ARAMARK Building Community 2012 Innovation Awards Logo

Peter B. Goldberg ARAMARK Building Community
Executive Leadership Award

The Peter B. Goldberg ARAMARK Building Community Executive Leadership Award recognizes one outstanding community center executive director/CEO for active voice and leadership on behalf of community centers.

The award is named for the late Peter B. Goldberg, president and CEO of the Alliance and CEO of UNCA for a number of years until his death on August 12, 2011. Peter believed that excellent executive leadership was a critical part of a high performing nonprofit organization. He was instrumental in the creation of this award, and was dedicated to its recognition of the role that community leadership can play in revitalizing neighborhoods.

For the 2012 award, leaders were nominated by their peers, staff and community members across the country. An ideal candidate:

  • Has been recognized for their established leadership in advancing successful solutions to local community challenges
  • Has overseen the implementation of innovative approaches and is not afraid of taking risks
  • Is a strong communicator and spokesperson who articulates a vision for the power of community centers

Qualified nominees were vetted and verified through an internal executive leadership panel of Alliance, UNCA and ARAMARK representatives. Five finalists were identified based on pre–determined criteria and were submitted to an external committee of community center experts and nonprofit leaders, which selected the winner. This award is presented with a $40,000 grant to the recipient’s community center. For more information on the judges and the judging process, please see our FAQ section.

See 2012 leadership award finalists

2012 Winner
Randal Rucker Photo

Randal Rucker
CEO
Family Service of Greater Boston
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Tireless. Steadfast. Compassionate. Collaborative. These words describe Randal Rucker, CEO of the 177 year–old Family Service of Greater Boston. Rucker is a true neighborhood champion and is valued for his ability to bring together his team, public officials and the private sector to benefit Boston's most at-risk children and families. Rucker is widely respected for his more than 24 years of commitment to driving change on the regional and national levels and pioneering efforts that encourage responsible fatherhood and urban youth character, build partnerships to help children thrive, and forge new paths for strengthening vulnerable communities. He is a tireless advocate for the power of community centers to enable people to rebuild their lives.

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Randal Rucker became CEO of Family Service of Greater Boston in 1996 at a time when the family development organization faced difficult challenges. He led Family Service through a long-term transformation of the agency's brand, core programs, and finances, ultimately reversing two decades of revenue shortages and returning the agency to financial health. As part of this transformation, he moved Family Service away from its upscale Beacon Hill location into the heart of the community in Jamaica Plain.

Today, Family Service is a model example of a nonprofit that combines traditional social services with community center goals and ideals. Rucker’s ingrained values of civic duty, collaboration, and a deep commitment to families and the Boston community drive the organization’s work, both locally and regionally.

Working with and through its neighbors, Family Service focuses on building strong adult-child relationships, increasing education opportunities for low-income students, and providing mental health service and case management for families in crisis. Families participating in one program are often connected to additional opportunities at the center. This inter-connection of services allows nearly 6,000 people a year to not only meet their needs, but begin working towards future success.

At the regional and state level, Rucker works to increase collaboration and raise the voice of the nonprofit community as it works on behalf of underserved populations. He is a dedicated and persistent advocate for the untapped opportunities of local neighborhoods. To realize these opportunities, he has helped build support from all sides, including thought leaders, elected officials, corporations and nonprofit organizations.

These efforts led Rucker to play an instrumental role in developing Massachusetts Governor Patrick's first Human Services Summit in 2009, where he served as the keynote speaker. He worked with Mercantile Bank and Trust Company to successfully implement its first ever Social Responsibility Committee. Rucker was also an inaugural Barr Foundation Fellow, a program that honors the contributions of Boston's most prominent nonprofit leaders.

Rucker has served on numerous boards during his tenure at Family Service, a sampling of which include the Columbine Cliffs Neighborhood Association, leadership council of Boston's Thrive in 5 early childhood initiative, the Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, the Massachusetts Alliance for Community Health, the Alliance for Children and Families, and United Neighborhood Centers of America.