The research will investigate barriers to postsecondary education recruitment and job training for women in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities.
Boston, MA – March 7, 2024 – The Women’s Foundation of Boston (WFBoston) today
announced the launch of a multi-phase research project in partnership with the University of
Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell). Led by Yanfen Li, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in UMass
Lowell’s Department of Biomedical Engineering, this project will identify barriers women in
Gateway Cities face when pursuing postsecondary education and workforce training.
This five-phase project will analyze data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education (DESE) to identify subpopulations that are least likely to attend
postsecondary institutions. Working with designated school districts, high school seniors and
recent graduates will be interviewed about their post-graduate plans. Researchers will then
conduct focus groups with current postsecondary students to identify key educational and social
supports.
“WFBoston is thrilled to embark on this critical research initiative with UMass Lowell which will
help create and implement programming that best supports women across Massachusetts,” said
Christina Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of Boston. “As a data-
driven grantmaking organization, this research will allow us to better understand the unique
challenges of women and girls in Gateway Cities, which will shape our future initiatives and
partnerships. We look forward to working with Dr. Li to support women and girls in our
Gateway Cities to change the trajectory of their lives.”
Defined as midsize urban centers that anchor regional economies across Massachusetts,
Gateway Cities such as Lowell, Worcester, and Springfield are often under-resourced and lack
sufficient women and girl-serving programming. Across the 26 Gateway City school districts in
the state, only an average of 54% of women actively plan to attend an institution of higher
education. Increasing access to educational resources in these cities is a crucial step to empower
young women to further their education and improve their financial health.
With the final report, WFBoston and UMass Lowell will be able to better identify and respond to
difficulties that women and girls experience in furthering their education and becoming
financially independent and successful leaders. The information gathered can also be used by
policymakers, community organizations, businesses, nonprofits, and elected officials to develop
solutions that can be translated across industries and regions.
“Through my ongoing work at UMass Lowell to increase the representation of women in the
STEM workforce, I have seen firsthand the obstacles that women and girls face when accessing
postsecondary education and workforce training,” said Yanfen Li, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at
UMass Lowell’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. “We are grateful for this new
partnership with WFBoston and know that this research will be a catalyst for bringing new
opportunities into the Gateway Cities.”
To learn more about WFBoston’s work to economically empower women and girls in
Massachusetts, please visit: https://wfboston.org/
###
About Women’s Foundation of Boston:
The Women’s Foundation of Boston, Inc. is a nonprofit public charity that creates, funds, and
accelerates high-impact economic and leadership programs that equip Greater Boston women
and girls to be financially independent and successful leaders. WFBoston is becoming the
primary vehicle for investing in women and girls in Greater Boston and is building a fast-
growing network of female nonprofit and business leaders.
About the University of Massachusetts Lowell:
The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a nationally ranked public research university
committed to excellence in teaching, research and community engagement. We strive to prepare
students to succeed in college and to become lifelong learners and informed citizens in a global
environment. UMass Lowell offers affordable, experience-based undergraduate and graduate
academic programs taught by internationally recognized faculty who conduct research to
expand the horizons of knowledge and sustainable practices. The programs span and
interconnect the disciplines of business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities,
sciences and social sciences. The university continues to build on its founding tradition of
innovation, entrepreneurship and partnerships with industry and the community to address
challenges facing the region and the world. Learn more at uml.edu.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, was named President and CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 2016. She is also Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Previously, she was the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean and Professor of Medicine of Weill Cornell Medicine and Provost for Medical Affairs of Cornell University. Dr. Glimcher is a distinguished immunologist, widely renowned for her work in one of the most promising areas of cancer research.
Linda Henry is the CEO of the Boston Globe Media Partners. She is a co-founder of HUBweek, a civic collaboration between the Boston Globe, Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT that explores the future being built at the intersection of art, science and technology. Linda is also an early-stage impact investor, an Emmy-Award winning television producer with two shows currently airing, and a community activist. She serves as a director of the Red Sox Foundation, is a trustee of the Liverpool Football Club Foundation, chair of the Boston Globe Foundation, and chairman of the John W. Henry Family Foundation. In addition, she is a founder of the Boston Public Market, serves on the advisory board of MassChallenge, and is on the board of the Engine at MIT. She earned a BS from Babson College and her MS from MIT.
Bekah Salwasser joined the Red Sox Foundation as the Executive Director in January of 2018. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Brown University and has extensive experience in philanthropy and both professional and semi-professional sports. After four years working as Community Relations Director for the Boston Celtics, Bekah went on to lead Scholar Athletes as its Executive Director, a program that supports public high school athletes with both their athletic and academic achievements. Earlier in her career, Bekah served as a professional soccer player for the Boston Breakers and as Executive Director of the Charlestown Lacrosse and Learning Center.
Kimberly Fay Boucher is a business executive who has driven high performance organizations in technology, consumer products and social enterprise/nonprofit industries over the past 25 years. She is currently the Technology Commercialization Business Leader for the CTO at Analog Devices, where she is responsible for driving new technologies from incubation stages to successful businesses. Kim is also a Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where she teaches Disciplined Entrepreneurship in the Martin Trust Center. She holds a BS in Management Industrial Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is a NCAA Academic All-American Women’s Basketball player and has been inducted into the WPI Hall of Fame.
Ami Kuan Danoff (Co-Founder and CFO) is a private investor and the trustee of a foundation. She is a Harvard Quantum Founder and a member of the Harvard FAS Dean’s Council. Ami earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in Visual and Environmental Studies and holds a dual master’s degree in Applied Economics and International Finance from the Sloan School of Management at MIT. She was a portfolio manager in global equities at Putnam Investments and co-manager of the Putnam International New Opportunities Fund, and also worked as an international equities analyst at Fidelity Investments.
Christina Heenan Suh holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in English and Marketing and a master’s from Columbia University. A former management consultant, her work focused on strategy and implementation projects for Fortune 100 clients. She was also an account executive at Hill+Knowlton (WPP) marketing consumer packaged goods. As an Executive Board Member of the Brookline Education Foundation, which funds professional development in the Brookline Public Schools, Christina led their Grant and Oversight Committees. She currently sits on the board of the Brookline Library Foundation and teaches ESL at Rosie’s Place in Boston.
Christina Gordon (Co-Founder and CEO) holds a dual master’s degree in International Finance and Applied Economics from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston University and also studied for a joint master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Sociology at Brandeis with a focus on women in the workplace. Christina is a former assistant fund manager and technology industry equity analyst at Wellington Management. She also worked as a stock analyst at Fidelity Investments. She is a trustee of a private foundation, a member of Women Moving Millions and currently sits on the board of Rosie’s Place, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women in Boston.