|
Sept. 17, 2007
This Week’s Boston’s
Future Leader
Emerson Foster
Title:
Senior Director - Community Relations
Company:
Stop & Shop Supermarket
Company
Education:
B.S. in Consumer Affairs, University of Rhode
Island
Emerson joined Stop & Shop’s insurance
department in 1995 after working for Liberty
Mutual and New England Mutual Life. He quickly
advanced through the organization, serving as
Director of Human Resources, Organizational
Effectiveness, and Talent Acquisition. Emerson
is the founding chairman of “Bottom
Line,” an organization whose mission is to
help Boston Public School students get into and
graduate from college and succeed in life, as
well as “Men of Action,” a program that brings
professionals of color into the DYS system to
mentor incarcerated youth.
PG:
What is the coolest part of your job?
EF:
Working directly with the communities we serve.
Stop & Shop has a long history of community
engagement and it is great to be able to add to
that history.
PG:
What is your favorite thing about working in
Boston?
EF: I'm
a big sports fan, so I would have to say that
best thing about living and working in the
Boston area is large emphasis placed on its
professional sports teams.
PG:
Favorite place to take a client for lunch?
EF:
Poppa B's restaurant in Dorchester.
PG: If
you could have any job in Boston, other than
your own, what would it be and why?
EF:
Theo Epstein is actually holding my job for me
until I'm ready. General Manager of the Boston
Red Sox would be my ideal job.
PG:
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
EF: In
ten years I see myself working to make an impact
in the community. I see myself supporting the
continued growth of Bottom Line and taking my
son on college visits.
PG:
What’s the best piece of career advice you have
ever received?
EF:
Develop deep and meaningful relationships with
as many people as possible.
PG: How
can young professionals expand their networks
and increase their impact in Boston?
EF:
Young professionals have to get into the spirit
of giving of themselves. In my opinion, that is
the best way to expand their networks and have
an impact. There are a lot of great charities
that would welcome support from young
professionals. These professionals also may have
great ideas on a need that is currently
underserved in the Boston community. They should
be willing to step up and do something that
would serve that need.
PG:
What reading material is on your nightstand?
EF: On
my nightstand is
Forty Million Dollar Slaves by William
C. Rhoden.
PG:
Tell us something we should know about you.
EF:
What you should know about me is that I love,
with a passion, "Lyrical" Hip Hop music i.e.,
NAS, Common, WuTang, Mos Def, and I absolutely
hate with equal passion the commercial aspect of
today’s rap music.
____________________________________________________
For more information on the
Boston’s Future Leaders Program, please contact
Jody Kieval,
director of talent development.
|
