Speakers
Speaker | Date | Topic | |
---|---|---|---|
Lisa Usani Phillips, Amesbury's 4th. Poet Laureate | Mar 20, 2024 5:00 PM |
Amesbury Poet Laureate
Lisa Usani Phillips is currently serving as Amesbury’s fourth Poet Laureate. The program was established in 2014, building upon the poetic legacy of local 19th-century Quaker poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier. Lisa’s term will continue through January 2026, and she follows in the footsteps of previous laureates. Lisa Usani Phillips, born in 1970 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, spent much of her youth in Manchester, Connecticut. After earning an MFA in writing from Emerson College in Boston, she settled in downtown Amesbury in 2004. Lisa has a rich background as a writer and editor, having worked with publishers like Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Pearson. She currently serves as a senior content editor at EBSCO Information Services in Ipswich.
|
|
Chris Turner, Link House Executive Director | Mar 27, 2024 12:00 PM |
Link House Update
|
|
Doreen Arnfield, Director of the Council on Aging | Apr 10, 2024 12:00 PM |
Age-Friendly Amesbury Task Force
Doreen will update us on the Age-Friendly Amesbury Task Force and Amesburys designation by AARP as an Age-Friendly community.
|
|
Liz Kidder | Apr 17, 2024 5:00 PM |
Planned Hiking Trip - Colorado Rockies
Our former member and Past President; Liz Kidder will be giving an overview of her planned summer trip to hike in the Colorado Rockies. |
|
Dianna DiZoglio | Apr 24, 2024 12:00 PM |
MA State Auditor's Update
Diana DiZoglioState Auditor Auditor Diana DiZoglio is the 26th Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She was sworn into her first term on January 18, 2023. She is committed to help move Massachusetts forward by working to increase transparency and accountability in state government. Auditor DiZoglio is a former State Senator (1st Essex District), State Representative (14th Essex District), and chief of staff to the president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts. Her decade-long service on Beacon Hill has provided her with the insight and fortitude to work alongside elected officials, labor, community advocates, stakeholders and everyday working people throughout the Commonwealth's cities and towns. Her humble beginnings, non-profit work and labor experience helped her nurture, cultivate, and develop relationships with a diverse expanse of people. Auditor DiZoglio began her public service in state government in 2013, serving as a state representative for the 14th Essex district, which includes portions of North Andover, Methuen, Lawrence and Haverhill. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Middlesex Community College. She is a resident of Methuen, where she grew up. Making Government Work BetterState Auditor Diana DiZoglio serves as the chief accountability officer for Massachusetts state government and its residents. Her office conducts audits of state entities and contractors to assess their performance and recommend improvements to make government work better. $1.4 billionThe amount of improper spending or missed savings opportunities identified by the Office of the State Auditor since 2011. In addition to ensuring tax dollars are spent wisely, audits, reports and investigations have also improved state government performance. The OSA has offices in Boston, Marlborough, Chicopee, and Brockton. Accountability Beyond AuditsThrough its Division of Local Mandates, the State Auditor's office also assists local and state government leaders to identify and address the impacts of unfunded mandates. Since 1983, the work of the Division of Local Mandates has helped to provide over $362.9 million in state funding or other remediation to local communities. $362.9 millionThe amount of state funding or other remediation provided to local governments as a result of the work of the Office of the State Auditor. Recognizing the important role that public benefit programs play in the lives of many of the Commonwealth's most vulnerable residents, through its Bureau of Special Investigations, the Office of the State Auditor identifies fraud in these programs to ensure they are operating with integrity. To accomplish this, the development and use of sophisticated data analytics tools to proactively identify fraudulent activity in these programs was used. In fiscal year 2020, the office identified a record $8.2 million in public assistance fraud.
|