Erin Purcell '24: Helping People on their Worst Days
For career inspiration, Erin looked no further than her family of first responders and their calling to “help people on their worst days.”
Managing Partner and Governor of the Boston Celtics Wyc Grousbeck was the featured presenter at the Emmanuel College Business Collaborative Speaker Series on October 6th.
President Mary K. Boyd gave the welcome, noting, “There are many wonderful things about attending Emmanuel, and one of the benefits is our location, which allows for us to invite high profile guests and speakers to campus to share insights on a wide range of topics.”
In 2002, Grousbeck conceived of and led the acquisition of the Boston Celtics, then a publicly traded company, and became the Governor and CEO of the team. At the time, the Celtics were not for sale, but when Grousbeck approached the then-owner with a proposal to acquire the team, he found he was about to embark on a unique chapter in his career.
He is also a member of the Advisory/Finance, Labor Relations and Media Committees of the NBA and co-founder of Causeway Media Partners, a private equity firm focused on sports and technology investments. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors of NBC Sports Boston and formerly was the Chairman of Massachusetts Eye and Ear.
Grousbeck spoke to the audience of students, faculty and staff about his purchase of the Celtics in 2002, the trades that formed the “New Big Three” of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett and eventual championship in 2008, as well as the future of the team.
"When you find your dream, and I hope you find your dream, you have to go for it,” he reflects.
With the hopes of putting up another Championship banner for the Celtics, Grousbeck reflected that there are other “banners” he hopes to raise in his lifetime through his philanthropic efforts towards a cure for blindness and deafness.
Grousbeck encouraged the audience in closing by saying, “Take a moment to think in your minds and hearts about what banner you would like raise in the rafters of your own life.”
Managing partner and governor of the Boston Celtics with President Mary K. Boyd, Coach Andy Yosinoff and Lecturer Dan Holbrook.
