105th Annual Dinner & Distinguished Leaders Awards
Annual Dinner Ticket Pricing
- $150 for Chamber members
- $200 non-members
- Sponsorships, listed separately, come with tickets.
Please contact Cheryl Begin, Director of Sales and Marketing, for more details. Thank you for your support!
NOVEMBER 16, 2023
More than 400 Chamber members, supporters and community members gathered at Danversport for the 104th Annual Dinner.
The crowd was addressed by keynote speaker Josh Kraft, president of The New England Patriots Foundation, who praised the Chamber for its advocacy, collaboration and educational initiatives. Highlighting Thrive’s “Networking for a Cause” nights, and the Chamber’s longstanding tradition of recognizing the top scholars from around the North Shore, Kraft commended the business community for making an impact on the region.
“You act, unite, and bring people together, and that’s really what drives all philanthropy,” Kraft told the audience. He stressed the underlying importance of maintaining compassion and respect for those around us. “Compassion is the cornerstone of civilization,” he noted.
The Chamber also celebrated this year’s Distinguished Leader award recipients: Bernadette Butterfield, Senior Vice President, Business Strategy & Development, Groom Construction; David Eidle, SVP-Regional Manager/Massachusetts Business Banking, M&T Bank, and David Morales, General Manager, UniCare.
New Board of Directors member Jeff Doherty, Senior Counsel at MacLean Holloway Doherty and Sheehan, was announced, and the new managing board and Chamber officers were installed.
2023 Distinguished Leader Award Recipients
David Morales
General Manager
UniCare
David Morales serves as general manager of UniCare, a health benefits company in Andover. He oversees management of UniCare’s commercial and Medicare plans offered to members insured through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC). He is collaborates with healthcare providers, elected officials, regulators, labor unions, and other key stakeholders to drive improvements in healthcare access, quality, affordability, member experience, and health outcomes for UniCare members throughout New England.
Morales’ professional history includes several public service roles. He served as Massachusetts Commissioner of Health Care Finance and Policy and as deputy chief of staff to Gov. Deval Patrick, as well as senior adviser to Senate President Robert Travaglini and as an adviser to Speaker of the House of Representatives Thomas Finneran. During this time, he was one of the principal authors of the state’s health care reform law (Chapter 58 of 2006) and the health care cost and transparency law (Chapter 305 of 2008).
In addition, David has expertise in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. He implemented and operated the first prescription drug insurance model in the U.S. – Prescription Advantage under Governor Jane Swift – which served as the incubator for Medicare Part D, and was the co-author of the legislation which launched the Massachusetts Life Sciences initiative.
A graduate of Bowdoin College, he is a best-selling author, renowned researcher and lecturer in traditional music from Puerto Rico, and is very active in his community. He serves on several boards, including Ahora Inc., Cristo Rey High School in Boston, the MA Association of Health Plans, the MA Health Quality Partners (MHQP), MA Business Roundtable, Bethany Congregational Church, North Shore Chamber of Commerce and the Lynn Classical High School Board of Directors. David lives in Lynnfield, Mass., with his wife and their two children.
Bernadette Butterfield
Senior Vice President, Business Strategy & Development
Groom Construction
As Senior Vice President of Business Strategy & Development, Bernadette plays a pivotal role in client and community relations while positioning the company for continued success and growth.
Bernadette manages Groom’s project pipeline, with a focus on supporting new business pursuits, increasing brand recognition, strengthening existing relationships and creating new partnerships. Among her proudest professional achievements is directing the community outreach and nonprofit work that aligns with Groom’s mission to strengthen and support the community.
Bernadette serves on the Board of Advisors for Harborlight Homes; the Managing Board of Directors and Governance Committee of The North Shore Chamber; the Board of Directors for The Salem Chamber; the Development Committee for Lifebridge North Shore; and the Board of Directors of the Salem Partnership. She is a former Trustee for the Essex National Heritage Association and former Board member of the Friends of the Marblehead Public Schools.
She is honored to serve on the Steering Committee of THRIVE for the North Shore Chamber, and is deeply committed to THRIVE’s mission of supporting and empowering women in business both personally and professionally.
Prior to joining Groom in 2012, Bernadette worked for the Massachusetts Attorney General, the Marketing Services Division of State Street Bank, and served as Press Liaison for the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series in the America’s Cup Races in Perth, Australia. Bernadette lives in Marblehead with her husband and three children. She graduated from College of the Holy Cross and attended the Institute of Public Administration in Dublin, Ireland.
Bernadette is a current 2023 Fellow of the North Shore LEADS program (Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive System-wide Change). Her industry organizations include NAIOP (Commercial Real Estate Development Association), NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction), ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) and CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women).
David Eidle
SVP-Regional Manager/Massachusetts Business Banking
M&T Bank
Dave Eidle leads M&T’s Business Banking teams in Massachusetts. After joining M&T in 2018, he built the Eastern-MA team as a start-up and it quickly became the #1 performing team in the organization. Upon the Peoples United merger into M&T in 2022, Dave was promoted to Head of Business Banking for all of Massachusetts. He manages offices in Danvers, Boston, Worcester and Springfield. Prior to joining M&T, Dave held executive leadership roles with several local Massachusetts banks, including Everett Bank and Legacy Bancorps. Dave has over 38 years of experience in commercial lending and operations in the Greater Boston market with both regional and national banking institutions including Fleet Bank, Bank of America, Santander and Berkshire Bank.
Dave is past President and Treasurer of the Everett Rotary Club. He sits on the Board of Directors of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce and has been very active in the North Shore community for the past 23 years. His passion is mentoring young professionals in their careers and aspirations. He was instrumental in organizing the Emerging Leaders program at the North Shore Chamber which helps young professionals in the North Shore communities accelerate their professional growth through collaborative networking events, skill development and financial education workshops.
A native of New York and graduate of Marist College, Dave and his wife, Ivy, are residents of Middleton. Dave is also the President of the David W. Eidle Jr Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Fund was established by Dave and Ivy to keep their son David’s memory alive, who passed away unexpectedly last July, by awarding annual college scholarships in his name to local deserving scholar/athlete who exemplify the qualities and characteristics that David lived his life by and the cornerstones of his education and professional career as a CPA.
2023 PRESENTING SPONSORS
2023 Platinum Sponsors
2023 Title Sponsors
2023 Gold Sponsors
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2022 Annual Dinner & Awards Highlights
