Shattuck awards to honor 11 city, business leaders
Eleven Boston city and business leaders are being honored by the Boston Municipal Research Bureau for their public service and efforts to make the city a better place.
The Henry L. Shattuck Public Service Awards, created in 1985, honor select city of Boston employees who go the extra distance and have committed themselves to excellence in public service.
This year’s ceremony will honor nine city employees, including: Michael Cannizzo, senior architect for the Boston Planning and Development Agency; James Fitzgibbons, senior building custodian for the Property Management Department; Robert Gehret Jr., deputy director of policy development and research for the Department of Neighborhood Development; Alan Gentle, manager of the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment of the Office of Workforce Development; Leroy Ivey, outreach coordinator for the Bureau of Recovery Services at the Boston Public Health Commission; Boston police officer Michelle Maffeo of the Boston Police Department Street Outreach Team; Maria Rodriguez, lunch monitor at the Maurice J. Tobin K-8 School; Claudia Rufo, lead surround care teacher at the Baldwin Early Learning Pilot Academy; and John Sullivan, chief engineer and operations officer at the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.
Rodriguez is being recognized for her “constant support of students” and how she encourages students to make healthy food choices.
“She is the glue that holds the community together and is an inspiration to children and adults,” according to the Research Bureau’s biography. “Children love her. Adults revere her principled approach to situations and her concern for everyone. In her quiet, but loving way, Maria is a role model.”
Maffeo is being recognized for her work in helping people with autistic spectrum disorders or Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers, and helping first responders understand the challenges these people face and how to care for them.
Maffeo developed a mandatory training program on autism and Alzheimer’s for Boston police officers and has since brought the training to the Suffolk Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, James Gallagher, executive vice president and general counsel for Manulife/John Hancock and Kate Walsh, president and chief executive officer of the Boston Medical Center Health System are receiving the Shattuck City Champion Awards, which are given to those who work in the private sector who have made significant contributions to the Boston community.
At BMC, Walsh’s vision “is to make Boston one of the healthiest urban communities in the country by 2030,” according to the bureau’s biography.
Gallagher, in addition to his work, was also part of a small group that worked to create the One Fund Boston following the Boston Marathon bombings and serves as chairman of the board of trustees for the Catholic Charities of Boston.
“Despite his corporate responsibilities, Jim is engaged in civic organizations that serve the greater Boston community,” his biography reads. “Despite his many responsibilities, Jim always has time to listen to or care for a friend, co-worker or colleague in need of an empathetic ear. He takes his role as a colleague and mentor seriously and is a model of how a leader should lead.”
The Shattuck awards dinner and ceremony will be held Tuesday at the Seaport Hotel in the Seaport District.