Our Team

Amanda Alves

Administrative Associate

Joanna S. Ballantine, CAP®

Vice President for Philanthropic Services

Andrea Bienvenue

Program Officer for Post-Secondary Education

Marty Bongfeldt

Donor Services Administrator

Nicole Bourdon

Nicole Bourdon

Senior Program Officer

Megan Burke

President and CEO

Didi de Almeida

Accounting Manager

Nigel Greaves

Nigel Greaves

Director of Development

Sarah Guerin

Executive Assistant, Community Impact and Partnerships

Shannon Gurek

Vice President for Finance and Operations

Denise Hurst

Vice President for Community Impact and Partnerships

Breyonna Jones

Scholarship and Loan Associate

Jeffery Markham Jr.

Senior Program Officer

Keith McKittrick

Keith McKittrick

Director of Philanthropic Operations

Jennifer R. McNeill, Ed.D.

Senior Program Officer for Education and Economic Mobility

Tessa Menatian

Grants Administrator

Michaela Mendygral

Marketing Specialist

Emma Mesa-Melendez

Director of Communications

Stefanie Munsell

Senior Accountant

Hector Reyes

Data Systems Analyst

Stephanie Reyes

Program Officer for Arts and Creativity

Maria del Carmen Rodriguez

Development Officer

MC Silver

Executive Assistant for Operations

Ja'Net Smith

Senior Director of Community Impact

Ann Tweedy

Funds Administration

Briana Wales-Thaxton

Vice President for People and Culture

David Williams

Accountant

Board of Directors

Board of Directors

  • Charlie D'Amour, Chair

    Retired President and CEO, Big Y
  • Nikki Burnett

    Nikki Burnett, Vice Chair

    Executive Director, Educare Springfield

  • Karin George

    Principal, Washburn & McGoldrick, LLC

  • Tara Brewster

    Vice President of Business Development and Director of Philanthropy at Greenfield Savings Bank

  • Sylvia Callan

    CFA, CAIA, Senior Portfolio Manager, St. Germain Investments

  • Attorney Seunghee Cha

    Partner, Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas, LLP
  • Mauricia Geissler

    Mauricia Geissler

    Retired Chief Investment Officer, Amherst College

  • Magdalena Gómez

    Playwright, performer, and speaker
  • Gillian Hinkson

    Gillian Hinkson

    Victim Witness Advocate, Hampden County District Attorney’s Office

  • Jessica Holloway

    Partner & Chief Operating Officer, The Jamrog Group

  • Sarah Lapolice

    CPA, Burkhart, Pizzanelli, P.C.

  • Dr. Michelle Schutt

    President of Greenfield Community College

  • Payton Shubrick

    CEO and founder of 6 Brick’s Cannabis Dispensary Springfield

  • Traci Talbert

    Racial Justice Community Engagement Director, Franklin County Community Development Corporation

  • Gregory S. Thomas

    Executive Director & Lecturer Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Massachusetts

  • Dr. George Timmons

    President, Holyoke Community College

  • Aaron Vega

    President and CEO of Western Mass Economic Development Council

  • Francia Wisnewski

    Director of Membership and Community Engagement, National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)

  • Dr. Martin Wohl

    Retired Dentist, Wohl Family Dentistry, LLC

Directors Emeritus

  • George Arwady

  • Dana R. Barrows *

  • Sanford A. Belden *

  • Kenneth Boutin

  • Bruce Brown

  • Robert S. Carroll *

  • Robert Cohn

  • Ruth Constantine

  • Mary-Beth Cooper

  • Peter J. Daboul *

  • Stephen A. Davis *

  • Kerry Dietz

  • Dianne Fuller Doherty

  • Linda Dunlavy

  • Alfred L. Griggs *

  • Harold Grinspoon

  • Lester L. Halpern

  • Willie L. Hill Jr.

  • Orlando Isaza

  • Amy Jamrog

  • Carol A. Leary *

  • Ellen Brout Lindsey

  • Paul Murphy *

  • Sonia M. Nieto

  • Becky Packard

  • David E. Pinsky

  • Robert Pura

  • Irene Rodriguez-Martin

  • Elizabeth D. Scheibel *

  • Mary Ellen Scott

  • Elizabeth H. Sillin *

  • Richard B. Steele Jr.

  • Ralph S. Tate *

  • Doug A. Theobald

  • Angela Wright

  • * Board Chair Emeritus

Committees

Audit/Finance Committee

(2026-2027)

Charles D’Amour, Vice Chair
Sarah Lapolice, Chair
Michelle Schutt
Mary-Anne S. Stearns
Tristan Ta
Ashley Travis
PJ Miller

Nominating and Governance Committee

(2026-2027)

Nikki Burnett
Charles D’Amour
Karin L. George
Gillian Hinkson, Vice Chair
Payton Shubrick, Chair
Gregory Thomas

Community Impact Committee

(2026-2027)

Patricia Crutchfield
Debbie DiStefano
Brooks Fitch
Magdalena Gomez
Jamie Manning
Cecil Papafio
Devin Sheehan, Vice Chair
Traci Talbert
Aaron Vega
Deja Ware
Francia Wisnewski, Chair

Executive Committee

(2026-2027)

Nikki Burnett
Charles D’Amour, Chair
Karin George
Sarah Lapolice
Payton Shubrick
Mauricia Geissler
Francia Wisnewski

Investment Committee

(2026-2027)

Sylvia Callan, Vice Chair
Kim Davis
Matthew Farkas
Mauricia Geissler, Chair
Gillian Hinkson
Ralph Tate
Aaron Vega

Philanthropic Services Committee

(2026-2027)

Tara Brewster, Chair
Emma Chen-Banas
Kari Diamond-Kayiatos
Ryan Ferriter
Amanda Garcia
Jessica Holloway
Terrell Joyner, Vice Chair
Amie Miarecki
Yves Salomon-Fernández 
Kathryn Wakefield

Volunteers

Grant Reviewers

(2023-2024)

Emma Aldana
Jessica Avery
Rachel Blackman
Donnabelle Casis
Marcia Crutchfield
Kari Diamond Kayiatos
Jose Escribano
Katie Fretwell
Matthew Glassman
Apelila Joseph
Sarah Lapolice
Stephanie Levin
Melissa Markham
Andrea Monson
Thomas Oakley
Vanessa Pabon-Hernandez
John Ramsburgh
Stephanie Reyes
Irene I-SHEA Shaikly
Betsy Stone
Sarah Zlotnik

Community Advisors

(2024-2025)

Mark Guglielmo
Andrae Green
I-Shea
Vanessa Pabon-Hernandez

Scholarship Reviewers

(2024)


Andrea Robitaille
Jessica L. Avery
Roberta Bolduc
Chaitali J Brahmbhatt
Dawn Bryden
Jie Chen
Kelly Cochran
Susan Crim
Marcia Crutchfield
Patricia Crutchfield
Patrick Danby
John Davis
Linda Desmarais
Jessica Dominik-McKinnon
Katie Fretwell
Kiyota Garcia
Magdalena Gomez
Crystal Gonyea
Angela Hansberry
Gillian Hinkson
Jessica Holloway
Apelila Joseph
Thea Katsounakis
Stephanie King
Sarah Lapolice
Rachelle Lee
Lesa Lessard Pearson
Phyllis Levenson
Jamie Manning
Rose Marlaine Boulay
Suzanne Newby Estes
Lily Newman
Thomas Oakley
Becky Packard
Carlton Pickron
John Ramsburgh
Katy Reed
Samantha Rudd
Azanda Seymour
Devin Sheehan
Payton Shubrick
Ashley Solomon
Barbara Wurtzel