CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen Discusses Leadership at Annual Meeting

On Tuesday, December 11, Lawrence General Hospital hosted its Annual Meeting and Donor Appreciation Dinner at the Andover Country Club to report on and celebrate the many achievements of the past year.

CNN senior political analyst David Gergen provided the keynote address for this event, sharing his insight on the many and diverse forms of leadership he has encountered over the course of his long and varied career as a White House advisor and journalist.

Commenting on the current state of politics, Gergen remarked that he is feeling both encouraged and hopeful about the high level of civic engagement we are now experiencing across the country, especially from women, people of color, and military veterans. Interest in public service is on the rise, he said, and a new generation of leaders is stepping up to address today’s challenges.

The event also included remarks by Debra Rahmin Silberstein, Esq., Ph.D., chair of the Lawrence General Board of Trustees, and Dianne J. Anderson, RN, Lawrence General president and CEO.

In her remarks, Anderson reported on Lawrence General’s many achievements over the past year and thanked donors for helping the hospital grow and expand services, especially in the areas of orthopedics, bariatrics, cardiology, and vascular surgery. Anderson also recognized the hospital’s important role during the gas fires and explosions in September, expanding efforts to address the opioid epidemic, and creative collaborations with the Mayor’s Health Task Force in Lawrence to improve access to healthy food.

Additionally, Anderson discussed Lawrence General’s ongoing efforts on Beacon Hill to advocate for community hospitals and the crucial role they play in alleviating the rising costs of health care. Anderson also announced the hospitals’ plans to open a new Heart and Vascular Center in 2019.

During the event, three outgoing members of the Lawrence General Board of Trustees were also recognized: Debra Rahmin Silberstein, Esq., Ph.D., Cheryl Neal, and Ronald Pollina.

David Gergen is a senior political analyst for CNN and has served as a White House adviser to four U.S. presidents of both parties and is also a professor of public service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School where he works actively with a rising generation of new leaders. He is the author of New York Times best seller, Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton (Simon & Schuster, 2001).