Bentley University President Gloria Larson was named to the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) Power 50, an award designed to honor the region’s 50 most influential business people of 2012. Larson and other members of the 2012 Power 50 will be recognized during a special event on November 1st in Boston.
"The power players in Boston are the ones getting things done and leading change in the Boston economy," said BBJ Executive Editor George Donnelly.
According to the BBJ, nominations for the award included men and women from every industry and profession who have made a difference in their communities, blazed a trail, and are leaving a mark on the Greater Boston community.
Gloria Cordes Larson, Esq., joined Bentley University as its president in July 2007 after a prestigious career as an attorney, public policy expert, and business leader. She was drawn to the Boston area business school because of its inventive approach to redefine business education by integrating core business curriculum with the arts and sciences and its focus on ethics and social responsibility.
During Larson’s tenure, the institution has reached a number of milestones and established new programs focused on redefining business education. Larson has overseen Bentley’s most recent business education innovation – a new studio based, 11-month, global MBA program that places special emphasis on honing students’ individual leadership style and change management skills while working on diverse teams and across cultures. Larson also recently announced the launch of the Center for Women and Business at Bentley with a mission to advance shared leadership among women and men in the corporate world and to develop women business leaders.
Before joining Bentley, Larson was widely recognized for her significant influence in economic policy at the state and federal level. She was co-Chair of the Government Strategies Group at Foley Hoag, LLP just prior to joining the university. Leading up to her private law practice, Larson worked in the public sector for several decades, serving as Secretary of Economic Affairs under Massachusetts Governor William Weld, and Deputy Director of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission.
Larson is also well known for her significant corporate leadership and civic involvement. She serves as a director of Unum Group, chairing Unum's Regulatory Compliance Committee. She is also a director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, where she is Vice Chairman of the Board. She is President of the Massachusetts Conference for Women and the Massachusetts Women’s Forum. Among her prior board posts are serving as Chair of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, The Rose Fitzgerald Greenway Conservancy and the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, and on the boards of the non-partisan think tank MassINC, and Rosie’s Place.