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More than one hundred business owners and local leaders gathered for the Harvard Square Business Association annual meeting last week to celebrate achievements in local business and review how the Square has changed over the last year.
Four individuals were awarded for their contributions to local service and culture at the ceremony — the HSBA’s 115th since its founding in 1910 — which included remarks from Cambridge Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern and City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05.
The Crimson spoke with four individuals — Elana Klein, a social worker at the Cambridge Police Department; Carol Lewis, of the First Parish in Cambridge; Mary Stack of the Cambridge Forum, a local civic organization; and Anthony Tuccinardi of the Cambridge Inspectional Services Department — who were awarded 2025 HSBA Foundation Awards for various contributions in service and leadership.
In interviews, each of the four recipients emphasized the essential work of their organization, saying they were pleased the award would draw more attention to the cause each serves — whether increasing civic engagement or looking after the Square’s homeless population.
Anthony Tuccinardi, Community Partnership Award
Anthony Tuccinardi, operations manager of the Cambridge Inspectional Services Department, helps local businesses and homeowners navigate local and state regulations on housing, sanitation, and commercial measurement standards in Cambridge. As a lifelong resident of the city, Tuccinardi said being able to help the residents of Cambridge was special to him.
“A lot of people know me through residency and work,” Tuccinardi said. “So being a part of that is important to me and important to the department too, that we can help people, that they have an avenue to go to. If they do call my cell phone number, I’ll direct them to the right place.”
“It means a lot that I’ve done my job well, that I’ve done my job to help them, and they feel comfortable enough to reach out,” he added.
Jacob Lazzara, assistant commissioner at inspectional services, said that while the work at the department is not always easy, Tuccinardi rises to the occasion.
“We get involved when there’s a problem and we might resolve the problem and the resolution isn’t necessarily one that makes everyone happy,” Lazzara said.
“When moments like this come up, and there is time to give thanks to someone like Anthony, who’s given so much of his time to the city, it is important,” he added.
Carol Lewis, Community Service Award
Lewis said she was “stunned” when she read the email informing her of the award.
“I thought, ‘Why would they give me a community service award? What is that about?’” Lewis said. But Lewis has helped lead the church through a rise to greater prominence in the Square since the pandemic, when it was forced to close for three years.
Lewis described how the building had fallen into disrepair, and they collected funds to do maintenance. In recent years, Lewis said the Church has grown, increasing from 40 worshippers before the pandemic, to 140 members.
The Church has also long supported efforts to combat hunger, hosting Cambridge Community Fridge and the Tuesday Meals Program, which Lewis oversees, where they serve free dinner to anyone who needs it every Tuesday.
“That’s the piece of it, getting to have the Church be a prominent fixture in the Square again,” Lewis said, adding that the award was announced during worship on Sunday.
“I had several people say to me that they were especially glad to know that the congregation was getting recognized, but that it was through me that they were getting recognized,” she added.
Mary Stack, Cultural Leadership Award
Mary Stack has brought connection and conversation to Harvard Square through her role as the executive director of the Cambridge Forum.
Stack’s organization holds forums to discuss topical political and social issues like pandemic readiness and the rise of nationalism.
Though most of the forums’ viewers come from New England, Stack said people also watch from around the world.
“I think that if you’re adding to the dialogue, and you’re connecting people, and you’re making them more of a community, and then they can share cultural values and learn about each other, I think this is the way to break down barriers,” she said.
“And I don’t think you can put a price on it,” Stack added. “You can’t value it enough.”
Though Stack said her award won’t change how she and the Cambridge Forum operate, it encourages them to keep up with the work they are doing.
“I think we’re all under a lot of stress right now,” she said. “Extreme uncertainty about all the things that we’ve come to reveal about our democracy under threat. So anything we can do to maintain some kind of direction and sustenance to the system, to the good part of the system that people are hungry for, I think is laudable.”
Elana Klein, Public Service Award
Elana Klein — who is from Vermont, but grew up visiting Cambridge — said receiving the Public Service Award was a full-circle moment for her.
“I always thought it was this huge, incredible, big city,” Klein said. “I never, at that time, as a kid, realized that I would be working here one day.”
As a social worker with the CPD, Klein works with vulnerable populations in Cambridge — including people with mental health issues and unhoused populations — to minimize their interactions with the criminal justice system. She works closely with the Cambridge District Court, holding special court sessions and trying to resolve open cases and warrants that can burden the ability of the homeless to be connected with needed services.
Central to Klein’s impact is the personal connections she creates with the people she works with. She said she has learned that from other leaders in Cambridge, including Jillson.
“I don’t even know how to describe it,” Klein said about receiving the award. “It was so exciting and such a huge honor. And I had no idea that my name would have been put out there for us.”
— Staff writer Jaya N. Karamcheti can be reached at jaya.karamcheti@thecrimson.com.
— Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at kevin.zhong@thecrimson.com.
