Holiday Good Day Metro South

You’re invited to a special holiday edition of the Chamber’s Good Day Metro South luncheon series! Join us Thursday, December 11th at the beautiful Fuller Craft Museum for holiday networking facilitated by Rob Peters Entertainment, photos with Santa, delicious food and an interesting presentation from our guest speaker – Mark Melnik, Director of Economic & Public Policy Research, UMass Donahue Institute. This event is sponsored by Cambridge Savings Bank.

Make this your staff holiday outing and grab some face time with the Man from the North! Enjoy festive photos, memory-making, and the chance to browse the Holiday Handmade Market at Fuller Craft Museum – featuring unique, locally made gifts from talented artisans. We encourage everyone to show their holiday spirit – whether it’s a cheerful tie, a sparkling brooch, or your favorite ugly sweater.

Dr. Mark Melnik specializes in demographic, socio-economic, and labor market issues and leads a 20-plus person team working on a variety of economic and public policy research projects informing clients in government, private industry, and the non-profit sectors. In his time at the Institute, Dr. Melnik has served as the principal-in-charge on projects with such clients as the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Boston Foundation, the City of Boston, the City of Cambridge, MassDOT, MassDevelopment, the Executive Offices of Housing and Livable Communities, Economic Development, and Labor and Workforce Development, the North Central Chamber of Commerce, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, and many others. In addition, Dr. Melnik serves as the senior managing editor of MassBenchmarks, the journal of the Massachusetts economy published by the institute in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

As a leading expert in demographic and socioeconomic issues in the Commonwealth, Dr. Melnik is a widely sought after public speaker typically delivering a dozen or more keynote speeches and panel discussions a year. Dr. Melnik is also quoted extensively in local and national media on issues related to economics, demographics, and labor market issues. Before joining the Institute, Dr. Melnik worked as deputy director for research at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) and was a research associate at the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.

In 2018, Dr. Melnik served on Governor Charlie Baker’s Future of Transportation Commission. In 2023 he was invited by the Commonwealth to support the state’s Economic Development Plan. In 2023-2024 he served on Chancellor Javier Reyes’ Economic Development Task Force for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He currently serves on Governor Healy’s Cultural Economy Advisory Council. Dr. Melnik is the 2nd vice president for the Massachusetts Economic Development Council and serves on the advisory board for the MetroWest Economic Research Center at Framingham State University.

He holds a doctorate in sociology from Northeastern University. His dissertation explored skill and credential mismatches in the greater Boston labor market. He received his master of arts from Northeastern University and his bachelor of arts from Youngstown State University, both in sociology.

Questions? Contact Hannah McGuire at events@metrosouthchamber.com or call (508) 586-0500 x231 for assistance.