Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) has announced the appointment of a new Board Chairman and Vice Chairs, increasing the size of its Board of Directors from 18 to 21 members. John GF Ruggieri-Lam is the newly appointed BCA Chairman of the Board. Molly McDonald returns for a second year as BCA's Vice Chair, and Juan Carlos Gonzalez will serve in his first year as Vice Chair. These new appointments come on the heels of the BCA recently announcing the purchase of the Calderwood Pavilion from the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA).
The purchase of the Calderwood Pavilion allows BCA to become its trustee—to preserve and maintain this incredible building for both the artists that perform there and the audiences who visit.
"On behalf of BCA and the Board of Directors, I am thrilled to welcome John as the newly appointed Chairman of the Board, Molly as the newly appointed Vice Chair, and Juan Carlos as a new board member and Vice Chair," said Gregory Ruffer, BCA President & CEO. "We are confident that their perspectives, leadership, experience and passion for the arts will have a positive and meaningful impact on our commitment to arts in Boston."
John GF Ruggieri-Lam is an Attorney at Law and Founding Partner of the Law firm Dwyer, Ruggieri, Spino & Goncalves LLC. His firm focuses its practice on business, real estate development law and estate planning. John shares his excitement for being appointed as BCA's Board of Directors Chairman: "I am thrilled to play a role in the growth, and enhancement, of BCA's mission in the months and years to come."
Molly McDonald, who is currently an Organization Effectiveness Partner for Biogen, Inc. and has over 10 years of consulting experience, commented: "Supporting workforce development for artists is critical to keeping our diverse culture in the South End and I am thrilled to be an active part of that effort." Previously, Molly has worked for Next Street Financial as Managing Associate Talent Management, Watson Wyatt as Consultant and Towers Perrin as Consultant. Molly moved to Boston from Chicago and has been a South End resident for the past nine years. Juan Carlos Gonzalez is Founder of JC Consulting, based in Boston's South End.
JC Consulting specializes in real estate renovations, relocations and exclusive private and corporate events. Juan Carlos added: "I am thrilled to be part of such a wonderful organization like the BCA, which is evolving every day with many talented artists. As a business owner, I look forward to continuing to support the BCA and other local organizations devoted to the arts and much needed social causes." Outside of his firm, Juan Carlos is active in the Boston arts scene, having sat on the host committee for the 2016 MFA Council Summer Party. Following on these successes, Juan Carlos initially assisted the Boston Center for the Arts as a Co-Chair for the BCA Ball 2017, and currently serves on the MFA Museum Council Steering Committee.