John Kerry, the Koch Brothers, and More Make Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People List

See who else from Boston and Massachusetts made the cut for 2014.

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Diane Paulus PHOTOGRAPH BY JASON GROW for “DRAMA QUEEN”

Time magazine debuted its annual “100 Most Influential People in the World” list for 2014 today, which, for the last decade, has sought to spotlight the most effective movers and shakers from around the world.

Of course, among this year’s Time 100 are quite a few with Boston and Massachusetts ties. Surprised? We’re not. While John Kerry and the Koch brothers are no strangers to lists like these, but here are a few other names on the Time 100 you might not recognize so immediately:

Robert Lanza
Chief Scientific Officer at Advanced Cell Technology

Listed under the “Pioneers” category, Dr. Lanza and his team at A.C.T.—based in Marlborough, Mass.—achieved a major breakthrough in stem-cell research this past year. “The controversies may continue, but thanks to Lanza the science will too,” writes Alice Park.

John Kovac
Professor at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Another “Pioneer” on the Time 100, John Kovac and team detected ripples in space-time called gravitational waves… i.e. the smoking gun evidence of inflation… i.e. a big step to proving the Big Bang totally happened. (Bazinga!) If anything, Kovac and co. deserve kudos for making this happen.

Diane Paulus
Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater

Paulus won a Tony for the A.R.T.’s revival of Pippin. The “Broadway genius” reset the entire show in a circus and cast Patina Miller as the lead. Tony-hoarder Audra MacDonald applauds Paulus’s fearlessness: “She’s willing to try anything. It can be as wild and imaginative as possible—as long as it’s authentic.”


RELATED: Our profile of Diane Paulus, “Drama Queen.”


Note: It’s worth pointing out New Hampshire-bred Seth Meyers also made the “Artists” list. The new host of Late Night is an avid Red Sox fan, and his mini-profile was penned by Boston native Amy Poehler, who writes, “At Saturday Night Live, Seth spent 13 years making sure the comedy sausage was delivered on time.” So thanks, Seth, for delivering the sausage.