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with Jim Derick
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Jake Auchincloss – Candidate for Congress
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Public service ties together two family threads for Jake. On his dad’s side, it’s a tradition dating back to the Roosevelt and Kennedy administrations. On his mom’s side, it’s an obligation: a way to give back to a country that not only welcomed, but invested in, a family of poor Jewish refugees.
After graduating from the Newton Public Schools and Harvard College, Jake served as a captain in the United States Marines. His family had emphasized the importance of public service growing up, and it was his time to serve. He commanded infantry in Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2012 and a reconnaissance unit in Panama in 2014. In Helmand, he led combat patrols through villages contested by the Taliban. In Panama, his team of elite reconnaissance Marines partnered with Colombian special operations to train the Panamanian Public Forces in drug interdiction tactics.
After returning home, Jake wanted to continue service at the local level. He was elected to the Newton City Council in 2015 and re-elected in 2017 and 2019. He is now the chair of the transportation and public safety committee, where he drives the city council’s agenda on reducing traffic and improving transit and walkability. Jake was the first elected official to endorse Ruthanne Fuller for mayor. She is now the first female mayor of Newton. Jake, himself, has been endorsed for city council by Progressive Newton for his forward-thinking positions on the environment, transportation, immigration, and education.
Jake has worked at a cybersecurity startup, acquired in 2018, and then as a senior manager at Liberty Mutual’s innovation lab. At Liberty Mutual, Jake helped orient the Fortune 100 company towards risk solutions for a greener, less congested transportation system, in which transit, walking, and cycling are viable options to cars. Jake has written extensively on state and local policy at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Project on Municipal Innovation, as a contributing writer for CommonWealth, and as the author of his own local newsletter. He was selected for the governor’s Better Government Transition Committee in 2014. He has an MBA in Finance from MIT Sloan.
Jake lives in Newtonville with his wife, Michelle, and their Labrador Retriever, Donut. He spends his free time with his nephews, Ryan (age 8) and Aaron (age 1
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A Conversation with Chris Sullivan
Click link below to listen:
Chris Sullivan grew up in North Attleboro, MA. He was always involved in athletics In high school, he was the captain of the football, basketball & track teams. He generally made great choices and with that came many offers for a full football scholarship to college. He chose Boston College, as it was only 50 minutes away from his hometown. His family was always a big part of his life and he wanted that hometown feel. Driven with an ability to succeed, he starting in 48 consecutive games at BC. He had a great work ethic and was able to graduate in 3 1/2 years and was working on acquiring his Masters degree. He was fortunate enough to be drafted by the New England Patriots in 1996 after graduating.
Chris should have been on top of the World, as he succeeded in becoming an NFL football player from 1996-2002. He played for the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a member of the New England Patriots, Chris played in two Super Bowls and has a Super Bowl XXXVI ring to prove it. But instead, Chris went from the Super Bowl to fighting for his life and future. He was battling anxiety and an addiction to drugs and alcohol that ended up taking over his life and was one of the main reasons he retired from the NFL.
Drawing from his personal battle in life, Chris has chose to share his story with others about his struggles with substance use & mental health wellness. His audience leaves having learned many life skills that will help them to make good choices surrounding alcohol, drugs & coping with anxiety, depression & mental health. He also lets them know that it is the strong people, not the weak, that reach out and asks for help when they need it. He is a perfect example of this. He finally asked for help and has been sober since December 15, 2008! Humble, honest & authentic are words expressed from students & parents who listen to his message of hope.
Shortly after becoming sober, he met his wife, Kathi. They married in 2011. He now resides in Plainville, MA with his wife and his step-son Logan. He considers it an honor to be able to share his road to recovery, in hopes of helping others find their path.
