Gladys Vega EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, LA COLABORATIVA, CHELSEA, MA Gladys Vega has dedicated more than 30 years of service to the city of Chelsea and The Chelsea Collaborative/La Colaborativa, which she joined in 1990 – just two years after its founding. She took on increasing responsibility with each passing year, moving from receptionist to community organizer…
Mario Florez REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND WELL BEING, TRINITY HEALTH OF NEW ENGLAND Mario Florez is a social service and education professional with over 20 years of experience. He has made it his life’s work and mission to serve marginalized and vulnerable populations through direct service provision as a residential and crisis counselor,…
Balqies Mohamed YOUTH LEAD ORGANIZER, PORTLAND EMPOWERED, PORTLAND, ME Balqies Mohamed is a 17-year-old Somali-American living in Portland, Maine. When she is not doodling over her calculus homework, Balqies finds herself engaged in other school-related activities. Besides being Student Body President, Balqies is an active member of her school’s Debate Team, Muslim Student Association, and…
Carlon Howard CHIEF IMPACT OFFICER AND CO-FOUNDER, EQUITY INSTITUTE, PROVIDENCE, RI Carlon is the Chief Impact Officer and Co-Founder of Equity Institute. In his role, he leads organization-wide strategic and operational planning, ensuring EI’s vision is realized through clear prioritization and high-impact operational execution. In addition to helping launch the Equity Institute, he also co-founded…
Cynthia Massillon DEAN OF STUDENTS, SOMERVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SOMERVILLE, MA Experienced Educator with a demonstrated history of working in the education field. Taught secondary history for 8 years, and is currently Dean of Students at a high school in the Greater Boston Area. Skilled in Youth Participatory Action Research, Curriculum Development, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking,…
Karen Chen EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCATION BOSTON, MA Karen Chen is Executive Director of the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), a 43-year-old grassroots civil rights organization. Karen’s training began as a 10-year-old when she immigrated to the US and became a de facto interpreter and advocate for her immigrant working-class family, later honing her leadership…
Muntaha Mohamed LEAD FACILITATOR & HEAD OF YOUTH PROGRAMMING PORTLAND, EMPOWERED PORTLAND, ME Muntaha Mohamed is a Black/Somali woman, artist, and activist living on Abenaki Land. She believes in and works to build community, create safe spaces, and enact the courage it takes to envision and move towards an equitable world together. Muntaha co-leads creative…
Christie Nold TEACHER, SOUTH BURLINGTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT Christie Nold (she/her) lives and works on Abenaki land in Vermont. She is a public middle school teacher in South Burlington, just five miles from her childhood home. In addition to teaching middle school humanities, Christie co-facilities Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR), co-instructs a graduate…
Juliette Menga Juliette Menga, CFA is a Director and Associate Portfolio Manager at Alternative Investment Group, an independent investment firm based in Southport, CT. She has responsibility for manager sourcing and monitoring for all funds at the firm and works closely with its head of investment strategy to define its strategic investment direction. Juliette is…
Jessica Jones Jessica Jones is Managing Director for Hedge Funds at Dartmouth College’s Investment Office. Before joining DCIO in 2018, she worked for almost a decade at HighVista Strategies, where she was a principal focusing on the firm’s external manager portfolio across public and private strategies. Previously, she held positions at Grove Street and Battery…