Massasoit To Host Third-Annual Evening of Champions on March 23

Massasoit Community College’s signature fundraiser to support scholarships and honor community leaders

BROCKTON, Mass (Jan. 30, 2024) – Massasoit Community College will host its third-annual Evening of Champions on Saturday, March 23, 2024 in the College’s Student Center on the Brockton campus. This signature fundraiser benefits student scholarships and recognizes “Champions” of the College and our community. This year’s honoree is Bob Rivers, CEO and Chair of the Board of Eastern Bank.

“Massasoit is strengthened by our students, employees, and community,” said Ray DiPasquale, President of Massasoit Community College. “It is our immense honor to host the Evening of Champions to recognize the individuals and organizations who do so much for us – all while raising money to support student scholarships.”

Since Massasoit’s Evening of Champions debuted in 2022, the College has honored individuals and organizations as “Champions” for their outstanding contributions and support to the community and education. Past recipients include boxing great Marvelous Marvin Hagler (posthumous), the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South, the Brockton Area Branch NAACP and its longtime President Phyllis Ellis, Peter Forman of the South Shore Chamber, and Chris Cooney of the Metro South Chamber. Rivers will be honored this year as a “Champion of Education and the Community.”

“Bob Rivers has earned many accolades and honors over the years, not only because he is a true leader in business, but because he and Eastern Bank are avid supporters of the community – we are grateful for the role he plays,” said President DiPasquale.

The Evening of Champions promises to be a night full of great food, drinks, and company, all for a great cause – supporting students on their educational journey. Tickets are $125 per person, including dinner and reception, and dress is cocktail attire. Sponsorship opportunities and program listing options are available at Massasoit.edu/Champions.

About the Honoree

Bob Rivers is the Chair and CEO of Eastern Bank, the largest community bank headquartered in Massachusetts with approximately $21 billion in total assets and 110 locations serving communities in eastern Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. A 40-year community banker with deep ties to the South Shore and Brockton areas, he grew up in Stoughton, started his career as a teller at Randolph Savings Bank and is a graduate of Stonehill College.

Bob is involved extensively in the community, serving as a founding member of the Brockton Partnership, a group dedicated to advancing economic development in the City of Brockton, as well as Chair of The Dimock Center and on the Board of Directors of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, The Lowell Plan, and The New England Council. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees of Stonehill College, the Advisory Board of the JFK Library Foundation, Lawrence Partnership and UTEC, as well as the Boston Women’s Workforce Council and The Boston Club, in addition to providing support and guidance to numerous other non-profit organizations. In addition, he is a Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Business Coalition for Early Childhood Education, comprised of more than 100 Massachusetts companies and business associations focused on raising awareness about the need for a more robust and sustainable network of early child care and education. A co-founder of Eastern’s innovation hub, Eastern Labs, which has pioneered new products and services in partnership with local fintechs, Bob also serves on the Advisory Board of the Mass FinTech Hub. Most recently, he was appointed to the Federal Reserve’s Federal Advisory Council.

Bob has been recognized by many organizations for his work in championing diversity and social justice, and has been regularly named among the Top 10 “Most Influential People in Boston” by Boston Magazine, and to the Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 list.