EON is honored to have Executive Office of Economic Development Assistant Secretary Juan Vega just us at our Celebration of Cannabis Equity Champions this Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 6 PM at New Dia Fenway.
EOED Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega will share general information about the agency’s plans for the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund and share the EOED’s progress in implementing the changes included in the FY23 supplemental budget (that you helped to pass!) in coordination with the Legislature, Executive Office of Administration & Finance, Comptroller’s Office, and other government partners.
About Asst. Secretary Vega
Juan Vega has served as the Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs at the Executive Office of Economic Development since 2015. Assistant Secretary Vega is responsible for the distribution and management of over $150 million in state capital and operating grants to municipalities and community organizations throughout the Commonwealth. He is director of the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, and oversees the operations of several other grant programs, including the Mass. Dredging Program, Urban Agenda, Community Empowerment and Reinvestment, Social Enterprise, and the Mass. Downtown Initiative.
Assistant Secretary Vega provides general policy support within the Secretariat on various community economic development matters. He was a co-lead in the development and currently oversees the operations of EOED’s Community One Stop for Growth initiative, which streamlines state grantmaking across multiple agencies.
A lifelong Chelsea resident, Juan has been active in community and civic engagement initiatives for over 30 years. He served as an elected member of the Chelsea City Council from 1994 to 2001 and was selected by his peers to serve as Council President in 1999. Juan is a recipient of a 2009 Barr Foundation Fellowship for outstanding community service in Greater Boston. He currently volunteers as Chair of the Chelsea Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.
Before joining the state, Juan served for seventeen years as President and CEO of Centro Latino, Inc., a multiservice nonprofit organization operating in Chelsea and Cambridge. Other experience includes working as a community organizer, coordinator in a state tax policy organization, and manager of several community economic development projects.
Join Us!
Stay tuned as we announce our other honorees, or click here to learn more and register now.
Thanks to a matching gift from New Dia Cannabis Co., your donation can have double the impact: Your $25 ticket to our Celebration of Equity Champions will help us raise $50. Ordering a $100 ticket will help us raise $200. And sponsoring EON at a $500 level will help us raise $1,000.
This is EON’s biggest fundraiser of the year and helps provide the resources we need to continue supporting workers and entrepreneurs by securing pro-equity policies, holding job fairs & trainings, and building a stronger cannabis community.
Please consider making a suggested donation of $25 or more to reserve your ticket — and help us raise twice as much in the process!
Thanks for being a part of this!
Thank you to our sponsors!
Your logo here?
If your organization is interested in helping EON create a more equitable cannabis industry and would like to become a sponsor, please download our sponsor packet (PDF) or check out our Celebration of Cannabis Equity Champions registration page for details. Please note: Sponsors will be recognized in EON emails, social media posts, and on our website beyond the event and throughout the year, so please consider becoming an EON sponsor today!