School of Management alumna and longtime Worcester resident, Ivette Olmeda, MBA/MA, is the recipient of the School of Management’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) Alumni Award for 2022.

In 2011, the School of Management (SOM) joined the United Nations’ PRME initiative, strengthening its commitment to education, research, and collaboration that fosters ethical behavior, environmental sustainability and positive societal impact. Olmeda received her award at a reception held on May 11.

“For the past five years, SOM has celebrated alumni who have carried on and demonstrated what we espouse in the School of Management around the PRME principles,” said SOM professor of practice, Will O’Brien, a noted expert in the areas of social responsibility and sustainable development, who presented the award to Olmeda. “Our PRME Alumni Award formally recognizes an SOM graduate who continues to provide leadership and be exceptionally impactful in the welfare of his/her community, through work or volunteer efforts. Ivette is a wonderful choice.”

In 2017, Olmeda earned an MBA as well as a master’s degree in community development and planning from Clark University. A resident of Worcester for more than 30 years, she has dedicated her professional career to community development, helping business owners increase their capacity and skills, and supporting small and minority-owned businesses.

“I would not be where I am today were it not for my Clark education,” Olmeda noted in accepting in the award. “It is a true honor to be recognized, and I am grateful to Clark and the School of Management for all that I learned while here.”

Olmeda spent 12 years as a program manager for the Center for Women & Enterprise of Central Massachusetts before co-founding ESCALA! Achieving Together, a consulting team dedicated to empowering women to achieve self-growth through effective communication, goal setting, team building, and coaching.

In her current role as MassDevelopment’s Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) Fellow, Olmeda has worked to engage and support local businesses and property owners, organized Worcester’s Main South Business Association, and developed strategic reuse plans for vacant sites to help Main South become a walkable and vibrant neighborhood.

Ivette has served as an Executive Board at Adelante Worcester, the Latin American Business Organization, and she was recently appointed to the Woo Sox Latino Advisory Board at Polar Park. In 2019 she was a recipient of the prestigious MassINC Gateway Cities Innovation Award.

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Contributed by,

Meredith Galena, Communications Specialist
Will O’Brien, Professor of Practice
School of Management