2025 Grand Marshal

Kate McEvoy is an accomplished senior-level executive who is well-known for her success in the areas of fundraising, strategy development, marketing, business planning, and business development, both inside and outside the health care industry.

Most recently, Kate served as Vice-President for Corporate Relations at UMass Memorial Health Care. In this role she acted as primary liaison between the health care system and the business community, with a focus on growing UMass Memorial Health Care’s commercial market share. Additionally, Kate provided support for the system’s Anchor Mission initiative, aligning institutional resources and corporate social responsibility to address social determinants of health challenges in central Massachusetts.

Prior to joining UMass Memorial, Kate served as the Vice-President for Central & Western Massachusetts at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where she managed the organization’s growth strategies and Profit/Loss for a region that encompassed the geographic areas of Massachusetts situated between the I-495 corridor and the New York state border.

Kate has served as the Senior Director for Government & Community Relations at Fallon Community Health Plan, a role that included oversight of FCHP’s legislative affairs, issues related to public policy, as well as FCHP’s philanthropic & external activities. There, Kate also operated as Sales & Marketing Director for Summit ElderCare, FCHP’s P.A.C.E. program, where she created and implemented their first strategic sales and marketing plan and led the entity’s rebranding effort. In her initial role at the organization, Kate served as the Executive Director of the Fallon Foundation (now Reliant Foundation), responsible for the entity’s fundraising and philanthropy efforts as well as all the Foundation’s reporting requirements.

An active volunteer in central Massachusetts’ non-profit communities, Kate has served in leadership roles for many organizations, receiving several awards for her professional achievement and community involvement, including the: YWCA’s Katherine Erskine Award, Worcester Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business Award, and Worcester State University’s Distinguished Alumni Award, which is the highest non-degree honor bestowed by the institution. Additionally, Kate has been recognized with the Mohegan Council / Boy Scouts of America’s 12 Points Award, the Latino Dollars for Scholars Community Hero award, the Hanover Theatre’s Encore Award, the Worcester Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2002 and has also been named among Worcester Magazine’s “Most Powerful People in Worcester”, “Hometown Heroes” and “Worcester’s Leading Ladies”, as well as Worcester Business Journal’s “Power Players” in both 2016 and 2018. In addition, Kate has received the City of Worcester’s highest honor, the Key to the City of Worcester, on three separate occasions. Kate is viewed as a key resource in community and business circles and has served as member of the Baker/Polito Administration Transition Team for Economic Development, as well as several other regional Task Force projects and other key initiatives to support municipal, regional, and state-wide needs.

Kate currently serves on Boards of Directors for the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, the Worcester State University Foundation, the Worcester Center for Crafts, The Downtown Worcester Business Improvement District, and Berkshire Bank’s Regional Advisory Board. She is a Commissioner on the City of Worcester’s Civic Center Commission. Kate also currently serves as a Corporator for the

Greater Worcester Community Foundation, Worcester Art Museum, YWCA of Central Massachusetts and the Ecotarium. In 2021, Kate was tapped to Chair the efforts for the City of Worcester’s 300th Anniversary Celebration (the Worcester Tercentennial), a role in oversaw the successful planning and execution of the City’s celebratory events to commemorate that historic occasion, including raising the necessary $1 million dollars to fund the celebrations. In addition, Kate is currently involved with many other non-profit organizations.

Past volunteer affiliations include service as a Board member for many central Massachusetts agencies including the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, Boys & Girls Club of Worcester, Discover Central MA, Destination Worcester, Worcester Homecoming, Girls Inc, the March of Dimes, the Montachusett Girl Scout Council, the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, the Worcester Education Collaborative, the American Red Cross, the AdClub of Greater Worcester, and Worcester State University’s Alumni Advisory Board.

Kate received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Worcester State University. She resides in her hometown of Worcester, MA with her husband, Michael Hickey and their three dogs, Holly, Higgins, and Winnie.