Peter Smyth & Dan Rea NightSide Interview

Henry is a versatile business litigator with a multifaceted practice focused on business litigation, including disputes involving complex commercial issues, closely held business litigation, fiduciary duty, tort law, administrative law, defamation and libel claims, privacy issues, trade secret, noncompetition, and employment law. He represents and counsels clients on litigation and employment matters across a variety of industries, including technology, real estate ownership, development, and management, higher education, and financial services. Henry has also represented high-profile political and business figures.

One of Boston’s most prominent business woman and philanthropists, Carol Sawyer Parks has been instrumental in reshaping the city’s architectural, cultural and educational landscape.

As president and CEO of the Real Estate development company Sawyer Enterprises and Sawyer Parks, Inc. Parks has developed the W Boston Hotel and Residences as well as the Nike Town building on Newbury Street, among others.

Born and raised in Boston, the daughter of taxi and transportation magnate Frank Sawyer, Parks was educated in the city before moving to Los Angeles, California where she raised two children while embarking on a prosperous career in real estate development. Parks later returned to Boston to assist with the family businesses, successfully shifting its focus from transportation to real estate development.

Parks has also dedicated much of her time giving back to the community in numerous ways as Trustee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Suffolk University, Director of Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, Trustee of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and Director of the 100 Club of Boston which raises funds for families of fallen firefighters and police officers.

Parks was featured in the 2011 book Boston, Inspirational Woman by Bill Brett and Kerry Brett and has been named one of the 25 Stylish Bostonians by the Boston Globe. She enjoys an active lifestyle that Includes scuba diving, skiing, biking, hiking, and yoga. Parks also loves spending time with her family and pets.

Sean P. McGrath is a lifelong resident of the Boston area and graduated from Bentley University with a degree in Business Management.

Sean founded Stonegate Group in 1988 and, as its Chief Executive Officer, set out to form an elite team specialized in asset management, acquisitions, sales, finance, and development. With over 100 years of collective experience, Sean and his staff have afforded Stonegate the “real vision in real estate” that has guided the company to the success it currently enjoys.

Outside of his real estate endeavors, Sean has branched out into several other related businesses, including lending and joint ventures. With his previous experience as a former owner and franchisee of 25 Dunkin’/Baskin Robbins stores in the Mid-Atlantic region, he is now developing a growing portfolio of Dairy Queen stores throughout Massachusetts. He also owns and operates several solar companies in both Massachusetts and California.

A member of several philanthropic organizations, Sean serves on the Finance Committee of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, the Board of Directors of the Eisenhower Medical Center, the Board of Trustees of the Nativity School of Worcester, the Strategic Committee for the Catholic Schools of Boston, and the Board of Directors of The 100 Club of Massachusetts. Past board positions have included the Meadowbrook School of Weston, the Museum of Science, and the Nativity School of New Bedford.

Sean and his wife currently divide their time between the California desert, Boston, and Maine. In his spare time, Sean enjoys golfing, tennis, and spending time on the farm. His three sons all live and work in the Boston area, and all together they make a great golf foursome.

Dan leverages decades of experience in high-level litigation, political and executive level law enforcement positions to help clients in Massachusetts, New England and throughout the country advance their goals.

Prior to joining Mintz, Dan was elected to four consecutive terms as Suffolk County District Attorney, managing a $20 million budget, leading a diverse 275-person staff, and overseeing about 36,000 cases at every level of criminal practice. In addition to pursuing the traditional work of investigating and prosecuting criminal cases from misdemeanors to homicides, Dan led a period of unprecedented reform and innovation within the office that included historic work to identify, correct, and prevent wrongful convictions; implementing the nation’s most transparent approach to fatal police shootings; drafting legislation to create the state’s Witness Protection Fund; and co-founding the Family Justice Center of Boston to streamline services to survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. The “smart-on-crime” policies he adopted in and out of court dramatically reduced violent crime, incarceration, and new prosecutions simultaneously.

From 1994 to 2002, Dan served as a Boston City councilor. As a popularly elected member of the legislative branch of Boston municipal government, he served as chairman of the Public Safety Committee and attended to duties including the drafting, consideration, and enacting of ordinances and home rule petitions; analysis and enactment of the city’s operating and capital budgets; representing his district before the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Boston Planning & Development Agency (formerly the BRA) on real estate development projects impacting residents and businesses and delivering a wide range of constituent services.

In addition to serving as an assistant district attorney earlier in his career, Dan was a trial attorney in the Boston office of one of the region’s prominent litigation firms. His practice focused on the defense of individuals and corporations in matters involving commercial liability, product liability, motor vehicle tort defense, workers compensation defense, and insurance fraud.

Joe has been actively engaged in leading transformational change in the financial services industry over the past four decades. After graduating from Babson College with high distinction, he began his banking career at Hartford National Bank.

Early in his career he led the bank’s foray into interstate banking and established loan production offices in RI, Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine. He assumed a number of leadership roles through mergers with Connecticut National Bank, Shawmut Bank and Fleet Bank. In 1998 he joined Sovereign Bank to lead its entry into commercial banking. He led the creation of Sovereign Bank, New England, overseeing the largest branch and business acquisition in US banking history, rising to CEO, President and Director of Sovereign Bank Corp.

Joe has a strong track record of successfully managing through a variety of economic conditions. In 2009 he led the turnaround of Flagstar Bank, raising over $1 billion in capital and repositioning the company as a national leader in residential and commercial banking.

Joe is Chairman, President & CEO at Needham Bank, leading its growth as a top “Super Community Bank.” He also has a long history of community involvement as former Chairman of Tufts Medical Center, Trustee and Treasurer for the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, Executive Committee member at Mass Business Round Table, Independent Director at First Help Financial, and a Director of the 100 Club of Mass. He frequently serves as a guest lecturer at a number of college and industry events. Joe resides in Wellesley with his wife Carolyn and their three children.

President and CEO of the Sullivan Group, John Andreoli is a Licensed Insurance Adviser and has been in the insurance and risk management industry, with Sullivan Insurance Group since 1983.

John graduated from Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration (29th OPM). He holds an MBA from Clark University Graduate School of Management and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the College of the Holy Cross.

He earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation from the American Institute for Property and Liability Underwriters in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

John served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Saint Vincent Hospital/Worcester Medical Center from 2000-2004 and as a Trustee from 1997-2013. He served as 2003 Campaign Chair and as Director for the United Way of Central Massachusetts and as Director from 2002-2006. He most recently served as a Community Trustee on the Board of Directors at Reliant Medical Group from 2013-2017 and Massachusetts Assurance Co., LTD.

John currently serves on the Board of Directors at Unibank for Savings (Executive Committee) and Salmon Health & Retirement. He also serves as a Director for The Hundred Club of Massachusetts, Inc. and Reliant Foundation, both not-for-profit organizations.

John retired in December 2022 following 19 seasons as head football coach at St. John’s High School, where he became the winningest coach in St. John’s Football history in 2018. During his tenure, St. John’s won nine Division Championships, appeared in the inaugural Division II State Championship in 2013 and won the 2017 Division III State Championship with a 13-0 record.

Henry is a versatile business litigator with a multifaceted practice focused on business litigation, including disputes involving complex commercial issues, closely held business litigation, fiduciary duty, tort law, administrative law, defamation and libel claims, privacy issues, trade secret, noncompetition, and employment law. He represents and counsels clients on litigation and employment matters across a variety of industries, including technology, real estate ownership, development, and management, higher education, and financial services. Henry has also represented high-profile political and business figures.

Joe Abely is the retired Chairman & CEO of LoJack Corporation, a publicly traded global provider of wireless tracking and recovery system which was the leader in stolen mobile vehicle recovery using direct integration with law enforcement, where more than 200,000 stolen vehicles worth over $4 billion were recovered using LoJack technology. Starting as CFO, LoJack grew from $1M in revenues and 35 employees to over $200m in revenues and over 900 employees. Joe also served as the President of The Carroll Center for the Blind, which pioneered many methods for people are blind or with low vision to learn the skills to be independent in their homes, in class settings, and in their workplaces. He also served as President & CEO of Casesight, Inc., a venture-backed company providing litigation consulting services. He started his career with Deloitte, rising to Partner. He was most recently an Executive Consultant with Club Benchmarking, which delivers powerful business intelligence tools and services for private clubs and their leadership teams.

A resident of Wrentham, Joe currently serves of the Boards of the National Braille Press and The New England Senior Golfers Association (currently President) as well as Chairman of the Nominating Committee for the Hamilton Trust. He was previously on the Board of Directors of LoJack, The Carroll Center for the Blind, Zoomsafer, Innov-X Systems and Brae Burn Country Club and the Board of Advisors of BI2 Technologies and MiCorp Dealer Services. He was the Governor’s appointee to the Statutory Advisory Board for the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, where he served as Chair. He was also Dealer Principal at Fore River Motors, a Lincoln-Mercury dealer. He has an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an AB from Boston College.

Peter is an innovative media executive, board director, and civic leader with a distinguished record of transforming companies, pioneering new content and technology platforms, and building high-performing cultures. Former Chairman, President & CEO of Greater Media, Inc., where he led strategic and operational oversight of 21 AM/FM stations and related media properties across five major U.S. markets.

Recognized nationally as a thought leader in broadcasting, an early champion of HD Radio and internet streaming, and a creator of successful new formats—including one of the industry’s first major “FM Talk” franchises. Highly active as a director, adviser, and philanthropist, bringing disciplined governance, financial acumen, and mission-driven leadership to prominent boards and charitable organizations.