2017 Better Government Competition Awards Gala 

Please join Pioneer Institute at an awards gala recognizing the winner and finalists of the 26th annual Better Government Competition. The 2017 contest sought proposals to ensure a better future for aging citizens.

The Keynote Address will be delivered by Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., Founder and Director of the MIT AgeLab. Massachusetts Governor Charles D. Baker will provide welcoming remarks.

Learn about Sponsorship Opportunities.

About the Governor

Governor Charles D. Baker  took office in 2015, after several decades of service in both state government and the private sector. The Baker Administration has worked to close budget gaps of more than $2 billion, and has focused on expanding local aid, reforming public transportation, and addressing the opioid epidemic. He recently established the Governor's Council to Address Aging, a 24-member panel that will make recommendations to promote "healthy aging." Previously, Governor Baker turned Harvard Pilgrim Health Care into the nation's highest ranked health care provider for member satisfaction and clinical effectiveness for six years. Prior to that, he served as a cabinet secretary under Governors Weld and Cellucci, where he helped lead efforts to reform and modernize state government, eliminate the deficit, create jobs, and enact education reform. He is a graduate of Harvard College and earned an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. 

About the Keynote Speaker

Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., is founder and Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab. He teaches in MIT's Department of Urban Studies & Planning and the Sloan School’s Advanced Management Program. His research focuses on how demographic change, technology, social trends, and consumer behavior drive innovations in business and government. He has authored more than 100 research publications and a book on aging and transportation. 

Dr. Coughlin is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Slate, and the online Disruptive Demographics on BigThink.com. He has appeared on national and global newscasts including ABC, BBC, Globo Brasil, CBC, CBS, CNN, Japan's NHK, NBC, and NPR. He was named by The Wall Street Journal as one of “12 pioneers inventing the future of retirement,” and by Fast Company as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business.” Dr. Coughlin was appointed by President George W. Bush to the White House Conference on Aging Advisory Committee and has advised non-profits, governments, and corporations worldwide. He is writing a forthcoming book examining the convergence of old age, business, and technology. Dr. Coughlin has advised numerous governments, the World Economic Forum, OECD, and is a Fellow of Switzerland's World Demographics & Aging Forum. A Behavioral Sciences Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Dr. Coughlin works extensively with leading companies translating insights in consumer behavior and decision-making into business innovation.  

More about the Better Government Competition

Pioneer Institute’s Better Government Competition, founded in 1991, is an annual citizens’ idea contest that seeks out and rewards the most innovative public policy proposals. The Competition grand prize winner receives $10,000; four runners-up receive $1,000 each, and other proposals receive special recognition.

The 2017 Better Government Competition attracted nearly 100 submissions from around the country. A winner and eight additional entries will be selected as finalists and semi-finalists by a distinguished panel of judges, including:

• Charles Baker, Sr., Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University College of Business Administration
• Nick Dougherty, Program Director, PULSE@MassChallenge
  
• Gary P. Kearney, M.D., F.A.C.S., Pioneer Institute Board of Directors
• Robin Lipson, Chief of Staff/ Chief Strategy Officer, Executive Office of Elder Affairs
• James F. Seagle, Jr., President, Rogerson Communities
• Joanna Weiss, Freelance journalist and former Boston Globe columnist