Saugus Business Partnership

Donald H. Wong, President of the Saugus Business Partnership and President of Kowloon's Restaurant, was recently sworn in by Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney as a member of the newly-created Diversity and Equal Opportunity Advisory Council. The council was created to reaffirm the Governor's commitment to creating a state government workforce that is reflective of the entire Massachusetts community.

Donald Wong

The Advisory Council was created through Executive Order No. 452 (03-10) with a primary purpose of encouraging the recruitment and retention of talented individuals from all backgrounds at every level of government. Its goals include creating a State workplace that welcomes diversity, along with several others that deal with the programs and services within the Commonwealth, including:

• identifiying and removing barriers to making programs and services accessible to all citizens of the Commonwealth;

• developing partnerships with public and private organizations to share the best practices for enhancing diversity;

• planning and implementing community outreach and diversity recruitment programs to increase the diversity of job applicants.

The council is comprised of members of public and private organizations including one member appointed by each of the following: Speaker of the House of Representatives, President of the Senate, and the Attorney General; and one member from each of the following: organized labor, veteran's organization, educational institution, civic association, business association, Director of Labor and Workforce Development; as well as five at-large members.

Joining Mr. Wong as a member of the council are:

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson; State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez; Pamela Dashiell, General Counsel, Office of the Attorney General; Ann Looney, General Counsel, Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists; Ralph Cooper, Executive Director, Veterans' Benefits Clearinghouse; Marie Trottier, Disability Coordinator, Harvard University; Benaree Wiley, President and CEO, The Partnership, Inc.; Carol Sanchez, President, Boston Chapter of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting; Jane Edmonds, Director, Department of Labor and Workforce Development; Reverend Richard Richardson, President and CEO, Children's Services of Roxbury; Leonard Alkins, President, Boston Chapter, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; Jonathan Spampinato, Director of Communications and Development, Visiting Nurses Association of America; and Oswald Mondejar, Human Resources Manager and Disability Coordinator, Partners Healthcare at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Mr. Wong's appointment and his activities as a member of the council will further enhance the Saugus Business Partnership's (SBP) commitment to improving and enhancing the quality of life, not only to Saugus businesses and residents, but also to the people of the Commonwealth.

Created by four prominent Saugus business representatives, the SBP has the ability and the desire to make a difference in the lives of the residents, businesses, organizations and institutions in the community. In addition to SBP President Wong, the other three founders are all captains of local industry, both as individuals and as representatives of their businesses. They include: Jim McIver, Plant Manager, RESCO; Russell Robbat, Palace Entertainment Complex; and John Smolinsky, Chief Executive Officer, Saugus Federal Credit Union.

To date, the organization has donated over $25,000 to Saugus programs and services. In addition to monetary contributions and services, the partnership is also committed to research, analyze and develop policy on issues affecting the economy in Saugus.

Founded in 2003 by four local business leaders, the Saugus Business Partnership (SBP) was created to improve and enhance the quality of life in Saugus. The SBP works to keep local programs up and running, and is committed to research, analyze and develop policy on issues affecting the economy in Saugus.