Our Sincere Appreciation to Our Keynote Speakers

• Congressman Richard Neal
  Representative June Speakman State of Rhode Island General Assembly
  Senator Jake Oliveira of Massachusetts Legislature

   

  Congressman Richard Neal was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1988 and served his first two terms on the House Banking Committee before joining the Ways and Means Committee in 1993.  In January 2019, Congressman Neal was elected by his colleagues to assume the esteemed position of Chairman, marking the first time since 1875 that a representative from Massachusetts had done so.

  Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Congressman Neal and the Ways and Means Committee worked tirelessly to bring relief to the American people.  The first relief bill, the CARES Act, included several provisions including federal unemployment compensation, economic assistance payments, and telehealth flexibility.

  Chairman Neal is the dean of both the Massachusetts Delegation and the New England Congressional  Delegation.  He is an At-Large Whip for the House Democrats and is the Democratic Leader of the Friends of Ireland Caucus.

  Congressman Neal has received many awards and honorary degrees in his career including an Honorary Degree of Humane Letters from Mount Holyoke College where he is a former trustee and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from Ulster University in Northern Ireland.  Prior to his time in Congress, Congressman Neal was a high school teacher, member of the Springfield City Council, and Mayor of the City of Springfield from 1984 to 1988.

  https://neal.house.gov/about/

   

  

  Sentor Paul Mark of the Democratic Party is a member of the Massachusetts State Senate, representing Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire District. He assumed office on January 4, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2025.

  Senator Mark earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from Southern New Hampshire University in 2005, a master’s degree in labor from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2007, a juris doctor from Suffolk University in 2009, an associate degree in telecommunications from Springfield Technical Community College in 2010, and a doctorate in law and public policy from Northeastern University in 2010. Mark’s career experience includes working as an attorney with the Law Offices of Paul W. Mark, a visiting professor with the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and an adjunct professor with Greenfield Community College.

  Senator Mark has been assigned to numerous committees since his election and is currently serving on the following committees:

• Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity
• Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets, Vice Chair
• Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Joint Committee
• Higher Education Joint Committee
• Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Joint Committee
• Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Joint Committee, Chair
• Transportation Joint Committee, Vice Chair
• Veterans and Federal Affairs Joint Committee
• https://ballotpedia.org/Paul_Mark

Dr. Shirley Yeung is a professor and Associate Vice President for the United Nations  Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Hong Kong Association and Member of the UNESCO Entrepreneurial Education EE Network for around 10 years.   Shirley Yeung is the Asia Ambassador, Sustainability Mindset working Group of the United Nations PRME and member of the Anti-Poverty Working Group of the UN Global Compacts/ UNPRME for around 10 years.     Prof. Shirley Yeung has been appointed as the Chair, Community Development/ Board Member /Asia Ambassador for the International Center for Environmental Education and Community Development ( ICENECDEV ), member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2014.

Dr. Shirley Yeung is the head of the School of Business, Grata Christina College, Hong Kong.  Prof. Shirley Yeung obtained Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), City University, Macau in 2006 with Post-Graduate Diploma of Education from Hong Kong Institute of Education in 2004 and Master of Arts in English for Specific Purposes, City University, Hong Kong in 2001.  From 2013 to 2016, Prof. Yeung received professional training certificates from different Schools at Harvard University, “Master Planning: Moving toward a Sustainable City” and “Leadership and Design Thinking” from Graduate School of Design.