Keynote and General Session Speakers
Ashley Stolba
Undersecretary of Economic Foundations
Ashley Stolba, who has served as EOHED Undersecretary of Community Development since 2021, will stay on in the office as Undersecretary of Economic Foundations. She will expand her portfolio to foster foundational economic opportunities for residents, communities, and businesses across Massachusetts. Stolba will continue to lead the community development team by managing the Community One Stop for Growth, serving as vice-chair of the Seaport Economic Council, overseeing work to close the digital divide, and maintaining the state’s military installations. In addition to these duties, Stolba will now oversee other key foundational areas such as regional businesses assisted by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development; small, micro, and immigrant-led businesses; and the new Director of Rural Affairs. She will also now serve as the secretariat’s climate officer focused on climate infrastructure needs. Stolba will work closely with others across the Healey-Driscoll Administration on these areas of focus, as well as with quasi-government agencies such as MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. Prior to joining EOHED, Stolba was Chief of Staff at the Harvard Allston Land Company and held roles as Deputy Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel at the Massachusetts Port Authority, Associate Counsel at the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, and Policy Analyst in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A native of Mashpee, she received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami and her juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School.
Josh Cutler
Undersecretary, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development
Josh Cutler serves in the Healey-Driscoll Administration as Undersecretary in the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. He served six terms in the state legislature and is the former House Chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee. He also co-chaired the Future of Work Commission, the Coastal Caucus and the WorkAbility Subcommittee on disability employment. In the House, Cutler was a champion for workforce development, vocational education, and career center funding. He was lead sponsor of the wage transparency act, disability hiring tax credit, and apprenticeship standards and re-entry works legislation. Cutler was a recipient of the Thomas M. Menino Public Service Award for his work on disability employment policy. He has also been recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Mass. Developmental Disabilities Council, the Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers, the Mass. Mental Health Counselors Association, and the Plymouth-Bristol Central Labor Council. Cutler holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and a Juris Doctor from Suffolk Law School. He is an attorney and the author of two books on local history.
Timothy M. O’Neil
Innovator
Timothy M. O’Neil is a distinguished innovator and strategic leader with over 35 years of experience in market disruption and innovation strategy. A proud 5-year US Navy Engineering combat veteran, he has spent more than 25 years in manufacturing. A patented inventor, Tim O’. has developed cutting-edge internet-based visual collaboration products and services, earning prestigious awards from the Smithsonian Institute and the Telecommunications Industry for disruptive innovation and leadership. Recently named the 2023 Massachusetts Manufacturer of The Year, he is also a 2024 Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program (MMAP) Grant recipient and holds several degrees. He has completed graduate work at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Business. Tim O’ and his wife of 25 years Dina America O’Neil founded Wellness Croft, Inc. in 2019, aimed at revolutionizing northeast economic development through sustainable agriculture and aquaculture strategies/objectives. A visionary in regional sustainable economic development, Tim O’. focuses on integrating AI and robotics into manufacturing processes, driving the future of the industry. He is always looking out for new opportunities, investors, and partnerships to support ongoing innovative ventures.
Glen Gawarkiewicz
Oceanographer
Glen Gawarkiewicz is a physical oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. His research focuses on processes occurring over the continental shelf and slope. He studies ocean currents as well as salinity and temperature fields. He has worked on problems relating to ocean warming and the associated impacts to the commercial fishing industry to the northeast. In addition, he has an excessive interest in sea monsters and antique maps.
Breakouts and Panels
Public Policy Roundtable
Breakout Panel: Workforce Development
Panel: Marine Technology
Theme: Offshore ROV and OAV projects
Panel: Aquaculture and Fisheries
Panel: Climate Resilience
Student Informational Panel Speakers
