Janelle Fouché recently earned her Ph.D. graduate in Education Policy and Program Evaluation from Harvard University. Her work explores the intersection of education and the carceral system, focusing on restorative and trauma-informed practices that foster equity and belonging in schools and communities. Before pursuing her doctorate, Janelle managed AmeriCorps-funded grants and development initiatives at Relay Graduate School of Education, supporting educators and school leaders nationwide. She has also served as a tutor and educator in prisons and juvenile detention centers and now co-directs Freedom Classrooms, a Black woman–led nonprofit reimagining education in carceral spaces through restorative justice, storytelling, and creative connection. Outside of her academic and professional pursuits, Janelle enjoys dancing with Soca Fusion and game nights with her gal pals.

Lindsay Bennett-Jacobs has been the director of RSVP of the Pioneer Valley, an AmeriCorps Seniors program sponsored by Community Action Pioneer Valley, since 2011. RSVP of the Pioneer Valley’s 400+ volunteers focus on food security, helping seniors to age in place, and capacity building for nonprofits. An AmeriCorps and VISTA alum, Lindsay has been part of the National Service community for more than 15 years. She has a B.A. from Smith College and an M.Div from Vanderbilt University. She lives in Holyoke, MA with her family.

Following a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of New Hampshire, Charla completed an AmeriCorps service year in Aspen, Colorado, inspiring a commitment to service learning. She went on to lead an AmeriCorps team the following year, eventually returning to the Social Work profession to complete a Master’s degree from the University of Tennessee. Charla directed an AmeriCorps program in Worcester, MA through the Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC). She has worked for WCAC for the past 19 years, serving in management and senior roles within community action and antipoverty work. Charla is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and believes in bringing clinical skills to non-clinical settings and macro practice. She lives in Lancaster, MA with her husband and two children.

Joe has his BA in Accounting and a Masters in Accounting/Finance from the University of Connecticut. Joe is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts and Connecticut since 2004. He has worked in public accounting since 2000 and has focused on tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and families, trusts, and small businesses. Joe is currently a Senior Tax manager at MP CPAs in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Jeff graduated Cum Laude from Boston University with his Bachelor's degree, and is currently pursuing his masters in criminal justice with a focus on strategic management also from Boston University. Jeff works as the Director of Restorative Reentry at Thrive Communities. In his role he assists returning citizens by providing guidance towards effective resources to help with successful reentry. He is passionate about advocating and empowering individuals from marginalized communities.

Amanda Bonilla is the Director of Children's Development Services at Family Service Association, where she oversees early education and school-age programs serving children and families throughout the community. She holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Care and Education and has dedicated her career to expanding access to high-quality educational opportunities and family support services. Amanda's commitment to service in Massachusetts began as a Commonwealth Corps member, an experience that helped shape her professional journey and reinforced her passion for community impact. Since then, she has held roles in family engagement, enrollment, program administration, and educational leadership, always focusing on creating welcoming environments where children, families, and staff can thrive. As a board member, Amanda is honored to give back through the organization that helped launch her service journey. She is passionate about strengthening communities, supporting families, and creating opportunities that empower individuals to succeed.

After graduating from Miami University (OH) Collin moved to Massachusetts from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2018 for a national year of service with the AmeriCorps Cape Cod program where he served with the Falmouth Shellfish Department and the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee. Since then, Collin has lived between New England and the Gulf Coast and worked in emergency management and disaster response roles for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, American Red Cross, and water and wastewater industry. His passion for the outdoors brought him back to natural resources, where he served as a Natural Resource Officer and Deputy Shellfish Constable for the Towns of Barnstable and Falmouth. Now, he is the Assistant Emergency Management Director & Compliance Officer for the City of Gloucester and the Owner & Operator of Buckeye Oyster Company. Collin currently sits on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Oyster Project and chairs the Cape Ann Regional Emergency Planning Committee. Collin's grandfather served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and strongly believes in the mission and purpose of national service. Not only for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but for the endless good it can do across the country.

Susie Flug-Silva is Director of the Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program at Brandeis, which welcomes selected AmeriCorps Alumni from across the country and Brandeis students as lifelong Segal Fellows each year. She came to Brandeis from the Massachusetts Service Alliance, where she managed the Commonwealth Corps for five years. Susie brings over 20 years of experience in the civic engagement, service learning, community partnerships, and education policy worlds. Prior to MSA, Susie served as the Youth Services Planner for Cambridge’s Department of Human Service Programs and a Family Engagement Consultant for the National College Advising Corps at Brown. Susie managed community partnerships and service learning at Simmons College and Phillips Academy and fostered civic engagement at the national level at Idealist.org/COOL. She received an A.M. in Urban Education Policy from Brown, A.B. from Harvard, and a Nonprofit Management and Leadership Certificate from BU. She and her family live in the Greater Boston area.

Ralph Hogan is the Assistant Director of Grants at Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) where he is responsible for the grant and strategic concept development. He has dedicated his career to improving education opportunity and access, a passion stemming from his time serving with AmeriCorps and Teach For America. Prior to his grants work at MWCC, Ralph served as the project director for two college access programs supporting hundreds of students prepare for post-secondary education. Ralph attended Fitchburg State University as a first-generation college student, earning a B.A. in history and later a M.S. in applied communication. In 2023, Ralph earned a doctorate of education from Northeastern University.

Katherine has worked at AmeriCorps in the Senior Portfolio Manager role since the founding of the South-Central regional office in August 2020. There she supported Louisiana and Mississippi partners and served as ex officio for the Louisiana and Mississippi state service commissions. Katherine now supports the Northeast team within the Eastern region, serving as ex officio for the Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont state service commissions. Prior to joining AmeriCorps, Katherine held several roles in the education sector supporting teacher development within a school district and then a teacher preparation program. The latter gave her experience managing a large AmeriCorps State and National project, which ignited her desire to further AmeriCorps’s mission. She currently lives in Asheville, NC and enjoys getting outside with family and tackling new art projects.

Grace values service because it is an opportunity for service members to gain new experiences and learn more about organizations and services they may not have through other means. She was in health and wellness education at Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston until January 2022. In her spare time she likes cooking, spending time with her kids, and playing board games.

Kristen serves as the Assistant Director of the Office of Student and Family Support at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and mental health counseling from Suffolk University, and a Bachelors degree in psychology from Providence College. Kristen has spent the last 20+ years developing and implementing youth programs that support academic achievement, promote healthy behaviors, and improve social behavior and civic engagement.

Tiffany Lillie is the Chief Executive Officer of Girls Inc. of Worcester, where she leads a bold and equity-driven vision to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Since stepping into the role in Fall 2023, she has focused on expanding access and opportunity, strengthening community partnerships, and building systems that center the voices of young people and their families. With nearly two decades of leadership experience spanning public education, nonprofit, government, and corporate sectors, Tiffany brings a deep commitment to organizational change, community building, and authentic partnership development. Prior to Girls Inc., she served as Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Diversity, and Community Engagement for Framingham Public Schools, where she led transformative work to advance inclusive practices and community engagement. Tiffany holds a Bachelor’s degree in Neuroscience and Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Master’s degree in Urban Planning from Boston University. Her leadership and service have been widely recognized, including receiving the Key to the City of Worcester, the Women Making History Now Award from Framingham State University, and being named to the Worcester Business Journal’s Power 100 as one of the region’s most influential leaders. A dedicated civic leader, Tiffany serves on several boards and coalitions. Outside of her professional work, she enjoys attending concerts, traveling, exploring the arts, and cooking.

Cecilio Orta is an AmeriCorps alumnus and military veteran who currently works as a Field Operations Supervisor with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He has worked in the field of public health for over 15 years and has a passion for improving equitable access to health services. His military experience includes service in the United States Army and the Air National Guard. He’s also served with Citizen Action AmeriCorps at Hands On Network, nka Points of Light, where he supported national school revitalization projects and with AmeriCorps VISTA at Western New York AmeriCorps, nka The Service Collaborative of WNY, where he focused on volunteer recruitment and training. Cecilio holds a MPH from American Military University and is also a certified Community Health Worker. He also serves as a Corporator for Music Worcester where he sits on the programming committee to help shape the organization’s yearly performance schedule.

Shreya Sharma graduated from Davidson College in 2024 with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology and a minor in Public Health. Following her graduation, she completed an Americorps Year of Service as a College Advising Corps Member with Boston University at Margarita Muñiz Academy in Jamaica Plain. Currently, she is continuing her work as a College Advisor at Margarita Muñiz Academy as well as helping build the Trailblazer Scholarship at the school. Alongside her work at Margarita Muñiz Academy, Shreya is working towards her Master's of Education in Applied Human Development with a focus on Positive Youth Development at Boston University! In her free time, she loves reading, going to community events, and spending time with friends & family!

Lisa M. Sihvonen-Binder holds a Master of Science degree in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy with Graduate Fundraising Management Certificate and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Writing with a Communications minor. Her 34 years of professional experience include grant writing, communications, and program management in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. Since 2007 she has operated Cricklewood Consulting, raising over $35M for her clients through grants from private and corporate foundations and state and federal funding sources. Lisa is a member of the Grant Professionals Association. In addition to her consulting practice, she taught the Grant Writing for Corporations & Foundations course for Bay Path University for 13 years and has edited several books for CharityChannel Press on nonprofit management and fundraising. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two rescue dogs.

Kimberly Sobrinho is a leader in volunteer management and engagement. With 17 years of experience in the field, she has established robust volunteer programs at UMass Boston, the City of Boston, and community organizations in the Boston area. Currently, Kimberly is the Director of Volunteer Engagement at JVS Boston where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the volunteer and intern program. This work has been recognized through the Service Enterprise Initiative process, earning JVS certification. Kimberly attended the College of Public & Community Service at UMass Boston for her graduate and undergraduate studies.

Grace Towler is a systems engineer at General Dynamics Mission Systems. She works with cross-functional teams made up of other external contractors, and she is currently in the Engineering Leadership Program at General Dynamics. She has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson University and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clarkson as well. She has been on the steering committee for the 1Berkshire Youth Leadership Program for the past 6 years where she mentors high school juniors in Berkshire County to help them engage in the community and learn leadership skills. In her free time, she runs, reads, and hangs out with her friends and family.

"Your vision is only as powerful as the story you're willing to tell." Nicola Webbe is a proud AmeriCorps Alum and the founder of ONEVSN, a media storytelling studio dedicated to helping organizations amplify their mission and grow through impactful video content. A proud graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston with a degree in Marketing and Communication, Nicola is passionate about using storytelling as a tool to inspire action, create opportunities, and strengthen connections within communities. Whether she is behind the camera, collaborating with community leaders, or developing new creative ideas, Nicola leads with faith, creativity, and purpose. She believes business can be a force for good and that every person, organization, and community has a story worth sharing; one vision at a time.