About us

Meet our Co-Chairs

Ed Flynn
Boston City Councilor, District 2

Rick Rendon is a internationally recognized strategic communications executive, social impact entrepreneur, and event producer with more than four decades of experience designing and leading high profile public education, civic engagement, and youth leadership initiatives in the United States and around the world. He is the Co Founder and Senior Partner of The Rendon Group (TRG), a Boston and Washington, D.C.–based strategic communications and marketing firm, and the Founder of the international nonprofit Empower Peace.

Through TRG, Rick has advised government agencies, foundations, corporations, and nonprofits on complex public affairs challenges, developing integrated campaigns that combine messaging, media, grassroots engagement, and large scale experiential events. Over the course of his career, TRG has executed hundreds of coordinated national and international campaigns focused on women’s rights, public health, education, democracy, civic participation, environmental protection, racial harmony, and social justice.

In the aftermath of September 11, Rick Rendon founded Empower Peace on the belief that young people, when given the tools to communicate and lead, can bridge divides and advance peace. What began as virtual cultural exchanges has grown into a sustained portfolio of youth leadership and education initiatives.

Empower Peace’s flagship initiative, the Women2Women International Leadership Program (W2W), is a highly respected, long-running global leadership program for emerging female leaders. Since its launch in 2006, W2W has engaged more than 4,400 young women from over 90 countries through in-person and virtual programs hosted in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Rick is also the Co Founder of Team Harmony, an international youth movement advancing racial and social justice through student driven action plans, digital engagement, and landmark convenings. Recent Team Harmony initiatives include a national Action Institute and Rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, bringing together student leaders from 23 states at the site of the 1921 Race Massacre to confront hate, promote historical understanding, and advance racial harmony.

Recently, Rick has launched and oversees a new generation of large scale, issue driven initiatives, including My America: From Ground Zero to Common Ground, a nationwide student civic engagement campaign engaging K 12 classrooms to create a massive American flag mosaic in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. He is also leading INSPIRE, a statewide Massachusetts youth civic leadership initiative in partnership with the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and Goal Setters 2026, an international young female empowerment program aligned with America250 and leadership in sport.

Rick has been at the forefront of innovative public health and prevention campaigns, directing national initiatives with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Walmart, and other partners to address opioid misuse and fentanyl poisoning among youth. His work includes pioneering formats such as student arena events, virtual school assemblies, esports tournaments, and live national broadcasts reaching hundreds of thousands of students, educators, and families.

In addition to his nonprofit and civic work, Rick is a sought after advisor and producer of high impact summits, commemorations, and leadership forums such as the upcoming commemoration of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. In the start of his career, Rick served on President Jimmy Carter’s national political staff and continues to be a trusted counselor on issues at the intersection of communications, democracy, and social change.

Rick Rendon’s career reflects a singular commitment: empowering the next generation to lead with purpose, compassion, and courage, at moments of national challenge and opportunity alike.

Ed Flynn is a Boston City Councilor representing District 2, which comprises South Boston, Downtown, Chinatown, Bay Village, the Leather District, South End and parts of the Back Bay. He is currently in his fourth term on the Boston City Council and was unanimously elected by his colleagues to serve as Council President from 2022 to 2023.

Councilor Flynn is a resident of District 2, where he has been involved as a community activist and youth sports coach. Before taking his seat as a City Councilor, he was a Probation Officer at Suffolk Superior Court, where he supervised returning citizens with access to drug treatment programs and employment opportunities.

His work at the Boston City Council has included securing tens of millions of dollars in funding to support capital projects such as the new Josiah Quincy Upper School, supporting a new Chinatown Library at Parcel R-1, securing funding for a new Boston Fire Department and Boston EMS presence in the South Boston Waterfront, and supporting affordable housing for low-income families in his District.

Councilor Flynn also served for 24 years in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Navy Reserve. He is a Veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and helped with disaster relief efforts in Haiti. He later worked for five years in the U.S. Department of Labor under President Clinton, where he assisted with expanding access to affordable health care and increasing the federal minimum wage.

Councilor Flynn lives in South Boston with his wife, Kristen, and they are proud parents of Caroline and Stephen. Stephen was a student at the Josiah Quincy School, and Councilor Flynn is a proud BPS Parent.