Our Friend Andrea: A Tribute in Memory of Andrea McGrath

In this special tribute episode of Lead and Live Well, we celebrate the extraordinary life and impact of Andrea McGrath, a beloved friend, colleague, and leader in the social impact sector. Andrea was a tireless connector, a beacon of positivity, and a true champion of ideas and people.

Join us as friends, colleagues, and admirers share heartfelt remembrances, recounting Andrea's boundless energy, her unmatched ability to bring people together, and the generosity that defined her life. Whether you knew Andrea personally or are learning about her for the first time, these stories offer inspiration to live with the same love, curiosity, and purpose that she embodied.

Andrea’s legacy reminds us to be connectors, cheerleaders, and bright lights in our own communities. Listen in, reflect, and carry her spirit forward.

Hosted by Erin Cox and M. Scott Knox
Edited and Produced by Stephanie Cohen

Transcript

Andrea Episode

Erin: Welcome everybody to a special episode of the Lead and Live Well podcast. I'm joined by Scott Knox this morning for a little intro to a special episode that we've decided to pull together in honor of our late and great friend, Andrea McGrath.

Andrea was a leader in the social impact and impact advising space for decades. I like to describe her as a collector and connector people and ideas. And she had just a beautiful heart, a wonderful smile, an incredible amount of energy. And she really, was a wonderful friend and colleague and mentor to Scott and I.

We were shocked and saddened by her loss, as we know so many of you were as well. So we wanted to just give folks an opportunity to record a remembrance in honor of her. And our wonderful producer, Steph, is pulling them all together in this episode so that we have something that we can reflect back on in times when we miss her, wonderful presence.

I know Scott, you had a remembrance or two you wanted to share.

Scott: Yeah. Erin, thanks so much for organizing this. I think you described Andrea, in a similar way that I thought of her just as a a monster networker, a monster cheerleader for the sector. Just consistently curious about, organizations, ideas, leaders, theories of change. Not surprising, I met Andrea at a networking event. And we found out although a few years apart that we had both gone to B. C. undergrad and had done the Kennedy school mid career program. And Andrea, on a number of occasions, when I was at Brook Charter schools volunteered in our Brook book club. and so she read a couple of titles on her own time and then broke bread and joined a small group of middle school students to discuss the title just, like book clubs do.

And just brought that same energy and charisma and curiosity to adult community settings to a middle school cafeteria. So was just, so warm, so loving and Such a loss for our community.

Erin: really well said Scott. And I just, I love hearing these stories and folks will be able to listen to many more as this episode continues, because you can just picture her in these settings, bringing her incredible light and energy and smile and positivity everywhere she went. It's hard to believe that's not available to us anymore, but appreciate these stories that just remind us of how special that was as we live to serve in a similar way. 

we should mention that Andrea, we put together a small, focus group in support of the podcast before we decided to launch. And of course, Andrea kindly volunteered her time to that and every time after those focus group meetings, every time I saw her, which once you get swept up in Andrea's wave, like she brings you everywhere and you see her everywhere and you love every minute of it.

She would ask me about it every time she saw me and want to know who else was being interviewed and share reflections from recent episodes.

So her love was something special. Her positivity was amazing. And I think it just really drove so many people to connect with one another and bring great ideas forward. and so I hope that folks who knew her enjoy hearing the reflections that folks have submitted on her behalf.

and I hope that folks who didn't get a chance to meet her or know her, still enjoy learning more about her because I think if we all seek to live a little bit more like Andrea did, this world is going to be such a brighter and better space for everyone.

Scott: Here. And we know wherever Andrea is right now, the sunglasses are firmly planted on the top of her very thick head of 

Erin: hair. 

At least two pairs of glasses are gone her head.

Scott: That's right.

Erin: When Suzanne and I went to get our communion at her service, she was wearing her sunglasses on her head, and I just, I pulled her, it was an emotional moment for both of us, but I just, I, she was in front of me and I saw that and I was like, Suzanne, that's so on brand for Andrea. So 

Scott: hundred percent. 

Erin: All right. If we keep going, I'm going to cry. So let's turn it over to the remembrances. Thanks everybody who submitted and I hope you all enjoy.

Alissa Farber: This is Alyssa Farber with Positively Partners. I've had the real privilege of knowing Andrea over the years as, you An incredible cheerleader, a connector, a phenomenal coffee date, a joyful presence, uh, so full of unbelievable ideas, passion, joy, creativity, and generosity. I'll miss all of those things about her and feel incredibly sad at the premise of losing her. Her spirit will live on because all of us who loved her and loved the work that she was so committed to will help to carry that light forward.

Amy Kingman: Hi, I'm Amy Kingman and I run a social impact consulting firm in Boston. I met Andrea McGrath probably less than two years ago, but it feels like forever. She immediately welcomed me into her life. She immediately jumped on a call with me to help me think through my business. She immediately offered connections and resources and her relationships to me just to see me succeed. She and I do similar work and for some people that may have resulted in competition, but that is just not who Andrea was. She had the most generous Open heart and spirit, and she offered whatever she could to anybody with such ease and grace and enthusiasm.

We are all so lucky to have learned from her. We are so lucky to have had her energy and charisma and funny ideas and sense of humor in our lives. She's gone much, much too soon. But I definitely will carry forth her legacy by offering whatever I can to help others by providing advice and love and friendship and just unbridled energy to anybody else that crosses my path.

We miss you, Andrea. We're so, so lucky to know you.

Susan Muszynski: Hello, my name is Susan Muszynski, and I'm the founding executive director of the Social Innovation Forum. And I had the honor and privilege of knowing Andrea for many years, at least 10 in that role. And Andrea was certainly somebody whose hands and heart and energy were in so many different social impact pieces in the city.

I got to know her because she showed up all the time. What I said to somebody is, if there was an event, Andrea was definitely there. She was so good. She came to the paid event. She came to the unpaid events, and she did a lot of volunteer work for us. She did a few paid projects with us, but she was such an integrated part of the community.

One story that I want to share is just this fall, I was actually out of town for several months, and in typical Andrea fashion, she sent an email saying, I just read this article in this newspaper, and it's featuring one of the people who I know we both know and love. And I wanted to make sure you saw it.

And I wrote back and I'd been out of town, so I hadn't seen anything. And I wrote to her just how appreciative I was. She did those things all of the time to stay in touch, make sure that people were thinking about each other, and make people feel connected. She will be so deeply missed by me and everyone in the social impact community.

 She was adored.

Matt Camp: My name is Matt camp. I'm currently working as a fractional senior leader for a couple of different organizations my connection to Andrea, I've known her for close to 20 years. We met in 2006 when I was looking to make a transition from the corporate sector, which is where I had worked all my life up to that point, into the social sector. And I give a Andrea, a lot of credit for helping me on this path. She gave me the validation and the confidence that there was a social sector, that there were impact jobs and that I could carve out a career in it.

So I definitely point to her and her knowledge and engagement with me over the years as a reason that I stayed with it and I've had my success. In fact, I remember those early days when she had the impact jobs email newsletter, and we laughed a lot about how she should put that online and stop having to do so much work on it.

But it did make its way online and I give her a full credit for that. Just reminded me how central she has been to so many people in finding the jobs their dream jobs in the career sector. So, I definitely appreciate that from her. One of the things that I love about Andrea is that when we met.

And it was, every quarter or so, sometimes a little more frequently over a beer or a coffee. She would always have so many things going on in her head. And I almost had to slow her down because she just could share bits and pieces, so many things that, I was taking notes and trying to keep up.

I love that about her. I mean, she would laugh that she should settle down and focus on one job. But I think one of her greatest assets was that she was so, omnipresent and she just. knew of people and roles. 

I mean, she was that connective tissue that we needed. Probably made her life more challenging as a consultant, but I think that's what she was good at.

And so it encouraged me to pursue that as a potential career path. And so we always laughed about that. And I will miss her dearly. I hope that I can be the type of connector that she was and that I continue to support people looking for jobs in the social sector. She will be missed.

Luisa Pena Lyons: Hi, this is Louisa Pena Lyons and I'd love to share a couple of words about Andrea McGrath. We met because of social impact work that we both were doing. She had the impact jobs newsletter and I was following that as a mid career professional. And then when I went on to start Bridge Forward Fund, Andrea was a mentor and a supporter and was always remembered to check in, especially as she knew how hard it was to be a woman founder, woman of color founder.

And We also were able to get some of her students from BC to do a project for Bridge Forward Fund. And she just was so thoughtful. What I loved about her was that though she was balancing so much in her life and just felt like she was everywhere she always remembered to circle back and check in and it was just so sweet, so cheerful, so positive um, and just made this world a better place.

She will be dearly missed and it was such an honor and a privilege to know her. 

Kim Oakes: Hi, this is Kim Oakes, a friend of our dear adventurous Andrea. Andrea and I started out as conference buddies. We met way back in 2007 at an early meeting of the European Venture Philanthropy Association and on a random rooftop in Spain, we connected instantly. We'd both been working in London around the same time, discovered we had both studied at BC and had this big shared interest in social impact.

She was the type of friend who made it a point to stay connected, although we never lived near each other. We Skyped, we Zoomed, we met at conferences, we met in Boston, but not that often in person. And over the years, Andrea became a very trusted friend as our conversations deepened and were peppered with hearty laughter, given her very infectious laugh.

The gift Andrea gave to many of us was connection. And one of Andrea's superpowers was her ability to find connection and create new connections across people, places, and areas of life. And the wisdom of Andrea McGrath that I take with me is this: create connection and amplify connection and be committed to it, especially now.

We miss you, dear Andrea, and are so grateful to you and the impact you've had on all of us. Your very bright light continues to shine.

Nate Wong: Hi, my name is Nate Wong. I currently serve as a partner at the Bridge Band Group. Andrea and I were co workers at the Beck Center for Social Impact and Innovation at Georgetown University. Andrea took over leading our Fair Finance pillar of work from the indomitable Lisa Hall. When I was courting Andrea to work at the Beck Center, I distinctly remember her coming down to D. C. and meeting me at a local coffee shop. I saw Andrea's excitement. and her eyes light up after describing the opportunity to work at the Beck Center. It would be a home for a lot of her musings and efforts that she had been working on, both around impact investing as well as investing in students, while also exploring new terrain related to innovative finance and policy.

Over the next two years, Andrea and I would build a strong partnership. The qualities that Andrea imbued for me were One, a selfless care for others, two, just being a connective hub, and three, having a contagious smile and laugh that brought people in. From her impact jobs newsletter to her undoubtedly helping students, Andrea always would roll up her sleeves and help others.

She was a natural connective hub for all, graciously offering contacts and seeing unlikely points of connection. And Andrea drew people in through her vivacious laugh that seemed to connect with everyone. I hope we can all live out those qualities so Andrea's legacy will live on.

Jason Lynch: My name is Jason Lynch. I was a member of the mass challenge cohort back in 2015 2016 and at that time, Andrea was the the mentor for all the social impact organizations. I was in mass Challenge as a social impact organization. So, so I got to know Andrea really well during that time, she became a great mentor and advisor to me and my organization.

I remember she was just always so open and excited to make connections, introduce me to people that she thought could help and would support the cause that we were working towards. And most importantly, I remember she just always had this giant smile that um, you really just don't find in many people.

She was just so positive and had this sort of contagious energy about her. She's a really special person. I was so sorry to hear the news about her passing. But I'm very grateful that our paths crossed and that I got the chance to to work with her and learn from her during that time. So thank you, Andrea, so much for everything you've done and we'll definitely keep you in my thoughts and try to um, bring a little bit of you to, to all the work that I do moving forward. Thanks, Andrea.

Rebecca Imami: My name is Rebecca Imami and I'm a senior vice president with United Way of Massachusetts Bay. I met Andrea in 2014, though honestly I don't remember exactly how we were introduced. I almost wonder if I had sent her a cold email and that's something that she Oddly enough, like, like me would have been the type to respond to.

That's just who she was. She was someone who was willing to share her time and help others. At the time I was working in banking and I was fascinated by this idea that finance could be a force for good. Which was, in many ways a less common idea 10 years ago than it is now. 

I was considering another number of different pathways in my life and Andrea took me under her wing. She patiently answered endless questions and became an invaluable guide. I will never forget our first meeting at the Thinking Cup. It was absolutely one of the coldest mornings and I believe it was in January. I had overslept. I felt awful. I was incredibly out of sorts. Even though I arrived on time, I felt like I was a mess.

And Andrea swept in like a burst of energy straight from the sun. She had glasses perched on her head and oddly enough, another pair of glasses perched over those. I will, for the rest of my life, think of Andrea every time I put sunglasses on my head. Um, she was also wrapped in three scarves. And I remember her taking them off literally one by one as we started to warm up.

And by the time we finished that morning, not only was I feeling Far more sorted than I was when I arrived, but her enthusiasm had completely lifted me and leaving me ready to tackle the world. Andrea made, had a remarkable way of making others feel seen and supported. Over the next decade of our friendship, she opened countless doors for me, introduced me to incredible people and encouraged me to, Be comfortable and really own my own skill set and my own learning journey.

And I think that was just because she was always so comfortable in hers. She was so passionate about learning and always eager to share her knowledge with others. I will miss Andrea deeply and I will hope to honor her legacy by paying forward the many opportunities she gave me and continuing to open the doors for others.

Gabriela Priest: Hi, my name is Gabriela Priest Celestin. I first met Andrea in 2020 through the YW Boston through their Lead Boston Training Program. We were part of a group of about 40 people that went through that leadership training cohort in 2020. And Andrea is the one that really kept us connected and kept us getting together after we graduated.

She sent emails frequently pointing out the accomplishments of some of our cohort um inviting us to events in the social impact space, and just getting us together. The last time she did that was in July. We all got together about five months ago, and she and I were the first ones there. And I asked her about her work on the impact jobs page. Um, and I told her how much I and others appreciated it and asked really how she did it because it seemed like it took so much time and energy and effort.

And I asked her if she had funding for it, or how she kept it up, and she said it was really just her way of giving back. And I think that really exemplifies her life, her work her service. She was always, you know, attending events and giving back to events for others. I saw one of those events in September that she sent an email to a bunch of people, And said, Basically, I have extra tickets. Who wants to come with me and learn about this organization? 

And her work in the impact fields. Just really touched touch me. I saw her as a mentor. When I saw her last, we were talking about kind of job prospects that I was looking into, and she gave me great advice. Um, and she is just so missed and so loved by my lead Boston cohort. But everyone that she touched. 

I attended a Zoom with 50 of her friends a few days after she passed. And everyone seems to have had this connection with her where they said she was really the glue that kept their group together. And she was the one that really kept communications going and made sure that people stayed in touch.

And so that was such an important role that she played for our lead Boston group. And we are looking forward to commemorating her at our upcoming lead Boston alumni event. Um, and she will be very sorely missed. So thank you, Andrea, for all your work in the impact space and all your work connecting people throughout many years and many parts of your life.

We really appreciate it. And we will keep those connections going in your honor.

Randall Kempner: Hi, this is Randall Kempner. I'm the founding executive director of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, and today the president of Prosperity Strategies. I wanted to share my thoughts about Andrea just because she was a kindred spirit, someone who I looked up to as A person dedicated to helping others.

She is a born connector. I am too. And I loved how much she could do it with skill and with love. And um, the world is missing someone who truly had a big impact. So, sending love to her family and to all of you.

Tim Smith Girding: Hi, everyone. Um, my name is Tim Smith Girding. I run a social impact consulting firm up in New Hampshire, but spent eight years in Boston. Um, was lucky to know Andrea through several touch points, including running a program through MassChallenge together. For a whole year and um, I'm going to miss how much she lit up every room she was a part of, and just naturally connected people um, that may at first view, not have anything to connect over. And I will always remember her smile and just the joy that impact work brought her every day and hope that everyone back in Boston is doing well and finds ways to honor her memory um, in all that we do.

So take good care. Thank you.

Siobhan O'Riordan: Hi, my name is Siobhan O'Riordan. I am a coach and have had a career in the social sector, which is how I ended up meeting Andrea. We met perhaps eight or nine years ago through Jennifer Anderson. We had a coffee where we talked about a lot of things and I knew then that we would stay in touch. I didn't realize at that moment how Much of a colleague that she would be to me over the next eight or nine years.

Andrea was a true connector. She was so generous with putting people in touch with each other, I made it a rule that anything that Andrea asked me to do, I would say yes to, and that included meeting many people that she thought that I should meet, thinking that there was something interesting and relevant that we shared, and she was always right.

She was a cheerleader to me and so many other people. In moments of doubt she would lift me up. As a solopreneur she understood how hard it was to create a business and she was incredible at creating connections and support for many of us who were out there doing our own business, but she really created a community, several of them for us to be a part of.

Her joy was contagious. And the positivity that she brought made the change that she sought possible. And she was really catalytic in terms of helping the community people who were like minded around social justice and change. really feel like it was possible if we stayed in touch with each other. She was also incredibly consistent in her outreach and keeping in touch with people. And I had a beautiful text from her just days before she passed away.

 In the past month, I have really had a chance to reflect on Andrea's lasting gifts. And for me, it is this lesson of legacy, of love, and it's a love she brought in all aspects of her life, including work. And I can see how many people who were touched by her, who will continue to carry her purpose forward.

And that's hugely inspiring to me in my work going forward. And I would be remiss not to note that my practice as a coach and the work I'm doing writing a book was almost not single handedly inspired, but certainly prompted by and shaped by many of the conversations I had with Andrea.

 At that very first coffee, we realized that we're both the generalists and she is the one who introduced me to that term. And it really has become the center of my work and the focus of the legacy that I would like to leave to others. And for that gift. I am eternally grateful to her. But I'm even more grateful for all the wonderful people that she's connected me to and the community of care that she created. 

Suzanne Salerno: Hi, this is Suzanne Salerno. Thank you, Erin and Scott, for creating this space to share stories and honor our friend Andrea. I looked back to see who had introduced me to Andrea, and it was no surprise that one of the first people to mention Andrea's name to me was Katie Allen Vobel. At the time, she was CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Mass.

And I had been in an interview process with her. Katie took the time to send me an email and mention her friend Andrea's job list. We all know that incredible job list that started as a PDF attachment and turned into a community of now over 3, 000 people on LinkedIn that Andrea curated through her community and connections.

Soon after that time that Katie mentioned Andrea's name, at least two or three other people in our Impact community also said, you should know Andrea. So I reached out by email and introduced myself. And what struck me immediately was that Andrea said yes. Yes to answering my email. Yes to meeting with me. Yes, to helping me as I was in the midst of some soul searching and career looking. And yes, to thinking about ways that we might collaborate together. 

More recently, I was blessed to be working very closely with andrea on a number of collaborations. One of her talents is her immense expertise in impact investing.

I was so lucky that Andrea said, yes, there's that yes again. When I inquired if she wanted to co lead and invest for better circle with me, How lucky was I to be able to learn from Andrea while bringing together a group of amazing impact leaders, to talk about women investors.

So "yes" is that common thread and the values that I will carry forward in her honor, along with her warmth, energy, spirit, smile, and so much more. 

Erin: Hey, everyone. Thanks so much for tuning in to this tribute episode in honor of Andrea McGrath. We so appreciate you taking a moment to listen in to all the remembrances that were submitted and either learn a little bit more about the wonderful person she was or be reminded of how she lived her amazing life and brought people together in her special way. 

At Andrea's funeral, the family gave out mass cards that included a quote that I wanted to close out with. It's from the monastery of St. Joseph Tallow in Ireland, and it reads: 

Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away to the next room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.

Let it be spoken without effort. Without the trace of a shadow on it. So thanks again for tuning in to this very special episode. And if, if you have a moment and you know somebody who maybe knew Andrea or were impacted by her in some way, we would love it if you would share this with them. And thanks again for tuning in to Lead and Live Well. Take care, everyone.