Greater Boston Roundtable (September 2026)

The Greater Boston chapter's second-Tuesday roundtable met on September 8, 2026, rotating this month to Providence as it does on a set schedule between Boston, Providence, and Manchester, with a virtual option every month. Chapter Chair Elena Marsh, CEO of the Society of Historic Mill Towns in Lowell, opened the meeting.

Caspar Lindahl, executive director of the Society of Heritage Carpentry Trades and an apprenticeship-pipeline advocate, led a session on recruiting the next generation of restoration carpenters into an aging trade — a workforce challenge Marsh said several mill-town revitalization members recognized from their own preservation contractors.

Adaeze Brathwaite, chief of staff at the Alliance of Regional Arts Presenters, raised a parallel question from the arts side about recruiting backstage and technical staff, and Marsh suggested the two organizations compare notes ahead of October's intensive rather than solve it in the room.

Marsh used the second half of the meeting to preview October's Chapter Leadership Intensive, open to all incoming New England chapter officers, and to check in with remote participants joining by video from across the region.

The roundtable ran 9:00 a.m. to noon with breakfast included, free for chapter members, with a virtual option for members joining remotely. Members who typically attend the Boston meeting were sent driving and parking notes for the Providence venue ahead of time.

The roundtable is open to Greater Boston chapter member organizations regardless of which city's meeting they can reach, given the rotation and the standing virtual option. Staff heading into a chapter officer role this fall will get the most direct value from the October intensive that follows.