Conversations with Leaders
Social Impact & Lunch: Fighting for Low-Income Residents
Kate Bennett, the Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action's fall 2024 visiting professional, has dedicated over 30 years to affordable housing development, policy, and planning, focusing on public housing and neighborhood revitalization.
Bennett began her career in affordable housing, concentrating on affordable housing initiatives in Chelsea—a city that epitomizes the complex urban issues prevalent in Boston, all within just two square miles. She later took her expertise to Newton, promoting affordable housing and infrastructure improvements to benefit low-income residents.
Bennett recently retired as the administrator and CEO of the Boston Housing Authority, a position she held for the last four years of her career. As the sixth-largest public housing authority in the United States and the largest in New England, the Boston Housing Authority serves approximately 25,000 families across 60 sites throughout Boston, including high-demand market areas.
Bennett emphasized that an intricate web of issues—ranging from mental health to race inequality—often intertwined with affordable housing, impacting low-income individuals, and it is what makes this work both exhilarating and challenging.
In her advice, Bennett highlighted the critical role of mentorship, encouraging students to remain open and attuned to their interests. Her insights were a reminder that staying connected to what inspires us is essential in navigating complex landscapes.
Lydia Tesfai '27, Winston Ambassador
Ethics & Lunch: Striving for a Just and Equitable Electric Future
Co-founder of ReVision Energy Phil Coupe credits much of his success to reading the news. “You’re going to hear me talk a lot about newspapers and about reading newspapers and reading a lot of current events, because I feel like that has probably been one of the most powerful kinds of influence,” Coupe said.
Coupe, BC ’90, shared his personal experience building a successful life from the ground up—a journey of perseverance, he said. “I’ll never quit, I’ll never give up, and I’ll do whatever the hell it takes to achieve the outcome that I want,” Coupe said.
Coupe answered questions varying from the characteristics of his company to the deeper roots of how one can achieve their goals and overcome obstacles. His first job out of college was working as a reporter for the Dorchester Reporter, a Boston-based weekly newspaper, but he said his interest in business was sparked when he was assigned to write an article about a purified water wholesale company called DrinkMore Water.
He became so passionate about the subject that he asked the owner to work for the company and received a position doing heavy lifting and cleaning floors. “The guy was impressed by my hustle and the willingness to do just about whatever it took to succeed, and so he invited me to join his business and get an ownership stake,” Coupe said.
Success takes time and patience, he added, but hard work is the best way to turn dreams into reality. Coupe and three other business executives eventually founded a solar company in 2003, ReVision Energy, which now spans northern New England.
Coupe said the early days of ReVision Energy were foundational to what the company grew to become. Since the day the solar company was formed, it has grown and developed. “You could argue that it’s one of the biggest and most successful solar companies,” he said. “I don’t want to brag about it too much. It’s not about ego.”
For Coupe and the other co-founders, he said it has never been about a competition of who can become the best. Instead, their mission is “to make life better by building our just and equitable electric future.” As a company, they have also gone to great lengths to avoid a “winner takes all approach,” which Coupe said is one of the biggest problems in the energy industry today.
While reflecting on his experience at BC, Coupe reassured the audience that college provides the perfect opportunity to craft their futures and accomplish their desired lives. “The best antidote is to work your tail off,” he said. “We can almost always see a path to working harder and hopefully nudging a better outcome.”
Adapted from The Heights article by Savannah Lockwood '28