Massport Diversity Champion
In 2018, executives from the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), together with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, gathered in the Seaport District of South Boston to break ground on a new hotel. This hotel, slated for completion in early 2021, would become the fourth largest in the state. “Today marks more than just a groundbreaking,” said Mayor Walsh. “It’s a celebration of the diversity and inclusion this project represents from its design to its contracting, to its nonprofit partners.” He was referring to the inclusive selection process Massport, the landowner, had used to choose the hotel developer. Massport required bidders to incorporate diversity and inclusion (D&I) plans into their proposals, considering these plans alongside traditional criteria such as design, construction experience, and financial capabilities.
The emphasis was so significant—accounting for 25% of the evaluation—that some in Boston’s development community doubted Massport’s commitment to this approach. However, at the $550 million hotel’s groundbreaking, Massport CEO Thomas Glynn confirmed to a Boston Business Journal reporter that this selection model would be used for future projects. Massport Board of Directors Vice Chair L. Duane Jackson also expressed hope that other public agencies in Boston and New England would adopt this model. Despite some skepticism within the development community about its broader applicability, the case outlines how Massport designed and implemented this new selection model to advance its commitment to diversity and inclusion. In an effort to celebrate efforts towards those commitments, Massport decided to create an award for a “Diversity Champion”, given annually.
Five years later, Nancy Kelly and EY are crowned Diversity Champions of 2023 for their teaming efforts auditing the MassPort Authority.
