Community & Connection

Lee Pelton, recognized in 2024 by Non-Profit Times on its list of America’s 50 most powerful and influential non-profit leaders, most recently served as CEO & President of The Boston Foundation, one of the nation’s leading philanthropic organizations with $2.6 billion in assets, until August 2026. He joined the Foundation in June 2021, after serving as President of Emerson College (2011-2021) and Willamette University (1998-2011).

Pelton positioned The Boston Foundation, one of the nation’s first and most influential community foundations, as an agent for social change by centering equity in its programs, grantmaking and civic leadership. Under his leadership, the Foundation’s defining ambition was to achieve equity, which first involves acknowledging and then seeking to eliminate the structural and underlying causes of outcome disparities for historically marginalized communities.

As a college president for 23 years, he combined authentic leadership, civic engagement and a deep commitment to social justice with his skill and vision for growing institutional capacity and effectiveness. The result has been a legacy of stronger, more diverse institutions that have expanded opportunities for students.

Pelton began his academic career at Harvard University, where he earned a Ph.D. in English literature with an academic focus on 19th-century British and American prose and poetry. He taught English and American literature at Harvard University, Colgate University, Dartmouth College and Willamette University. He served on the Harvard Board of Overseers and as vice-chair of its executive committee. After Harvard, Pelton served as dean of the college at Colgate University and Dartmouth College. He graduated from Wichita State University, located in his hometown of Wichita, Kansas.

Diane Gould retired as President and CEO of Advocates on June 30, 2026, concluding an extraordinary career of more than four decades dedicated to advancing opportunities for people with disabilities, behavioral health conditions, and other life challenges. 

Diane joined Advocates in 1985 and served in numerous clinical and leadership roles before being appointed President and CEO in 2013. Over the course of her career, she helped shape Advocates from a regional human services provider into one of the Commonwealth’s leading nonprofit health and human services organizations.

During Diane’s tenure as CEO,  Advocates experienced remarkable growth and transformation. The organization grew from approximately 1,100 employees serving 20,000 people annually at the beginning of her tenure to approximately 2,700 employees serving 50,000 people each year across Massachusetts and Rhode Island by the time of her retirement. Annual revenue grew from approximately $69 million to $250 million, reflecting both the expansion of Advocates’ reach and the increasing breadth and complexity of its services.

Diane’s influence extended well beyond Advocates. Throughout her career, she played an active role in strengthening Massachusetts’ human services sector, building coalitions and advocating for policies and resources that improve the lives of people and families. 

Diane holds a Master of Social Work from Simmons College and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts. The values of the social work profession were a constant throughout her career and helped shape her belief in the dignity, potential, and full inclusion of every person.