Page 26 - BusinessWest April 27, 2026

2026
40 Under Forty:
Paul Accorsi Jr.…A6
Alexandra Balise…A8
Felicia Barr…A10
Anthony Boido…A12
Alicia Brown…A11
Kate Caligaris…A12
Lezlie Braxton Campbell…A14
Darryl Cole…A15
Mychal Connolly Jr.…A15
Steven Costa…A16
Giancarlo Crivelli…A17
Danielle Delgado…A18
Mariana DeLobato…A17
April Doroski…A19
Jack Dowd…A20
Tom Dowling…A22
Jill Foley…A23
Evan Garber…A24
Ted Hanna…A25
Ali Haqq…A26
Brooke Jones…A30
Sara Landaverde…A27
Kylie LaPlante…A28
Heather Leclerc…A29
Siobhan Matty…A31
Jesse McMillan…A32
Daniel Miller…A32
Robyn Miller…A36
Jamillah Joy Medina Nova…A33
Shannon O’Connell…A34
John Page…A35
Leanese Ramos…A36
Bianca Romero…A37
Corrine Ryan…A40
Aimee Salmon…A40
Amanda Shafii…A38
Nicole Stevenson…A41
Brandon Towle…A41
Yeselie Tulloch…A42
Isaac Weiner…A42
#40U40
A4 2026
Introducing the 40 Under Forty Class of 2026
When BusinessWest launched a program in 2007
to honor young professionals in Western Mass.
— not only for their career achievements, but for
their service to the community — there was little concern
that the initial flow of nominations might slow to a trickle
years later.
We were right, as 40 Under Forty has continued to be
a coveted honor in the region’s
business community, evidenced
by the large stack of nominations
this year’s five independent judges
were tasked with reading — more
than 500 pages in all, supporting
about 120 nominations.
That’s because most nominators
were just as passionate as we
are about this program, now
celebrating its milestone 20th
year — justifiable enthusiasm, we
might add, considering the heights
this year’s class have scaled in
their careers and their impactful service to communities
across Western Mass. In a very competitive field, many
worthy individuals barely missed the cut. But there’s always
next year, and nominations are welcome all year long.
As usual, this year’s winners hail from a host of different
industries, from banking to engineering; from education
to retail; from real estate to nonprofits, just to name a
few. Many are advancing the work of long-established
businesses, while others, with an entrepreneurial bent,
created their own opportunities instead of waiting for
them to emerge. Almost all would be justified in saying
their careers leave them no time for volunteer service. Yet,
almost all are doing what they can — which is usually a lot
— for their communities and local nonprofits.
Come celebrate them at the 20th annual 40 Under Forty
Gala on Thursday, June 11 at the MassMutual Center in
Springfield. Tickets cost $140 and go on sale on April 25 at
businesswest.com/eventcalendar/40-under-forty-event-
gala. They will sell out quickly. The presenting sponsor
of this year’s 40 Under Forty is PeoplesBank. Partner
sponsors include the Dowd Agencies, the Isenberg School
of Management at UMass Amherst, and Mercedes-Benz of
Springfield.
Meet the Judges
This year’s judges — all 40 Under Forty alumni themselves — were chosen to reflect the program’s 20-year breadth.
When Patrick Leary
was named to the
inaugural 40 Under
Forty cohort in 2007,
he was a partner with
Moriarty & Primack,
P.C. That firm is now
MP CPAs, where Leary
is a shareholder, direct-
ing accounting and
auditing services and
working with closely
held and family-owned
businesses providing
advisory services in a
wide variety of indus-
tries, including con-
struction, distribution,
and manufacturing.
Scott Foster was
named to the fifth 40
Under Forty class in
2011, as an attorney
with Bulkley, Richard-
son and Gelinas. Now
a partner with Bulkley
Richardson, he has
represented startups,
angel investors, and
venture capital groups,
as well as corporations
in industries like preci-
sion manufacturing,
high-growth tech-
nology, commercial
food production, and
multi-family residential
housing.
Shannon Rudder was
director of Mother-
Woman Inc. when she
joined the 10th 40 Un-
der Forty class in 2016.
Today, she is president
and CEO of Martin
Luther King Jr. Fam-
ily Services, leading
innovative programs
in educational enrich-
ment, public health,
youth leadership, food
access, family support,
and economic oppor-
tunity, empowering
individuals, youth, and
families to overcome
barriers and lead pur-
poseful, liberated lives.
Matthew Kushi was
chosen for the 15th
edition of 40 Under
Forty in 2021 in his
role as academic mat-
ters coordinator of
Graduate and Profes-
sional Programs for
the Isenberg School of
Management at UMass
Amherst, and for his
success as owner of
Kushi Farm and North
Hadley Chili Pepper
Co. Today, as academic
advisor of Graduate
Programs at Isenberg
— and on the farm
— he remains busy in
both worlds.
Representing the most
recent cohort of 40
Under Forty honorees,
from the class of 2025,
Tori Thompson has
forged a successful ca-
reer as vice president
and head of Internal
Audit for PeoplesBank,
spearheading a critical
line of defense for the
institution — while
also being recognized
internally by the bank
for her volunteerism
and dedication to com-
munity causes.
Go online for more info: https://businesswest.com/40-under-forty/
Business W est