Bob Giannino to Receive 2022 LGBT Trailblazer Award From Boston Business Journal

BOSTON – The Boston Business Journal (BBJ) today announced that United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley President and CEO Bob Giannino will be one of two recipients of the 2022 LGBT Trailblazer Award. Giannino will receive the honor during the publication’s 2022 Business of Pride event on June 1.

Giannino has a demonstrated history of leadership and engagement in the LGBTQ community and has been a longtime advocate for underprivileged youth and marginalized communities, particularly across the Greater Boston area. Bob has worked throughout his career to expand access to financial opportunity and educational success, knowing firsthand that it is the foundation for a better life.

“Growing up as a young, gay kid in Somerville, I never would have imagined a day when I could be who I am and have the opportunities to lead that I’ve had. I hope that every young LGBTQ+ young person, today, knows – at least in Boston – that their identity is not a barrier to their dreams,” said Giannino. “I am incredibly honored by this recognition and deeply appreciative of the Boston Business Journal for highlighting LGBTQ+ leadership in our community.”

Giannino has served as President and CEO of the region’s largest United Way since August 2020, leading the organization’s community response to COVID-19’s disproportionate impacts on vulnerable individuals and households. As the community recovers from the pandemic, United Way is positioning its impact agenda to remain a force of economic justice in the region to ensure that all residents can thrive, particularly communities of color and those who have been historically marginalized.

In addition to his leadership at United Way, Giannino currently chairs the Board of Y2Y Network, a Cambridge-based nonprofit addressing youth homelessness, an issue that disproportionally impacts LGBTQ+ young people. For more than 20 years, Bob has been active in the LGBTQ+ sports movement in Boston and beyond. Until recently, Bob served on the Board of the National Gay Flag Football Association and has been a member of the Monday Night Bowling League, the Beantown Softball League, and the FLAG Flag Football League. Giannino and his husband remain active donors to and fundraisers for many LGBTQ+ causes.

Giannino’s leadership has previously been recognized by Project 351, New Profit, Freedom House, Year Up, Social Capital Inc, the Boston Business Journal, the Harvard Club of Boston, and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

BBJ’s 2022 Business of Pride event is scheduled for June 1 at Boston Chops in Boston’s South End.

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