HealthCare
Alan S. McKim, Founder and CEO, Clean Harbors, Inc.
George Stephanopoulos, ABC News Chief Anchor

2013

The Honorable Kelly Ayotte, United States Senator, New Hampshire
Kenneth R. Feinberg, Managing Partner, Feinberg Rozen, LLP Administrator of The One Fund Boston
Robert L. Reynolds, President and Chief Executive Officer, Putnam Investments
George Wein, Chairman, Newport Festivals Foundation, Inc.
The Honorable Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston – Lifetime Achievement Award

2012

Abigail P. Johnson, President, Fidelity Investments
The Honorable John Larson, United States House of Representatives, Connecticut
David McCullough, Pulitzer Prize Winning Author
Robert K. Sheridan, President & CEO, Savings Bank Life Insurance

2011

James T. Brett, President & CEO, The New England Council
Brian Moynihan, Bank of America
Donald Rodman, Rodman Auto Group & The Rodman Ride for Kids
The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen, United States Senator, New Hampshire
Caroline Kennedy, recipient of The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum Award

2010

The Honorable Susan Collins, United States Senator, Maine
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian
Charles Shivery, Northeast Utilities

2009

Jack Connors, Hill, Holiday, Connors and Cosmopulos
John Fish, Suffolk Construction, The Honorable John F. Kerry, United States Senator, Massachusetts
Shea Ralph, recipient of University of Connecticut Women’s Basketball Team Award

2008

Fr. J. Donald Monan, Boston College
The Honorable Richard Neal, United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts
Thomas M. Ryan, CVS/Caremark

2007

The Honorable Barney Frank, United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts
Peter Meade, Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts
James Wright, Dartmouth College

2006

Samuel Bodman, U.S. Secretary of Energy
Ken Burns, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker
Anne Finucane, Bank of America

2005

Larry Lucchino and The Boston Red Sox
The Honorable Jack Reed, United States Senator, Rhode Island
Joseph Tucci, EMC Corporation

2004

Lawrence Fish, Citizens Bank
Robert Kraft and The New England Patriots
The Honorable Edward Markey, United State House of Representatives, Massachusetts

2003

The Honorable Christopher Dodd, United States Senator, Connecticut
Edmund Kelly, The Liberty Mutual Group
The New Hampshire Political Library

2002

Andrew Card, White House Chief of Staff
Cathy E. Minehan, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
Michael G. Morris, Northeast Utilities

2001

The Honorable Judd Gregg, United States Senator, New Hampshire
Marian Heard, United Way of Massachusetts Bay
Thomas May, NSTAR

2000

William Cohen, U.S. Secretary of Defense
William Van Faasen, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Massachusetts

1999

William Bulger, University of Massachusetts
Marshall Carter, State Street Corporation
The Honorable John Chafee, United States Senator, Rhode Island

1998

Gary Countryman, Liberty Mutual
Evan Dobelle, Trinity College
The Honorable Edward M. Kennedy, United States Senator, Massachusetts

1997

Orit Gadiesh, Bain & Co.
Dennis Picard, Raytheon
The Honorable William Weld, Governor, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

1996

Al Zeien, Gillette
Sheila Widnall, U. S. Secretary of the Air Force

1995

George Hatsopoulos, Thermo Electron
John LaWare, Federal Reserve Bank

1994

William Ellis, Northeast Utilities
The Honorable Joseph Moakley, United States Representative, Massachusetts

1993

Wayne Budd, former Associate Attorney General
Ira Stepanian, Bank of Boston

1992

The Honorable Warren Rudman, United States Senator, New Hampshire
Jack Welch, General Electric Company

1991

The Honorable Silvio O. Conte, United States House of Representatives, Massachusetts
Paul O’Brien, New England Telephone

1990

The Honorable George Mitchell, United States Senator, Maine
Terrence Murray, Fleet/Norstar

1989

John H. Sununu, White House Chief of Staff

1988

Thomas L. Phillips, Raytheon

1987

Edward C. Johnson III, Fidelity

1986

The Honorable Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr., United States House of Representatives and Speaker of the House, Massachusetts

1985

Joseph R. Carter, Wyman-Gordon Company

1984

Red Auerbach, Boston Celtics

1983

Guy W. Nichols, New England Electric System

1982

Richard D. Hill, First National Bank of Boston

1981

Bernard J. O’Keefe, EG&G, Inc.

1980

Dr. An Wang, Wang Laboratories

1979

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury G. William Miller

1978

The Honorable James B. Longley, Governor, Maine

1977

Kenneth H. Olsen, Digital Equipment Corporation

1976

General Electric Company

1974

Bradford Washburn, Museum of Science

1973

The Honorable Deane C. Davis, Governor, Vermont

1972

Dr. Charles F. Phillips, Bates College

1971

Albert A. Cree, VT Yankee Nuclear Power Corporation

1970

Charles J. Zimmerman, CT Mutual Life Insurance Company

1969

Dr. James K. Killian, Jr., M.I.T.

1968

Carl J. Gilbert, The Gillette Company

1967

Erwin D. Canham, Christian Science Monitor

1966

Frazar B. Wilde, CT General Life Insurance

1965

Robert Chapman Sprague, Sprague Electric Company

1964

Dr. Edwin H. Land, Polaroid Corporation

Annual Celebration Details

Find out more about this year’s Annual Celebration.

Learn More

©2025 New England Council
All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy Website Design by Jackrabbit

Boston Office

98 North Washington Street
Suite 303
Boston, MA 02114

(617) 723-4009

necouncil@newenglandcouncil.com

Washington Office

1411 K Street, NW
Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20005

(202) 547-0048

necouncil@newenglandcouncil.com

Website Design by Jackrabbit