Tom Hopcroft

I am an ecosystem builder with 25 years of experience leading complex multistakeholder collaborations between industry, academia, government, investors, startups, professional services, and other stakeholders. I am passionate about creating a sustainable and equitable future – and see the climate crisis as an opportunity for MA to innovate and lead.

I'm a connector with a broad network in greater Boston/New England and nationally. I founded a tech organization in 1997 and grew it organically and through strategic mergers into the largest non-profit, non-partisan technology association in New England, and I served as vice chair of the Tech Councils of North America (TECNA) board.

I brought business and policy leaders together as co-chair of the legislative tech caucus working group on Beacon Hill, through regular Fly-Ins on Capitol Hill, and through gubernatorial trade missions abroad. I was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick, and reaffirmed by Governor Charlie Baker, to serve on the state’s 13-member Board of Higher Education, where I served on the Executive Committee and as Chairman of the Fiscal Affairs and Administrative Policy Committee.

I have been an outspoken leader on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech sector. At MassTLC, I set a goal and achieved gender parity plus 25% BIPOC leadership on our board of trustees. I’ve created and led initiatives focused on DEI, including recruiting 100 companies to join our Tech Compact for Social Justice as part of our 2030 Challenge, creating an award-winning board bootcamp for women, BIPOC leaders, LGBTQIA+, and differently abled tech leaders (250 graduates since 2019), and hosting a nationally acclaimed podcast that explored how the legacy of racism in Boston is inhibiting innovation and opportunity today.

For years, I chaired the Board of the MassTLC Education Foundation, a charitable non-profit focused on computer science education, particularly for girls, young women, and underrepresented minorities. I currently serve on the Board of Directors for MassRobotics, a new independent, non-profit center and shared workspace designed to educate, inspire and bring robots and IoT companies to life.

In 2021, I won a town-wide election to serve on (and in 2022 was elected vice chair of) the Winchester, MA, School Committee. I am a mentor and enjoy helping people and organizations succeed.

Looking ahead, I see climate as the biggest challenge facing humanity. I’m focusing my career on work with forward-leaning leaders moving towards a net zero, sustainable, and equitable future.