Ben Franklin Institute president Dr. Aisha Francis to receive Pinnacle Award

BOSTON - The 2023 Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Awards, which honor dynamic women leading their industries to greater heights, will be given out Friday.

One of those being honored is Dr. Aisha Francis. the President and CEO of the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology in Boston. In July of 2021 she became the first woman to lead the college in its' 115-year history.

"I certainly am excited to make my children proud but it's also speaks to how far we need to go in terms of society. Fifty percent of our society is comprised of women and I think 50% of our leaders should be women too," Dr. Francis told WBZ-TV.

She said she's been around college campuses her whole life. But felt a special calling to come work at the institute in 2018 when she joined as chief of staff.

"The fact that I can add my skill set to really advance our work is what is most exciting. This is a moment for technical and trade education that people are really understanding the fact that post-secondary education can lead to wonderful jobs that have a career trajectory" she said.

She sees the Pinnacle Award as a greater than just her.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us as an institution because I really believe that in many ways even if an honor comes to me, a lot of it is for the work I'm doing, and that work is here," she explained.

She wants to use the opportunity to elevate the platform of arts and education in Boston through the school's diverse community.

For more on the Pinnacle Awards, click here.