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MICHAEL CURRY Is the Legislative Affairs Director and Senior Counsel

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MICHAEL CURRY Is the Legislative Affairs Director and Senior Counsel Education New England Law School, J.D., Boston, MA MICHAEL A. CURRY, ESQ. (2005) National NAACP Board of Directors Macalester College, B.A. Journalism and Deputy CEO & GC, MA League of Community Health Comm., St. Paul, MN (1991) Ctrs Selected Professional Experience Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley once described Attorney Deputy CEO & General Counsel, Gov’t Affairs Michael Curry as, “An advocate for the people whose work has & Public Policy Div., MA League of taken him from Blue Hill Avenue (in Roxbury, Mass) to Beacon Community Health Ctrs. Hill (Mass State Legislature) to Capitol Hill (U.S. Congress).” In (2008-Present) his various roles, there are recurring themes—a commitment Senior Policy Advisor, Corporate Affairs to social justice and health equity, as well as a pursuit of Division, Blue Cross Blue Shield of justice and the elimination of racism. Massachusetts (1998-2008); previous positions in IT, Audit, Customer Service. Born and raised by a single mother in Lenox Street Housing Projects and a product of the Boston Public Schools, Michael’s life experiences provided the motivation for his over 30 years of work in Suffolk University, Moakley Center for Public civil rights. From his leadership of the Black Student Union on the campus of Macalester College Mgmt, Adjunct Professor (2017-present) in St. Paul, MN in 1989, where he successfully led an effort with the Dean of Admissions to recruit more students of color, to his return to Roxbury in 1992 to lead the Million Man March Co-founder, Afrocentric Productions (artist Mobilization Committee (1995), he has embodied the W.E.B. DuBois quote, “Nothing can be management, event production), Boston (1998-2006) solved that can’t be faced.” He was recruited in 1997 to join the Boston NAACP’s leadership team, where he led Communications and Political Action, and was often designated by the President to Founder & CEO, Boston Agenda Consultants serve as the official spokesperson on high-profile issues. (speakers’ bureau), (91-96) In November 2010, Michael Curry was elected President of the Boston NAACP, the nation’s first Certifications, Licenses chartered branch, established in 1911. The election was the highest turnout of voters in the Member of the Massachusetts BAR branch’s history with over 600 members. During Mr. Curry’s tenure, more than 7,000 new members joined the branch, monthly membership meetings were at capacity and a younger Graduate of the Executive Leadership generation of leaders became active in the organization. He successfully executed a strategy to Council’s (ELC) Institute for Leadership strengthen the influence and voice of the NAACP in the Greater Boston area by rebuilding Development & Research; Strengthening the partnerships and reengaging city officials. Described by the Boston Business Journal as a “Straight Pipeline (Oct. 2005), a national program aimed at training and developing high Talker”, Michael focused intently in the area of diversity and urged the public and private sector potential, African American business to wipe out the taint of race, and to finally embrace a more diverse workforce. Under his executives. leadership, the branch launched an annual discrimination training, in collaboration with several investigative and enforcement agencies. The Boston NAACP served as a leader on many of the Diversity Trainer, certified by Anti- critical issues impacting communities of color, such as racial profiling, health disparities, the Defamation League (1996), conducted decline of Black businesses, poverty, youth violence, workforce development and inequities in trainings for over 1,000 people in both public and private sector. education. Michael launched the inaugural Boston NAACP’s “Summer Job – Pipeline to Leadership Program,” where 40 youth each summer received Honors, Awards, and Speeches a stipend to work for the NAACP. Over 140 young people participated in community meetings, New England Law Boston, Program received leadership training, and registered Commencement Speaker (2020) thousands of new voters. In 2013, the Boston NAACP received the Chairman’s Trophy for the Dunkin Brands, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, highest membership increase in the country (2011- Coordinator & Keynote Speaker (2020) 2012) and the Lucille Black Award for the highest total membership production (2012). Attorney Arlington MA Dialogue on Racism, Moderator (2020) Curry was elected President in 2010, 2012 and 2014, serving three terms. Public Health Mgmt. Corporation (PHMC), Philadelphia, PA, DEI Discussion Series (2020) In 2013, then National NAACP Chairman Roslyn Brock asked Michael to consider running for the National NAACP Board of Directors, as an at-large candidate. Chairman Brock said, “Mr. Curry New Haven Healthy Start Meeting, Racial represents the next generation of NAACP leadership that will continue to advance our (then) 105- Health Disparities, Keynote (2020) year-old association in this fight for social justice.” He was soon after elected by the over 2,200 East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, NAACP Units, representing over 500,000 members, across the country to serve on the National Staff Diversity, Keynote (2020) NAACP’s Board of Directors, and reelected in 2016 and 2019. The 64-Member board, now chaired by Leon Russell, is the governing body of the Association, which has hosted many of the architects Dept. of Youth Services (DYS), Presentation of the Civil Rights movement since its creation in 1909. At his election in 2014, Michael was the to Youth in State Custody (2020) first representative from the Boston and New England Area to serve on the National Board in over 35 years. Prior to Curry, Lynn, Massachusetts native Vernon K. Sport, a Tuskegee Airman and Conversations: Leadership Diversity (CLD), President of the New England Area Conference of the NAACP, was elected to the National Board Leadership in Times of Injustice (2020) and resigned in 1975. Prior to Sport, Kivie Kaplan, a well-known Boston businessman and Jewish philanthropist was elected to the National Board in 1954, and in 1966 was elected President of MA Senator Ed Markey, Anti-racism Training for Campaign Staff (2020); and panelist on the National Board where he served until his death in 1975. “One of my fondest memories in Virtual National Dialogue on Race (2020) serving on the National NAACP Board of Directors is sitting next to Julian Bond, former Chairman of the board and co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), during our MA Congressman Joe Kennedy, Virtual interviews and selection of the Association’s next President & CEO,” says Curry. “I had met him National Discussion on Race (2020) some 25 years earlier on a college campus in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then had an opportunity to sit next to him as his colleague, and soak up three hours of lived history.” Recipient of the Lemuel Shattuck Award, Mass Public Health Association (2020) Shortly after Attorney Curry’s election to the board in 2014, he was appointed to key committees BNY Mellon, Speaker on Racial Bias (2020) and posts, including Vice-Chair of both the Economic Development and Political Action & Legislation Committees, with a seat on the following: Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, Panel Discussion on Policing (2020) Legal Committee Image Awards Committee Temple Beth Elohim, Racial Justice Inst. (RJI), Constitution Review Sub-Committee Speaker on Reparations for Slavery (2020) Convention Planning Committee Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Black History Month, Guest Speaker (2020) His academic training and professional experience quickly made him a critical voice on the National Board, and resulted in his being appointed to the 17-member Executive Committee and Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ VIBE, Black History Chairmanship of the board’s Advocacy & Policy Committee, Month Guest Speaker (2020) which provides oversight of the Association’s Policy and Program committees. He has also been called upon to lead Annual MLK Celebration, Stoughton Clergy and serve on various ad hoc committees and task forces, like Association & Stoughton Public Schools, the Education Quality and Charter School Task Force (2017) Keynote Speaker (2020) and Chairman of the Image Awards Ticketing Task Force 32nd Annual MLK Observance, Arlington, MA, (2017-2019). In 2019, Michael successfully campaigned to Keynote Speaker (2020) secure Boston as the location for the 2020 National NAACP Convention (moved online due to COVID-19). Notably, in Suffolk County House of Corrections, HISet 2018 he co-founded the National NAACP’s Young Professional (GED) Cert Commencement Speaker (2019) Next Generation Leadership Training Program, preparing the Association’s future leaders, ages 21-35 from every state in Parenting Journey, Social & Family Justice Institute Conference, panelist (2019) the nation. The program has now raised over $2 million and graduated its inaugural class of 74 “NextGeners” in 2019, Homegoing Service for Mayor Bill Carpenter, followed by 130 graduates in 2020 and over 250 students currently in the class of 2021. Michael Brockton, MA (2019), Speaker helped to develop the curriculum and serves as an instructor. In December 2019, Michael was reelected to a 3rd term on the National Board. Brockton NAACP Mayoral Candidates’ Forum, Panelist (2019) Michael also serves as Deputy CEO and General Counsel for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Recognized as one of Greater Boston’s 50 Most Influential Attorneys of Color Centers. In his previous role, as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy
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