BOSTON – June 26, 2025 — Representative Mike Connolly proudly welcomed Barbara Best of Mid-Cambridge to the State House today for the 22nd Annual Heroines of Massachusetts Celebration.
Each year, the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW) partners with state legislators to honor women who make exceptional contributions to their communities and organizations—often without fanfare or headlines. Legislators are invited to nominate one woman from their district whose service, leadership, and dedication have made a meaningful impact. The 2025 Class of Commonwealth Heroines includes more than 125 outstanding women from across the state, representing a wide range of fields including business, advocacy, education, and the nonprofit sector.
“I was honored to nominate Barbara Best as a 2025 Commonwealth Heroine and to welcome her to the State House for this electrifying celebration,” said Representative Mike Connolly. “Barbara embodies the values of civic engagement and community stewardship. Her work uplifts our Greater Cambridge community every day, and I wish her continued success as she pursues her Doctorate in Education Leadership.”
Barbara Best is a respected community organizer, youth advocate, and systems-change leader with a lifelong passion for empowering young people and building healthier, more connected communities. Guided by a vision of joyful and purposeful civic life, Barbara brings compassion, leadership, and innovation to every space she enters.
As Executive Director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, she expanded graduate public service fellowship programs from 51 fellows in 2013–14 to 118 by 2018–19—supporting a cohort that was 32% international, 36% U.S. students of color, and 53% women. She created "courage communities" to prepare emerging leaders for public impact.Earlier in her career, Barbara served for 13 years at the Children’s Defense Fund, rising from outreach coordinator to Texas Executive Director. There, she led efforts to enroll 176,000 previously uninsured children in health coverage, mobilizing teams across ten cities and forming strategic partnerships with school districts and national education leaders.Barbara has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her family for the past 15 years. She is currently a Doctoral candidate in Education Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. For over a decade, she has also coordinated the Antrim Street Block Party—Cambridge’s longest-running neighborhood gathering, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this June.
“The Commonwealth Heroines are women who may not make the news, but they make all the difference,” said MCSW Chairwoman Mary-dith Tuitt. “They are the mentors, volunteers, and innovators who hold our communities together—using their time, talent, and spirit to enrich lives across the Commonwealth.”
The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, established by the legislature in 1998, is an independent state agency dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls across the Commonwealth. The Commission is composed of 19 volunteer commissioners appointed by the Governor, Senate President, Speaker of the House, and the Caucus of Women Legislators.
