Meet the leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and creatives bringing fresh ideas and bold vision to the North Shore.
They are training young athletes in Byfield, building brands in Newburyport, bringing film productions to Massachusetts, and finding new ways to connect people through food, music, art, and philanthropy. Northshore’s Next Wave 2026 brings together 14 people whose work reflects both the region’s deep roots and its appetite for what comes next.
Some are carrying a family business into its next chapter. Others have followed an unexpected career turn or brought two different passions together. Across their stories, a shared thread emerges: the drive to put experience, creativity, and personal connections to work for the communities around them.
We’ll be featuring everyone on this year’s Next Wave list over the next few days, sharing the full stories behind their work, their passions, and their plans for the future.
Celebrate this year’s Next Wave with Northshore on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. aboard Beauport Cruiseline in Gloucester. Join us for live music and local bites on Gloucester Harbor. Get tickets to the Next Wave celebration.
Robbie Robinson
Director, One FC Boston
After a professional soccer career that included playing alongside Lionel Messi, Robbie Robinson is helping young athletes find their own path. As director of One FC Boston, based at Governor’s Academy in Byfield, he brings a European-style approach to developing technical skill, tactical awareness, and creativity. His goal reaches beyond better players: he wants kids to grow as people, too.
Ocean Lilly Otte
Founder, Élevée
West Peabody native Ocean Lilly Otte brings her eye for color and pattern to Élevée, her boutique in Boston’s South End. Clothing, artwork, accessories, and an organic apothecary line reflect her individual point of view. But shopping is only part of the experience. With free book clubs and movie nights, Otte is making room for the community connections that first drew her to retail.
Jason Santos
Chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author
For Burlington resident Jason Santos, the next chapter is taking shape close to home. The chef and restaurateur has released a Citrus & Salt cookbook and is preparing a new location of the restaurant in Burlington. Expect its signature color and coastal Mexican flavors, along with a patio and space for celebrations. The expansion brings his work into the community where he lives with his family.
Maria Lekkakos and Marc Harris
Entrepreneurs in beauty, real estate, food, and wine
Maria Lekkakos and Marc Harris built their careers in skincare and hair, then carried their entrepreneurial instincts into real estate, food, and wine. Their ventures include M. Lekkakos Skincare, Salon Marc Harris, Area Salon Studios, and Wenham’s Vin Fromage. Partners in life and business, they continue to develop new ideas together, including plans for an intimate event space and a Cape Ann wine festival.
Kelsy Stromski
Founder and creative director, Favor the Brave
At Newburyport’s Favor the Brave, founder and creative director Kelsy Stromski gives brands a distinctive visual identity through strategy, design, and packaging. Her work draws on an artist’s upbringing, a love of vintage craftsmanship, and travel to places as far away as Mongolia. Annual breaks from the studio help her recharge and bring fresh perspective to the businesses whose stories she tells.
Sal Lupoli Jr.
Senior director, Sal’s Pizza
Sal Lupoli Jr. grew up folding boxes at Sal’s Pizza, then pursued football before joining the family business full-time. Now the brand’s senior director, he pairs lessons from the field with hands-on experience in the shops. His focus is on stronger systems, quality ingredients, and growth, with a long-term ambition to take the New England pizza business to a national audience.
Stratton Lloyd
President and CEO, Essex County Community Foundation
At the Essex County Community Foundation, Stratton Lloyd is connecting donors, nonprofits, and volunteers across the county’s 34 cities and towns. His approach goes beyond making grants: he looks for ways collaboration can strengthen whole communities. From digital equity to coastal resiliency, the foundation’s work reflects his belief that local connections can produce lasting change. He aims to expand both the organization and its grantmaking.
William Nelson Jr.
Founder, Upper Room Entertainment; barber, Banter Barber & Clothier
William Nelson Jr. has built a career around two passions: music and barbering. The guitarist and founder of Upper Room Entertainment also cuts hair at Banter Barber & Clothier in Newburyport. Rather than choosing one path, he has let each create opportunities for the other. His entertainment company now designs tailored musical experiences for weddings, corporate events, and hospitality venues.
Kurt T. Steinberg
Acting executive director and CEO, Peabody Essex Museum
Kurt T. Steinberg’s love of museums began with teenage visits to the Smithsonian. As acting executive director and CEO of the Peabody Essex Museum, he brings that lifelong interest to a renewed focus on the museum’s neighbors. He wants PEM to be a place where the community gathers, with local partnerships and more access to its historic houses helping deepen those connections.
Meg Montagnino-Jarrett
Director, Massachusetts Film Office
A film crew’s unexpected phone call helped launch Gloucester native Meg Montagnino-Jarrett’s career. Today, as director of the Massachusetts Film Office, she draws on decades of production and location-scouting experience to bring film and television projects to the state. Her work connects the creative side of filmmaking with its local economic impact, from jobs for crews to spending at neighborhood businesses.
Daniella Mammola
Restaurateur, North Shore Hospitality Group
For Daniella Mammola, hospitality begins with the belief that food brings people together. She and her husband, Dan, have grown from Peabody’s Pellana Steakhouse into the North Shore Hospitality Group, with restaurants, catering, a bakery, and a boutique hotel. Mammola credits the people around her, both staff and guests, and works to build the sense of family that has guided her career.
Jordan Becker
CEO, INTERLOCKS
Jordan Becker leads INTERLOCKS, the Newburyport salon her mother founded in 1988, while raising two children of her own. Her approach to leadership makes space for both professional ambition and family life. Alongside a salon renovation and plans for future growth, she is building a supportive workplace, investing in stylist training, and using the business’s platform to serve the community.
Max Faro
Director of construction and development, Tuscan Brands
Max Faro started in the family business making pasta and bread, then learned construction by working on job sites. Today, Tuscan Brands’ director of construction and development is helping carry its growth into Boston, including the forthcoming Buitoni Spaghetti Bar in Kenmore Square. He is focused on learning the business from the ground up while building on the foundation his father, Joe Faro, established.
Over the next few days, we’ll share their full stories, exploring the career turns, personal passions, and ideas behind their work. Return to meet more of this year’s Next Wave and discover what comes next for each of them.
Join Us for the Next Wave Celebration
Join Northshore for the Next Wave celebration on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 6 to 9 p.m. aboard Beauport Cruiseline in Gloucester. Enjoy an evening of live music and local bites on Gloucester Harbor as we celebrate the people and ideas shaping the North Shore. Reserve your tickets and join us on the water.