Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS), a regional leader in providing services to prevent and end homelessness, has appointed Jack Conway President and Chief Operating Officer Al Becker as its new Board of Directors Chair. Becker’s new role is the latest in a four-decades-long history of the Jack Conway company leading FBMS’ mission to end homelessness.
Becker, a Norwood resident, was appointed Chair during the Board of Directors’ most recent meeting, its first of 2024. He now leads the 18-member Board of FBMS, a regional non-profit organization that provides a range of assistance, including emergency shelter, supportive services, homelessness prevention programs, workforce development, and more than 700 permanent supportive housing units for individuals, families, and Veterans facing a housing crisis across Southern Massachusetts.
As the governing body of FBMS, the Board develops the organization’s strategic plan, provides financial oversight, ensures legal compliance, and serves as ambassadors for the agency’s mission, among other responsibilities.
“We are very excited that Al is continuing a remarkable legacy of the Jack Conway family and company shaping our mission,” FBMS President & CEO John Yazwinski said. “Al is a creative, compassionate, and forward-thinking leader who has provided bold and thoughtful direction throughout his career, producing strong, record-setting results for organizations while also fostering positive, team-oriented environments. Al has the skills and talents needed to advance our innovative strategic plan and to guide FBMS as we create a national model in the fight to end homelessness.”
As President and COO of Jack Conway, Becker oversees day-to-day operations, marketing, education, relocation and corporate services, as well as provides sales support to the company’s 22 offices and 700 agents. Jack Conway is a 68-year-old, family-owned real estate company serving Greater Boston, the South
Shore, Cape Cod, and the South Coast.
“I'm honored to serve as Chairman and represent Jack Conway and our entire organization,” said Becker.
“Father Bill's & Mainspring believes nobody should be homeless and that aligns perfectly with what I help our agents do every day. My service to FBMS is an extension of the work Jack and Patti Conway helped start, and Carol Bulman and her family have continued.”
The Conway company and family have contributed generously to FBMS over the years, including through the funds raised by the annual Jack Conway Memorial Golf Tournament for the Homeless. The tournament, organized by Becker for the past decade, is celebrating its 40th year in 2024.
In the early 1980s, Jack and Patti Conway helped found the mission at FBMS after noticing a growing number of individuals and families in the Brockton area facing housing hardships. Along with Marie Sheehan, they led a group of community members to start the MainSpring Coalition for the Homeless, which later opened the MainSpring House emergency shelter in Brockton.
The Conway family and company have provided a range of support ever since, including hosting cookouts for families experiencing homelessness, sponsoring holiday brunches and gift drives, and investing in new permanent supportive housing for the area’s most vulnerable individuals and families. In 2021, the Conway company provided FBMS with a $100,000 grant toward its innovative Housing Resource Center (HRC) in Brockton, set to open later this year. CEO & Chairperson Carol Bulman spoke at the HRC groundbreaking ceremony in May 2023, and she and her husband, Michael, currently serve on FBMS’ HRC Campaign Leadership Cabinet.
“On behalf of the entire Conway/Bulman family and the members of Jack Conway, I am grateful for the service Al has provided and will continue to provide Father Bills/Mainspring House,” said Bulman. “As a company and family that helps people achieve the dream of a home, it’s our mission to assist those who need a hand to achieve this goal due to life circumstance. I’m grateful for Al’s leadership and we are committed to a future of supporting FBMS selfless outreach to our community.”
As the FBMS Board Chair, Becker succeeds Dr. Michael Kryzanek, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Special Assistant to the President at Bridgewater State University, who remains on the Board. In addition to a new Chair, the Board’s newly appointed Executive Committee members include Vice Chair David Arnold, Vice President of Total Rewards and HR Operations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, and Secretary Corey Anne Beach, Director of Audio at The New York Times. James Oslin, CPA, a partner at Jesson, Oslin & Associates, LLP, continues to serve as Treasurer of the Board.
“Personally, working with the leadership, staff and board at FBMS has been a rewarding and wonderful learning experience,” said Becker. “I'm looking forward to continuing to support the mission and thousands of individuals and families we help each day.”
