In recent years, the Forum has continued its tradition of welcoming extraordinary women whose leadership, creativity, expertise, and experiences inspire our community. Explore our Speaker Hall of Fame from 2023–2026, featuring the accomplished women who have informed, inspired, and connected Beacon Hill Women’s Forum members through engaging conversations and memorable evenings.
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2026 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Emily Franklin
Bestselling author
Emily Franklin is the bestselling author of more than twenty books including a poetry collection, Tell Me How You Got Here. Her work has been published in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Kenyon Review, Guernica, and The Journal of the American Medical Association, among many other places, as well as featured and read aloud on National Public Radio, named notable by the Association of Jewish Libraries, and longlisted for the London Sunday Times Short Story Award. Her novel The Lioness of Boston, based on the life of trailblazer Isabella Stewart Gardner, is in its ninth printing and was recently featured as a clue on Jeopardy!. She grew up half in Boston and half in the UK. Her next novel Love & Other Monsters will be published in April 2026.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2026 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Sybil Gallagher
Painter, Founder and Lead Designer at SirTank Design, and Co-Founder of Cheeks Shades.
Sybil Gallagher is a painter from Boston, Massachusetts. Her work is abstract by nature and typically lands with a social, political, or historical statement interwoven. Sybil is the co-founder of Calling All Crows, a non-profit organization that engages music fans and artists in feminist movements. She is the founder and lead designer at SirTank Design and co-founder of Cheeks Shades.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2026 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Meredith Goldstein
Love in the Modern Age: Insights from an Advice Columnist
Meredith Goldstein is an associate editor, advice columnist, and features writer for The Boston Globe. Her column, Love Letters, is a daily dispatch of wisdom for the lovelorn that has been running since 2009. She also hosts the Love Letters storytelling podcast. Her books include the young adult novels “Chemistry Lessons” and “Things That Grow,” and the memoir “Can’t Help Myself: Lessons and Confessions From a Modern Advice Columnist.” Meredith lives in Boston with many romance novels and a cotton candy machine.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Sharon Chirban
Clinical psychologist, executive coach, the founder and owner of amplify wellness & performance
Dr. Sharon Chirban is a renowned clinical and sport psychologist with over 20 years of experience. As the founder of Amplify Wellness & Performance, LLC, she specializes in enhancing individual and organizational performance. Dr. Chirban has worked with diverse clients, from start-ups to elite athletes, focusing on burn-out prevention, injury recovery, and peak performance. Her expertise spans clinical psychology, sports medicine, and executive coaching, with notable roles at Boston Ballet, Children’s Hospital Boston, and Boston University. Dr. Chirban holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, is certified by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and is listed on the Olympic Registry of Sport Psychologists.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2025 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Juliette Kayyem
National leader in homeland security and crisis management
In academia, the private sector, government and media, Juliette Kayyem is a national leader in homeland security and crisis management. She is currently the Robert and Renee Belfer Senior Lecturer and faculty chair of the Homeland Security and Security and Global Health Projects at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. Professor Kayyem also serves as a national security analyst for CNN where she has been described as CNN’s “go to” for disasters. A frequent contributor to The Atlantic, she has a weekly security segment on NPR’s Boston station WGBH. Her most recent book, The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters, was described in a New Yorker profile as an “engagingly urgent blueprint for rethinking our approach to disaster preparedness and response.”
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2025 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Lyndia Downie
President & Executive Director of the Pine Street Inn
Lyndia Downie has served as Pine Street Inn’s President & Executive Director since 2000 and on Pine Street’s staff for 40 years, working in roles throughout the organization. As a result of her leadership and vision, Pine Street is now the largest provider of permanent supportive housing for individuals moving out of homelessness in New England, with 960 units of housing and a major housing expansion underway. Her collaboration with other key agencies, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Boston has brought the population of unsheltered individuals to just over three percent of the overall homeless population. To place that in context, in San Francisco, a city of similar size and high housing costs, the unsheltered homeless rate is over 50 percent.
With her keen understanding of the complex causes of homelessness and proven methods to combat it, Lyndia continues to successfully involve and build partnerships with social service agencies, state legislators, and business leaders in the fight to end homelessness.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 @ 6:00PM
The Union Club of Boston, 8 Park Street., Boston, MA
Andrea Capachietta
Humanitarian Aid Consultant & University Lecturer
Dr. Andrea Capachietti is a humanitarian aid consultant and university lecturer on global health and refugee resettlement issues, focusing on women’s rights and child protection. Her area of concentration is in public policy and health inequalities during armed conflicts.
Her work as a lecturer and consultant to non-governmental organizations requires the constant monitoring of important geopolitical, global health, and policy issues. In the field, Dr. Capachietti has performed needs assessments for medical facilities requesting humanitarian aid and relief assistance, which has taken her to countries in conflict. She has also assisted with medical evacuations and tracing programs for family reunification. She continues to provide training and support to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable and underserved populations.
TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025 @ 6:00PM
Suzanne Norman
Certified Coach, Speaker, Writer, and Financial Literacy Educator
Suzanne lives by the motto, “Scientia potentia est” – knowledge is power and knows when you have self-knowledge – who you are and what you want – you are much more likely to get it. She is devoted to helping women tap into their power and help her clients find their purpose too. Instead of calling this a retirement, she calls this her “rewirement.” Before she made her pivot, Suzanne spent three decades as a consultant and leader in the investment management industry. In addition to learning many best practices about money, she also learned that true financial wellness is a combination of mental health, physical health, and fiscal health. Seeing an opportunity to combine her years of investment experience with her passion for coaching, she created series of presentations and workshops linking the concepts of wealth and health called The Whealthy Woman.
Suzanne’s financial education work also includes roles in the not-for-profit space as an Education Fellow and Director of External Relations for the Retirement Income Institute, a Senior Education Advisor for the Alliance for Lifetime Income, and as an Advisor for the Grossman School of Business’ Women in Leadership Program at the University of Vermont. Suzanne holds a BA in Psychology and is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), Certified Positive Intelligence Coach®, and is Certified in EQ-I 2.0 EQ 360 (Emotional Intelligence). She also holds a Certificate in Women in Leadership and is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®).
TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2025 @ 6:00PM
Dalit Ballen Horn
Executive Director, The Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture
Before being the executive director of the Vilna Shul, Dalit served as the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Impact at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, where she held key responsibilities in furthering the organization’s national strategy, vision, and fundraising efforts. Dalit designed and implemented cutting edge and creative approaches to expand the Institute’s partnerships, educational and programmatic agendas, visibility and effectiveness. She currently lives in Brookline with her family and she uses her dynamic leadership skills to grow the Jewish community in Boston around the Vilna Shul.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2025 @ 6:00PM
Dr. Noelle Trent
President & CEO, Museum of African American History
As an accomplished public historian, Dr. Trent has served on committees in national museum organizations such as the American Alliance of Museums, American Association of State & Local History, the Association of African American Museums, and the International Sites of Conscience. She has collaborated with notable institutions including the National Park Service and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Previously, Dr. Trent served as Director of Interpretation, Collections & Education at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, spearheading major exhibitions as well as collections and educational initiatives, including the commemorative service for the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s assassination, MLK50. Her contributions have garnered media attention from outlets such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Today Show. Dr. Trent graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude from Howard University and holds a doctorate in United States History.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2025 @ 6:00PM
Dr. Fernanda Sakamoto
Physician-Scientist and Board-Certified Dermatologist
Dr. Fernanda H. Sakamoto, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor in Dermatology at the Harvard Medical School, Wellman Center for Photomedicine, and Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a fellow of the AAD and fellow of the ASLMS. Dr. Sakamoto maintains a cosmetic laser/device clinic in Brazil, and as a founding member of the Dream Beam Foundation, she is actively creating a free clinic and training center in Sao Paulo. Dr. Sakamoto has contributed with over 30 scientific and clinical publications in peer-reviewed journals, and over a dozen book chapters in the major Dermatology textbooks. She is an inventor on seven US and international patents on innovations in Dermatology.
Her research interests include laser and device therapies, PDT, acne, skin cancer, wound healing, and new material science. Currently, her work is focused on the development of new light-based treatments for acne and atopic dermatitis. She was the Program Chair of the 2022 ASLMS Annual Meeting and has received the Best Overall Scientific Award, Best Clinical Science Award (twice) Bast Basic Science Award, the Horace Furimoto Award for Innovation, and the Ellet Drake Memorial Award for innovative laser procedures by the same society.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2024 @ 6:00PM
Dr. Eileen Reilly
Street Team Psychiatrist for BHCHP
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts Medical school and completing her residency in psychiatry, Dr. Reilly has focused her work with homeless persons experiencing psychiatric illness. While beginning her volunteer work for Boston’s Pine Street Inn as well as Women’s Lunch Place in Boston, she has continued on, to work for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. She currently facilitates care to homeless persons at St. Francis House, Women’s lunch Place, and Boston’s Pine Street Inn. Now, Dr. Reilly continues educating others about caring for homeless persons, is on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, and has received the Massachusetts Psychiatric Society award for her outstanding public service.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2024 @ 6:00PM
Elin Hilderbrand
#1 New York Times Best Selling Author of 30 Novels
Elin Hilderbrand is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of thirty novels, including Swan Song (June 2024.) Her novel The Perfect Couple has been made into a 6-episode Netflix series starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber (September 5, 2024). Elin has rented in Beacon Hill for 6-8 weeks every fall since 2010 and has featured the neighborhood in her novels The Identicals and The Five-Star Weekend. Hilderbrand is currently writing a novel set at a New England boarding school with her daughter, Shelby. The Academy will release in September of 2025.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 @ 6:00PM
Melissa Fetter
Founder & Small Business Owner, Beacon Hill Books & Cafe
From Vice President at J.P. Morgan to Small Business Owner, Melissa has opened one of the hottest independent bookstores and cafes on the hill. From closing on the historic building pre COVID 19, navigating the large renovation, and finally opening with the restrictions of the pandemic, Melissa and her staff have outperformed their own goals and sold over 65,000 books. She is an active community volunteer with an interest in equitable access to the arts, education, and public broadcasting. Through her additional work with the Boston Atheneum, the bookstore offers an Authors in Conversation series, book talks and signing, as well as author readings.
SUSAN HOCKFIELD
Former First Female President of MIT
Prior to serving as MIT’s first woman president and first life scientist, Susan was named Yale University’s Provost, leading initiatives in science, engineering, and medicine. Not only did she pioneer the use of monoclonal antibody technology in brain research, but she also discovered the gene that has a critical role in the spread of brain cancer. Throughout her presidency at MIT, she increased the number of underrepresented minorities and women across the undergraduate, graduate and faculty populations. In 2015, forty five percent of the graduating class were women and twenty four percent were underrepresented minorities. Currently, she serves as a Professor of Neuroscience in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences as well as being a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
PATRICIA TULLY
Executive Director, Beacon Hill Civic Association
Her professional career has included work in both private and government sectors in Massachusetts and Puerto Rico. While living in Puerto Rico, she worked for the British government for 17 years as their trade and consular representative for PR and the USVI. Her greatest achievement to date is having earned an Honorary MBE (Member of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II for her work dealing with difficult consular cases.
She has been an active member of the Beacon Hill Women’s Forum since moving back to Boston in 2013. Being with her four children and four grandchildren, painting and sketching, and working on her online jewelry business are her favorite pastimes.
MELISSA FETTER
Owner, Beacon Hill Books & Cafe
Melissa Fetter, From Vice President at J.P. to Small Business Owner. Melissa has opened one of the hottest independent bookstores and cafes on the hill. From closing on the historic building pre COVID 19, navigating the large renovation, and finally opening with the restrictions of the pandemic, Melissa and her staff have outperformed their own goals and sold over 65,000 books. She is an active community volunteer with an interest in equitable access to the arts, education, and public broadcasting. Through her additional work with the Boston Atheneum, the bookstore offers an Authors in Conversation series, book talks and signing, as well as author readings.
ALYCE LEE
Non-Profit Professional & Former Chief of Staff to Mayor of Boston
Alyce Lee, The former Chief of Staff to Mayor Tom Menino, and non-profit professional. Alyce may have enjoyed her time at the highest levels of local government but it was her charitable work that brought true fulfillment. If “paying it forward” could be measured in years, Alyce has given decades in leadership roles at Boston Medical Center, the Pine Street Inn, and other organizations that are saving and changing lives. Alyce’s inspiring model of behavior brings new meaning to Ben Franklin’s call for citizens to “Do well by doing good.”
MARINA CAPPI
CEO & Founder, Marina Studios
Marina Cappi, From Real Estate Broker to Movie Producer. When Marina opened Marina Studios, a massive sound stage in Quincy, she became one of the few women to own and manage a movie studio in the country, with hers located just 12 minutes from Boston’s Logan Airport. Once the new studio signed a deal with Compelling Pictures, a Los Angeles-based film production company to shoot several films, they were off and running with the Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, a box office mega-hit that is now streaming on Netflix. No doubt about it, more movie hits are in the works from Marina Studios.
MORRA AARONS MELE
Author, Entrepreneur & Mental Health Advocate
Morra Aarons Mele, Leadership expert and self-proclaimed Anxious Achiever. Morra argues that anxiety is built into the very nature of leadership, and believes it can—and should—be harnessed into a force for good. Her first book Hiding in the Bathroom, How to Get Out There When You’d Rather Stay Home, followed by The Anxious Achiever, confirmed her belief that anxiety is by no means a rare but common condition shared by millions. Today, Morra is out of the bathroom, and sharing her strategies for how to turn your stress and worries into a source of strength.
LYDIA SHIRE
Award-Winning Chef & Restaurantuer
Lydia Shire, The extraordinary James Beard Award-Winning, pioneering Chef who blazed the “First Female Executive Chef” trail at the Four Seasons, Beverly Hills, while learning the trade from her mentor and “best cook friend,” the legendary Jasper White. Lydia started cooking with her father at the age of four, was educated at Le Cordon Bleu in London, and has gone on to become a renowned restauranteur with a cult-like following craving her creative cuisine. Under Lydia’s ownership, Gourmet ranked Boston’s Locke-Ober, “the 18th-best restaurant in the country,” one of a “must-visit restaurant in your lifetime.” Scampo, her restaurant in the Liberty Hotel, is both a local favorite and a destination for global travelers to New England.
