Linda Dorcena Forry

Linda Dorcena Forry (born 1973) is a former Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate, who represented the 1st Suffolk district from June 2013 - January 2018. She previously represented the 12th Suffolk District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives after winning a special election in April 2005. Haitian-American, Dorcena Forry, is the former House Chair of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business.

Linda Dorcena Forry
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
from the 1st Suffolk district
In office
June 14, 2013 - January 25, 2018
Preceded byJack Hart
Succeeded byNick Collins
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 12th Suffolk district
In office
2005 - June 14, 2013
Preceded byTom Finneran
Succeeded byDan Cullinane
Personal details
Born1973 (age 49–50)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseBill Forry
Residence(s)Dorchester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materBoston College
ProfessionBusiness management

Early life and education

Dorcena Forry was born and raised in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. She attended St. Kevin Grammar School and Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School in Dorchester and then Boston College.[1] In 1997, she graduated from Boston College's Carroll School of Management in 1997. In 2014, she received a master's degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.[2]

Career
Left to right: Kathy Flynn, Raymond Flynn, Forry, and Ed Markey at the 2016 State of the Union Address

After graduating from Boston College, Dorcena Forry was a legislative assistant, working for then-State Representative Charlotte Golar Richie (Fifth Suffolk District serving Roxbury and Dorchester).[1] When she left the State House in 1999 to work for the executive staff at the City of Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development, she had risen to the position of Acting Chief of Staff.

From 2005 to 2013, Dorcena Forry represented the Commonwealth's 12th Suffolk House district, a cross-section that includes parts of the town of Milton and the city of Boston, including Dorchester, Hyde Park and Mattapan.[2] In 2009, Forry served as Chair of the Black and Latino Caucus. That same year, she was appointed Chairman of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses.[2]

Dorcena Forry won the Democratic nomination in the April 2013 special primary election to succeed state Senator Jack Hart[3] in the First Suffolk Senate district, defeating Rep. Nick Collins. She defeated Republican Joseph A. Ureneck in the final election on May 28 and was sworn in on June 14, 2013.[4][5] She stepped down on January 25, 2018, to become a vice president at Suffolk Construction.[6]

Personal

Dorcena Forry is married to Bill Forry, editor and publisher of the Dorchester Reporter.[7][8] The couple live in Lower Mills, Dorchester and have four children: John, Conor, Madeline and Norah.[2] Three of her children were born during her tenure in the House of Representatives.[2]

Awards
  • 2011 MPAH Haiti Movie Awards Humanitarian Award Recipient[9]

References
  1. Manly, Howard (2013-05-02) "Key legislators endorse Forry", Bay State Banner. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  2. Charlotin, Manolia (2011-03-15) "Life in a Whirlwind: Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry juggles official duties, motherhood", Boston Haitian Reporter.
  3. Walker, Adrian (2013-05-01) Nick Collins concedes to Linda Dorcena Forry in First Suffolk District Senate race. Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  4. Lowery, Wesley (2013-05-01) "Forry victory highlights South Boston’s shifting political scene", Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  5. "Linda Dorcena Forry sworn in as State Senator". 14 June 2013.
  6. "Linda Dorcena Forry"s departure sets off shock waves – and flurry of interest in her seat". 26 January 2018.
  7. "The Dorchester Reporter has been family-run for 40 years". Chronicle. WCVB. May 3, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  8. Leung, Shirley; Chesto, Jon (July 10, 2023). "After five years at Suffolk, Dorcena Forry heads back out on her own". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  9. http://haitimovieaward.com/?page_id=571 Motion Picture Association of Haiti
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