BOSTON, Mass., (March 10) – The American Red Cross will honor local heroes who have shown exceptional humanitarian spirit in eight different categories at the Boston Heroes Breakfast event on March 23, 2022. The event will be co-chaired by David Giunta, President and CEO for the US at Natixis Investment Managers, and John Stadtler, partner at PwC and Chair of the Red Cross of Massachusetts Regional Board of Directors. This virtual event, which will feature profiles of each of the heroes and their remarkable deeds, is free and open to the public, thanks to the generosity of our corporate sponsors.
The virtual gathering will consist of awards in eight categories:
Blood Services Hero
Community Impact Hero
Emergency Professorial Hero
Firefighter Hero
Good Samaritan Hero
Military Hero
Nursing Hero
Youth Hero
The work of the awardees covers a broad range of service – including a mom using a unique approach to end gun violence in her Boston community and a grieving father who rushed into a burning home to save a neighbor, years after losing his own family in a fire. Professional responders who went above and beyond their training are also among this year’s honorees.
“This class of Heroes is inspirational,” said Holly Grant, CEO of the Red Cross of Massachusetts. “Most of them are not formally associated with the Red Cross, but each of them is living and breathing our mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. We are grateful for the chance to hold up their work as an example in what has been another incredibly challenging year.”
“It’s an honor to be a part of this celebration of ordinary people doing extraordinary things for their neighbors and community,” said David Giunta. “I encourage everyone to join us in honoring these Boston Heroes for their selfless acts, as well as the American Red Cross for the heroic things they do every day.”
The Red Cross is proud to welcome the Boston NBC and Telemundo Owned Stations as the official multi-media partner for this event. NBC10 Boston and NECN News Anchor, Melody Mendez will serve as the virtual event Emcee.
This event would not be possible without the work of our independent Leadership and Heroes Councils. The Heroes Council, a diverse group of civic and community advocates led by Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO of the Greater Boston food bank, evaluated worthy submissions from all over eastern Massachusetts. The Leadership Council, made up of some of biggest names in the Boston business community, led fundraising and sponsorship efforts.
Boston Heroes Breakfast Leadership Council
David Giunta, Event Chair, President and CEO US, Natixis Investment Managers
Bob Reynolds, Honorary Chair, President and CEO, Putnam Investments
John W. Stadtler, Vice Chair, Partner: U.S. Financial Services Industry Group, PwC
Joseph J. Albanese, President and CEO, Commodore Builders
Stephen M. Brackett, President, Managing Member, Co-head of Alternative Investments at Shepherd Kaplan Krochuk, LLC
Jim Brett, President and CEO, The New England Council
Geri Denterlein, Founder and CEO, Denterlein
John T. Hailer, President and CEO, 1251 Capital Group
Badar Khan, President, National Grid US
Paul Kraft, Lead Partner, U.S. Mutual Fund and Investment Advisor Practice Leader, Deloitte & Touche, LLP
Robert K. Kraft, Chairman and CEO, The Kraft Group
Michael F. Mahoney, Chairman and CEO, Boston Scientific
Edmund F. Murphy III, President and CEO, Empower Retirement
R. Robert Popeo, Chairman, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, P.C.
Michael W. Roberge, CEO, MFS Investment Management
James E. Rooney, President and CEO, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Jane Steinmetz, Managing Principal, EY
William F. “Ted” Truscott, CEO Global Asset Management, Columbia Threadneedle Investments
Chris Wayland, President and General Manager, NBC Universal Boston Owned Properties
Lisa Wexler, President, Elaine Construction Company, Inc.
Boston Heroes Breakfast Heroes Council
Catherine D’Amato, Chair, President and CEO, Greater Boston Food Bank
Lee Alexander, Deputy Director of Emergency Medical Services, City of Boston
Maggie Baxter, Vice President of Programming, NBC Boston, NECN and Telemundo
Dennis Cataldo, CEO of Cataldo Ambulance Services
Mary Chin, CEO of the Asian American Civic Association
Brigadier General Ronald Cupples, Assistant Adjutant General, Massachusetts Army National Guard
Jack Dempsey, Commissioner of the Boston Fire Department
Yvonne Garcia, Chief of Staff at State Street
Tom Grilk, CEO of the Boston Athletic Association
Brigadier General (ret) Jack Hammond, Executive Director of Home Base
Peter Healy, President, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Dr. Anne Klibanski, President and CEO, Mass General Brigham
James Morton, CEO Greater Boston YMCA
Karen Teller, Philanthropy Committee Chair, Red Cross of Massachusetts Board of Directors
Harold Shaw, Chief Security Officer, Massachusetts Port Authority
Tanisha Sullivan, President of the NAACP Boston Chapter
The Heroes Breakfast Boston is free to attend on March 23, 2022 beginning at 8 a.m. Advance registration is required, and may be completed here: http://www.redcross.org/local/massachusetts/about-us/news-and-events/events/boston-heroes-breakfast-2022.html
About David Giunta
David L. Giunta is President and Chief Executive Officer for the US at Natixis Investment Managers, responsible for leading both distribution and the firm’s affiliated investment managers in the region.
Mr. Giunta joined Natixis in January 2008 and was President and CEO of US and Canadian distribution before being elevated to his current role in 2017. He previously worked at Fidelity Investments for 14 years, where he was president of the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, a donor-advised fund and one of the largest public charities in the United States. Mr. Giunta also headed Fidelity Charitable Services, a leading provider of administrative and other services to charitable organizations such as private foundations and donor-advised funds, including the Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund. Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr. Giunta served as an analyst at BankBoston and was assistant vice president of new product development for Putnam Investments.
Mr. Giunta received a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Bentley College and an MBA from Boston College. He also is a CPA. He currently serves on the boards of trustees at Bentley University and The Partnership, Inc., the Board of Ambassadors for the Home for Little Wanderers, and the Boston Medical Center Philanthropic Trust Board.
About Natixis Investment Managers
Natixis Investment Managers’ multi-affiliate approach connects clients to the independent thinking and focused expertise of more than 20 active managers. Ranked among the world’s largest asset managers1 with more than $1.4 trillion assets under management2 (€1.2 trillion), Natixis Investment Managers delivers a diverse range of solutions across asset classes, styles, and vehicles, including innovative environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies and products dedicated to advancing sustainable finance. The firm partners with clients in order to understand their unique needs and provide insights and investment solutions tailored to their long-term goals.
Headquartered in Paris and Boston, Natixis Investment Managers is part of the Global Financial Services division of Groupe BPCE, the second-largest banking group in France through the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne retail networks. Natixis Investment Managers’ affiliated investment management firms include Boston-based AEW; AlphaSimplex Group; Loomis, Sayles & Company; and Mirova US. Additionally, investment solutions are offered through Natixis Investment Managers Solutions and Natixis Advisors, LLC. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit Natixis Investment Managers’ website at im.natixis.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/natixis-investment-managers.
About NBC10 Boston
Owned by NBCUniversal, NBC10 Boston delivers viewers in the Greater Boston area, Southern New Hampshire and Northeastern Massachusetts NBC’s award-winning daytime, primetime and late night signature programs. Launched on January 1, 2017, the station features the largest weather team in the region, an exclusive 10-day forecast and a daily lifestyle program called “The Hub Today.” The station’s investigative units, “NBC10 Boston Responds” and “The Investigators” answer local consumer inquiries and shine a light on questionable practices. NBC10 Boston also delivers local breaking news and information to viewers on-the-go through its dedicated website NBC10Boston.com, a customized mobile app and via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat.
About Telemundo Boston
Owned by NBCUniversal, Telemundo Boston, WNEU, is a local Telemundo owned station that serves viewers in the Greater Boston area. Telemundo Boston produces 10 hours of local news programming each week. The station’s newscast, “Noticiero Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra” (Telemundo New England News) is the #1 Spanish-language newscast in New England airing every weeknight at 5:00 PM, 5:30 PM, 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM and delivers live, local breaking news, weather forecasts and special reports, as well as sports and entertainment information to Spanish-speaking audiences in Boston and in Hartford, Connecticut through a simulcast via WRDM. Telemundo Boston also airs Telemundo Network’s world-class programming and a weekly sports feature, The Red Sox Report. Audiences can also receive the most-up-to-date news and information across the station’s digital and mobile platforms at TelemundoNuevaInglaterra.com, via the “Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra” mobile app, and its social media channels @TelemundoNI.
About NECN
Owned by NBCUniversal, NECN serves as the largest 24-hour regional news network in the U.S. Since its launch on March 2, 1992, NECN has grown to include 3.6 million subscribers in more than 1,050 cities and towns throughout all six New England states. NECN has established itself as an industry leader as the only cable television news station to earn a George Foster Peabody Award and the Alfred I. DuPont – Columbia University Broadcast Journalism Award, among many other accolades. On January 19, 2020 NECN relaunched its entire network targeting a new audience- millennial women 25-40. As a digital first network, NECN has changed the way it delivers news, entertainment, and lifestyle content across all platforms.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or @RedCrossMA on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.