Page 31 - BusinessWest October 28, 2024

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A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST Women of IMPACT
Now Retired, She’s Still Making a Deep Impact on the Region
By George O’Brien
ianne Fuller Doherty considers herself per- haps this region’s biggest cheerleader.
Indeed, while technically a transplant
(although she earned a bachelor’s degree
at Mount Holyoke College), she is forever
But ‘cheerleader’ doesn’t begin to explain why she’s been chosen as a Woman of Impact for 2024. This is not a knock on cheerleaders, but they essentially stand on the sidelines and cheer those in the game — and Fuller Doherty has never been one to stand on the sidelines.
She’s always been involved, and on many different levels — from being a business owner to becoming
a co-founder of the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts; from leading one of the key engines
in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the Massachusetts Small Business Development Center’s regional office, to serving on the boards of several area institutions and nonprofits; from serving as a mentor to countless small-business owners, especially women, to acting as a role model — to her own children and many of those she mentors.
“If we don’t have strong educational institutions, we don’t have a future, and one of my big beliefs is helping the public schools of Springfield — because that is central to the success of our region.”
Her contributions of time, energy, and talent have been spread across a wide spectrum, but there has always been a special emphasis on the broad realm of education due to its obvious impact on the future of the region.
“Paul and I made a commitment to education, starting with our own schools and now some of the local schools, which we believe in, because they’re central
to the future of Western Mass.,” she said, referencing her husband, who passed away several years ago and
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extolling the 413’s virtues and promoting it as a place to live, work, and put down seeds for a business.
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Photo by Leah Martin Photography
BusinessWest
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Women of IMPACTwas equally involved in the community. “If we don’t
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Dianne Fuller Doherty
Co-founder, Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts; Former Director, Massachusetts Small Business Development Center’s Regional Office