Who will be the Distinguished Leader in 2018?

MIT App Inventor

MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)
MassTLC Distinguished Leadership Award 2017

The MIT App Inventor team created an intuitive, visual programming environment that allows millions of people around the world to build fully functional apps for smartphones and tablets.

Through programs like Technovation that work to help middle and high school aged girls address community challenges, App Inventor is enabling real empowerment to achieve social impact of immeasurable value for communities in Massachusetts
and across the globe. They’ve lowered the technical barriers, enabling people around the globe to innovate, solve problems, and capture new opportunities.

Find out more about MIT App Inventor – and build an app! – HERE

David Delmar

Resilient Coders
MassTLC Distinguished Leadership Award 2016

David founded Resilient Coders to help teach young people from traditionally underserved communities how to code. His vision is to connect them with lucrative and meaningful careers. It’s a multi-tiered program that includes learning HTML, participation in “coworking” sessions, and ultimately, employment at local tech companies including his own Resilient Lab.

Find out more about David and Resilient Coders HERE

Charlie LaFauci & Shawn Szturma

Somerville Public Schools & Pegasystems
MassTLC Distinguished Leadership Award 2015

“Mike, Debbie, John, Charlie and Shawn epitomize the kind of innovative thinking and take-charge leadership that has characterized the Massachusetts innovation economy for more than three centuries. Not content to merely excel in their particular fields, each has recognized needs within their communities and taken the initiative to solve them. In so doing, they serve as tremendous inspiration for others.
~Tom Hopcroft, President & CEO, MassTLC

Find out more about Charlie, Shawn, and the Distinguished Leadership Award HERE

David Petty

Computer Science Teacher, Winchester High School
MassTLC Distinguished Leadership Award 2014

“The promise of technology has always been to improve lives, and the 2014 Distinguished Leadership Award recipients bear that out in ways that are making a real difference. Whether offering the ability to the blind to function in everyday life, providing amputees with a more painless option for prosthetics, or motivating a generation of young women to pursue a CS education, the Perkins School for the Blind, Hugh Herr, and David Petty have earned their accolades and our deepest respect.” ~Tom Hopcroft, President & CEO, MassTLC