MassINC Names Joe Kriesberg President, CEO

BOSTON — Joe Kriesberg has been named the next president and CEO of MassINC, a non-partisan think tank dedicated to making Massachusetts a place of civic vitality and inclusive economic opportunity.

Kriesberg will oversee all strategic planning, fundraising, and operations for the organization’s work across multiple disciplines, including research and civic programs, and will serve as publisher of CommonWealth, MassINC’s civic news outlet. The organization also includes the MassINC Polling Group, a for-profit subsidiary of MassINC.

Kriesberg will join MassINC after nearly 30 years at the Massachusetts Assoc. of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), an organization which he has led as president and CEO for the past 20 years. MACDC is the policy and capacity-building arm of the community-development movement in Massachusetts, with 100 nonprofit member organizations across the state. As President, Kriesberg was responsible for the overall management of the agency, including financial management and fundraising, program development and implementation, policy advocacy, staff supervision, board management, and strategic planning.

In his role leading MACDC, Kriesberg has been a strong advocate for vibrant communities and has advanced issues such as economic opportunity, affordable housing, and innovative development, all of which align with MassINC’s dedication to civic vitality and economic inclusion.

“With his background at MACDC, proven track record of results, and deep expertise on the most timely issues facing the Commonwealth, I can’t think of a better person than Joe to build upon MassINC’s success over the last 27 years and carry this incredible organization into the future,” said Greg Torres, MassINC board chair and co-chair of the search committee. Torres also served as president of MassINC from 2007 to 2016.

Kriesberg, who will officially start in mid-January, will replace Lauren Louison Grogan, who was most recently MassINC’s president and CEO. Maeve Duggan, currently chief operating officer of MassINC, has been acting president and CEO since June.

“MassINC plays a unique and vital role in maintaining Massachusetts’ leadership in our democracy,” Kriesberg said. “At a moment when our Commonwealth is working to build a more inclusive and equitable economy and respectful public discourse, the need for high quality, fact-based research; collaborative civic engagement; and exceptional journalism that a nonpartisan organization such as MassINC offers has never been more important. I am thrilled and honored to lead this work, and I can’t wait to get started.”