Tom Hopcroft Email & Phone Number

Boston, Ma, Us

Boston, Ma, Us

Boston, Ma, Us

The Industry Advisory Board is made up of leaders from sectors including clean tech, business, engineering, education, healthcare, and more. This board plays a critical role in reviewing and advising on the college’s academic programs, ensuring they remain relevant, high-quality, and aligned with industry needs. Founded in 1908 with funds from Benjamin Franklin’s will, the college has a storied history of preparing students with cutting-edge skills for high-demand fields like clean energy, healthcare technology, and computer networking.

With ownership of nine buildings, the school department oversees the majority of our town’s municipal buildings, including the all-electric net zero Lynch Elementary School, currently under construction. This liaison role will enable better communication and coordination with the town’s Climate Action Advisory Committee in support of the Select Board’s climate goals as outlined in the town’s climate action plan.

After serving as Chair last year, it is an honor to have been elected by the Committee to support our new Chair in leadership as her Vice Chair for the 2024-25 year.

There are a lot of challenges in our world today and rather than complain from the sidelines, I chose in 2021 to run in a contested town-wide election for one of two seats on the Winchester School Committee. With a lot of creative innovation I mounted a mostly virtual campaign during a pandemic and was pleased to be elected with the highest number of votes (1,798) among the four candidates and with a margin of over 150 votes. Serving on this 5-person committee is a great responsibility as we are entrusted with the wellbeing of our students, and with a $60M+ budget, we have a dominant hand in caring for the wellbeing of our town.In 2024, I ran for re-election in another contested race with four candidates seeking two seats. This time my campaign was more IRL (in real life) than virtual, and I was greatly honored to have been reelected for another three- year term.

Thank you to my fellow School Committee members for your show of support in unanimously electing me to serve at Chair of the committee. It is a humble honor and great responsibility that I take very seriously as we oversee the well-being and success of 4,000+ students, a $60M+ budget, and the construction of a $94.5M, all electric, net zero elementary school (first net zero building in town).

I was more than honored to be elected by my fellow committee members to serve in leadership as the Vice Chair of the School Committee. In this role I am able to work more closely with the Chair and Superintendent to have a greater impact on the ability of all our students to reach their fullest potential. As Vice Chair, I'll also have the opportunity to deepen my relationships and work more closely with other elected leaders in town and on Beacon Hill.

Belmont, Ma, Us

The McLean Board of Visitors is a group of nearly 200 individuals who serve as McLean ambassadors and advocates and who share a keen interest in mental health issues. They come together annually to hear updates about the hospital and stay current on recent innovations and trends in behavioral and mental health research and treatments.

Boston, Massachusetts, Us

The Commonwealth Climate Coalition is accelerating the state's green transition. The CCC builds and delivers needed coalition value between the Massachusetts growth economy, labor leaders, universities, state officials, and nonprofits in moving the Commonwealth to global leadership on clean electricity.

Net Zero Institute (NZI), the leading decarbonization organization, helps companies accelerate their transition toward a carbon-neutral economy. With practical measures and strategic eco-friendly initiatives, the non-profit serves as a catalyst for business transformation, fostering environmental progress. CXOs and sustainability leaders also harnesses NZI’s powerful community of experts and change-makers to design green business strategies and implement decarbonization best practices to positively impact people, planet and profitability. To learn how NZI is helping shape a sustainable future, please visit www.netzero-institute.org.

The Innovation Trail is a way to experience, learn about, and be inspired by four centuries of world-changing breakthroughs from Boston. Starting in Summer 2022, you'll be able to bring a group and walk it in person, or use our website to take a virtual stroll through the history of science, medicine, and technology. We want the Trail to showcase what has happened here in the past — but also to inspire you to create the next great innovation!

Boston, Ma, Us

I am proud to serve on the board of this independent, non-profit organization serving as the innovation hub for robotics and connected devices. Through our programming and events, we help bring together innovative startups and existing technology organizations to nurture the next generation of talent, and promote economic growth and innovation. By working with diverse local talent, we are helping to bring about the next global evolution of robotics. I am proud to have played a role in the creation of MassRobotics and in our leadership in celebrating, advancing, and inspiring more women to join the field of robotics through The Robotics Medal.

I have been a member, board member, and vice president (2013-15) of the Friends of Winter Pond (FWP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the care and conservation of Winter Pond, a kettle pond that has been designated a Great Pond in Massachusetts. Located in Winchester, MA, the FWP seeks to sustainably manage the pond through community education and conservation efforts.

While in law school I had the opportunity to serve as Governor for the First Circuit of the American Bar Association's Law Student Division (representing the 14 accredited law schools in New England). Upon admission to the bar, I became involved with the Information Security Committee of the Electronic Commerce and Information Technology Division within the ABA's Section of Science and Technology. I worked with the committee and the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, Washington, DC, and San Francisco, on the drafting and editing of the ABA's Digital Signature Guidelines: Legal Infrastructure for Certification Authorities and Secure Electronic Commerce, published in 1996. It was this work that started my journey into convening and driving impact in the tech community.

Dedham, Massachusetts, Us

I have handed off management responsibilities and moved into an advisory capacity. This is an exciting time for the Council as we embark on a post-pandemic strategy centered around community, impact, and learning, with a healthy balance sheet, capable team, and diverse and engaged board. I look forward to celebrating the many successes to come under the leadership of our next visionary CEO.

Dedham, Massachusetts, Us

A few years after the merger that created MassTLC, I took on the role of President & CEO, leading organizational strategy and team development, as well as serving as spokesperson with the press and policymakers. During my tenure, I doubled the Council's operating budget and staff; created industry-wide programs that attracted thousands of participants, like the Innovation unConference, NewCo Boston, and Boston TechJam; launched a new podcast (2,000+ downloads and counting); created a focus on equity and inclusion with team and board diversity goals, a 2030 Challenge to double the participation of black and Latinx workers, the Tech Compact for Social Justice, the Board-Ready Bootcamp to bring more diversity into the tech boardroom, the Mosaic Award to spotlight and honor those exemplars in our community, and more. In 2022, I was happy to announce that we achieved a gender parity goal I had set for the board.

Dedham, Massachusetts, Us

After merging the organization I founded with the Software Council to form MassTLC, I took on community engagement and customer success leadership role creating and leading our executive peer communities in energy/sustainability/IT; financial services/IT; healthcare/IT; life sciences/IT; Controls, Sensors, and RFID; Robotics, Open Source; SAAS; SOA; and Social Media. I grew customer and stakeholder engagement, facilitating interactions and initiatives with entrepreneurs, enterprise executives, analysts, influencers, VCs, and press. Named by The Boston Globe as "the state's most influential tech-group," the Mass Technology Leadership Council was formed by the merger of the New England Business and Technology Association and the Mass Software Council during the summer of 2005. A group of both technology buyers and developers, our mission is to accelerate innovation, growth, and the development of an inclusive tech community.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with Maura Healey over the better part of a decade on a variety of issues, most notably supporting her in opposing the Muslim travel ban enacted by our former president. As the first openly gay woman elected Governor in the United States, she will continue her advocacy for justice and equality, particularly for our youth. She is a nationally recognized leader on climate action, one of the most important issues of our time, and understands the risks and the opportunities for Massachusetts to lead, innovate and create jobs as we transition to a clean energy future. Raised by educators, she understands the need, as we emerge from the pandemic, to rebuild and modernize our education system to make it work better for everyone. As AG, she’s funded groundbreaking programming across the state to prevent substance use disorder, combat sexual assault, stop gun violence and bullying, and help young people build healthy relationships in school. As governor, she will treat mental and behavioral health as seriously as other forms of healthcare. Her priorities also include voting rights; reproductive freedom; affordable housing; safe, reliable, accessible, and clean transportation; and more.

Chairing the board of the Education Foundation was very rewarding as we were inspiring and changing the career trajectories of girls and young women who may not otherwise have seen tech as an option for them. The focus of the Education Foundation is a program called Technovation Girls, the flagship of the non-profit Technovation. It is the world’s largest global tech entrepreneurship competition for girls. The program offers girls around the world the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to emerge as tech entrepreneurs and leaders. Since 2009, over 16,000 girls have participated from over 100 countries. One alumnae of the program wrote to me to say that it "changed my life. The experience inspired me to study computer science in college and as a result I will be starting a full-time job this August as a software engineer at Microsoft."

The Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 founded in 1996. Our vision is for all students in Massachusetts to understand the principles of computer science and how it applies in the world. We believe all students deserve access to the knowledge needed to build technology and to contribute to the innovation in the 21st century. We focus on computer science education for girls and underrepresented minorities. We connect the tech sector with educators, academics, public policy makers, non-profits and parents to accelerate STEM education.

As CEO of MassTLC, I had the opportunity to work with the amazing team at Matter Communications to create and host the first two seasons of the award-winning On the Tech Trail podcast. In Season 1 we wanted to get into the minds of the region’s top tech leaders and create a contemporaneous record of how they were navigating the challenges of the pandemic in 2020, from managing remote teams, to pivoting business, ensuring the well-being of staff, and so much more. In Season 2, we look at how events that culminated in 2020, including the murder of George Floyd, shaped our future. We chronicled the experiences of leaders and contributed to a national conversation about on social justice. Picking up on themes from Season 1, we confronted Boston’s sorted history around race and how the brand reputation of the city inhibits our ability to attract top talent and be the beacon of innovation for which so many strive.

As Chair of the FAAP Committee, I served on the Board's Executive Committee along with the Board Chair, Vice Chair, and Academic Affairs Committee Chair. The Executive Committee provided an important coordination role for the boarder board.

I Chaired the Fiscal Affairs & Administrative Policy (FAAP) Committee of the board. The role of the FAAP Committee is to consider, report and make recommendations to the full board on matters relative to the fiscal affairs and administrative policy for the system of public colleges and the university including but not limited to: budget development; buildings/facilities/technology planning and financing; tuition, fees and financial aid; presidential compensation. While Chairing the FAAP Committee I had the opportunity to pitch an innovative solution to an education access challenge that led to the North Shore Community College-Uber Ride Share Program.

I was appointed to the 13-member Board of Higher Education by Governor Deval Patrick and later reaffirmed by Governor Charlie Baker. The mission of the Board of Higher Education is to ensure that Massachusetts residents have the opportunity to benefit from a higher education that enriches their lives and advances their contributions to the civic life, economic development, and social progress of the Commonwealth.

Pittsburgh, Pa, Us

I participated with TECNA, an association of associations represents 52+ IT and Technology trade organizations that, in turn, represent more than 22,000 technology-related companies in North America. Together, we empower regional technology organizations and serve as their collective voice in growing the North American technology economy. Through our annual DC Fly-Ins, CEO retreats, and Summer Conferences, we worked to foster collaboration, innovation, and the exchange of ideas among the various groups.

Pittsburgh, Pa, Us

I served as Vice Chair at a pivotal time for TECNA as we were professionalizing the organization, refreshing its bylaws and board structure, moving from a volunteer to a paid executive director, etc. I took on the annual research which gave me an opportunity to seek insights into the questions that could help move all our member organizations forward.

Boston, Ma, Us

I had the opportunity to teach several semesters of a senior-level Information Resource Management and an intro-level Introduction to Information Systems course to undergraduate students in business administration. I utilized the case method and guest speakers to illustrate concepts and excite students about the material and about potential careers in MIS (Management Information Systems), thereby supporting IT workforce needs of the local business community.

The New England Business and Technology Association was the next evolution of Mass eComm. Mass eComm had inspired the creation of several regional groups, New York eComm, Texas eComm and a few others, so launched a national platform called eBuzz to connect all the regional eComm groups. Later, I had the opportunity to join with the state's largest technology vendor group, the Mass Software Council, to form the Mass Technology Leadership Council in 2005.

As I traveled to Paris, DC, and San Francisco to work with the International Chamber of Commerce and the Information Security Committee of the Electronic Commerce and Information Technology Division of the American Bar Association's Section of Science and Technology, I'd always see a bunch of people from Boston so I began convening these tech and policy leaders locally. The late 90's were the dot com boom and my side hustle quickly became my full time job. IBM was branding ebusiness so we chose e-commerce as we thought it was broad enough to capture our scope at the intersection of tech and financial services, healthcare, life sciences, and retail & logistics. Unfortunately e-commerce came to mean e-tail so we eventually changed our name to New England Business & Technology Association.

After great experiences in law school -- winning my case in the DA's office, serving as governor for the First Circuit of the American Bar Association's Law Student Division, and getting published in the New England Journal on Criminal and Civil Confinement -- I decided to learn the tech PR business. This year taught me so much about high-tech media relations, analyst relations, and speaker placement that served me well over my career leading tech organizations.

John F. Kennedy School Of Government, Executive Education

Juris Doctor

Ba, History

Natural Ecosystems Of The Sierra Nevada