Martin J. Walsh was sworn in as the 29th Secretary of Labor on March 23, 2021. A lifelong champion of equity and fairness, and a proud product of the City of Boston, Secretary Walsh leads the U.S. Department of Labor with a strong connection to working people, and a commitment to creating an economy that works for all.

In 1997, he was elected to serve as a State Representative for one of the most diverse districts in Massachusetts. There, he focused on creating good jobs, protecting workers' rights, expanding mental health treatment, and investing in public transit.

Following his time as a State Representative, Secretary Walsh spent the last seven years as the Mayor of the City of Boston. While mayor, he led the creation of close to 140,000 jobs and helped secure a statewide $15/hour minimum wage, paid sick leave, and paid parental leave. He established Universal, high-quality Pre-Kindergarten for all children, and free community college for low-income students.

Secretary Walsh was a national leader in the response to COVID-19, getting PPE to first responders and nursing homes; funding emergency child care for healthcare and frontline workers; halting evictions and providing rental relief; and setting up multiple funds to help small businesses survive. His work early in the pandemic to pause construction and establish safety requirements has been lauded as a model by both unions and employers alike.

As Mayor of Boston, Secretary Walsh also made his mark as a labor leader. After following his father into Laborers Local 223 in Boston, he rose to head the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013. He worked with business and community leaders to promote high-quality development, and he created a program called Building Pathways that has become a model for increasing diversity in the workplace and providing good career opportunities for women and people of color.

Born and raised in the neighborhood of Dorchester by immigrant parents, Secretary Walsh is driven to ensure our nation's economy works for everyone. Secretary Walsh is a survivor of Burkitt lymphoma and is a proud member of the recovery community who has worked to expand addiction treatment throughout his career. While working full-time as a legislator, he returned to school to earn a degree in Political Science at Boston College.

Vanessa Kelly strategizes with employers to minimize their legal risks and optimize the employee experience, to help companies focus on their business. Clients partner with Vanessa when looking to create and foster respectful workplaces that comply with national and state employment standards. Vanessa counsels her management clients about their employee relations concerns. She also creates employment and other transactional agreements to meet her client’s goals.

As Director of Audit & HR Services for Berkshire Associates Inc., Lynn A. Clements oversees Berkshire’s audit defense, pay equity and advanced people analytics practice. Throughout her career, Lynn has provided clients with strategic insight and practical compliance and risk management advice in hundreds of government investigations, including OFCCP compliance reviews and EEOC investigations. 

With over 20 years of experience, including serving in high level policy positions at both the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Lynn is a regular presenter of management and employee training at all levels of organizations and has testified before Congress regarding EEO and pay equity issues. Lynn is a frequent presenter at national events, including the 2021 NILG, where she spoke about focused reviews, promotional practices, and was featured on a panel. She has also spoken at several local ILG meetings in 2021, including Charlotte, Ohio, Philadelphia, Orange County, and more.   

Kristen has dedicated her career to helping people prepare for the most significant milestone in life – retirement. She helps corporate plan sponsors and their retirement, investment and finance committees meet their fiduciary responsibilities; and strives to help their employees and beneficiaries make meaningful progress toward their financial goals. Kristen is co-head of the investment committee and leads the portfolio research team for her team’s institutional clients.

She also leads her team’s Women & Investing initiative. She understands that female investors often face a complicated financial situation, balancing the roles of mother, daughter, wife, grandmother, colleague and friend – while putting their own needs last. As part of this initiative, she plans and hosts educational events for female investors.

As a Chartered Financial Analyst®, Kristen holds one of the world’s most respected and recognized investment designations, giving her the skills needed for high-level, specialized asset-management responsibilities, including security analysis, portfolio management and business reporting. In 2020, Kristen obtained her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, demonstrating her commitment to her profession.

Prior to joining Raymond James in 2015, she worked at Merrill Lynch as a financial advisor for over twelve years and has prior experience as an investment banking analyst. Kristen maintains Series 7, 63, 66 and Life, Accident, & Health Insurance licenses.  She graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and currently resides in Congers, NY.

Marie Artim is Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition for Enterprise Holdings. In this role she has oversight of external and internal recruitment strategy for the organization’s operations around the world.  

Marie’s extensive expertise in various technology services enables her to efficiently guide Enterprise Holdings’ global Talent Acquisition teams by providing resources, training and development to fulfill the teams’ commitment to the business. Her dedication to employee development is a critical element of the organization’s approach to internal mobility. With support and training, and a promote-from-within culture, employees are empowered to explore opportunities for growth.  

Through her unwavering commitment, Marie ensures Enterprise Holdings has the best talent in the right places to support current business needs, growth and the future. Under her leadership, Enterprise Holdings has been recognized with top honors for their Campus Recruiting Program, Careers Website, Diversity Recruitment and Candidate Experience.

Marie is a well-respected voice in Talent Acquisition and has shared her unique perspective at many industry conferences and universities and has been featured in national media outlets including BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The New Yorker and Good Morning America.

She is also active in the community and served as President of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) and is the current President of the board for Food Outreach, a St Louis Based non-profit.

Chelsea C. Williams is a passionate Entrepreneur, Workplace Educator, and Mentor to the next generation workforce.

As the Founder & CEO of Reimagine Talent Co. she & her team support employers, education institutions, and nonprofits in spearheading multi-generational workforce & talent development solutions rooted in belonging.

She is a frequent contributor to media outlets like CNBC, Fast Company, Investment News, Insider, and Forbes on managing & leading multi-generational teams and engaging & developing Generation Z.

Chelsea's honors include receiving the 2021 Forbes Next 1000 Award for small businesses redefining the American dream and being selected as a 2022 Tory Burch Entrepreneurial Fellow.