HARVARD STREET NEIGHBORHOOD HEALTH CENTER - Key Persons
NERO/SNAP Regional Director | USDA Food and Nutrition Program As a former employee of HSNHC, serving our community is very near and dear to my heart. As Chair of the Board of Directors, it is truly an honor and my sincere commitment to ensure that the very best Health Care Services are offered to the our community. Bonnie Received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Science from University of Toronto, Master's Degree in Education and Management from Cambridge College and is a Licensed Nutritionist in Massachusetts. She has twenty-nine years of experience developing, implementing, administrating nutrition assistance program for low income families. Bonnie Has been a member of the board since 2008.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / Co - Founder and Executive Director Love Your Menses
- Co - Founder and Executive Director of Love Your Menses, Inc
Bria Gadsden, MS is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Love Your Menses, Inc. She is also the Co-Founder of Merrimack Valley Black and Brown Voices, Inc. She is a social entrepreneur, health educator, and menstrual equity leader who is passionate about creating social impact community-based health promotion programs that promote health equity and menstrual wellness in Black and Brown communities.
Bria received her Master's degree in Community Health Education from Merrimack College and her bachelor's degree in Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has experience working in the education, government, nonprofit, and private sectors.
Bria was raised in Mattapan, MA, and currently resides in North Andover, MA.
Job Titles:
- Director of Payer Strategy at Athenahealth
- Vice Chair / Director of Payer Strategy Athena Health
Brian Shelly is currently the Director of Payer Strategy at Athenahealth. He has served as a HSNHC board member for 10 years and is the Vice Chairperson. He is passionate about healthcare access for the underserved and believes strongly in giving the Harvard Street community and patients the level of care they deserve no matter their situation.
He has experience in sales, business strategy and fundraising and has held various senior management positions in healthcare. In his private time, he advocates for the increase in colon cancer screening via the charity race Get Your Rear In Gear-Boston. He lives on the south shore of Massachusetts with his Wife (Brandi) and 2 daughters, Brielle (14) and Tahlia (11).
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
Celesta Shropshire is a passionate, innovative, solution-focused Human Resources Director with more than 20 years of non-profit experience and over 10 years in the Human Resources field.
Celesta's non-profit journey began during studies and an internship in Human Development at Boston College. That internship sparked her love for serving her community of Dorchester and Roxbury. Over the years she has been an enthusiastic volunteer on the Katrina Relief project and as mentor to several pre-teens and teenagers at Mother Caroline School and at Youth and Police in Partnership. She has conducted job readiness workshops, workplace etiquette workshops and volunteered in clothing drives, soup kitchens, and other charity events, receiving several awards and accolades for her hard work and dedication to her passion turned career.
While focusing on her important role in employee relations, employee development, strategic planning, budgeting, and community engagement under the direction of the President & CEO, Celesta is committed to living the mission of Harvard Street to be there for the underserved and vulnerable in the community served. Through hard work and dedication, Celesta plans to contribute and exhibit the core values HSNHC represents to the community, patients, and employees served by the health center.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
Charles Minor is a Kingston resident who currently works as a Medical Strategic Operations Lead at Biogen. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College and a Master's of Science degree in Organic Chemistry from Brandies University. He has experience as a research assistant and working in pharmaceutical companies.
Job Titles:
- Board Member / Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Operations Athena Health
- Senior Healthcare Executive
Christopher Kondrat is a senior healthcare executive with over 20 years in the healthcare industry. Mr. Kondrat also has a consulting background. He received his master's degree from Boston College majoring in Counseling Psychology.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President of Programs & Services
"Harvard Street is on the verge of growth and expansion. I was excited to join the organization and to contribute my expertise as we work towards achieving our goal and vision of comprehensive service to the community." - Dr. Cyril Ubiem Dr. Cyril Ubiem joined the Harvard Street leadership team in Fall 2020 as Senior Vice President of Programs and Services. In this newly established role, he is responsible for directing the Harvard Street Behavioral Health Department with the primary goal of bringing together and expanding the HSNHC behavioral health programs with a vision towards growth. In addition, he will lead the development of and expand programs that directly support the health needs of the center's service areas - the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury and beyond. Prior to joining Harvard Street, Dr. Ubiem was the vice president of programs and services at Whittier Street Health Center, where he managed several federal, state, and city grants. He specializes in grant writing, program design, implementation, and management. He received his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya in 1998 and earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University, Boston in 2010. His clinical and public health interests include health disparities among people of color, infectious disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorder, and dual diagnosis.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Jocelyn Carter currently works as an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed her residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and the Leadership Preventive Medicine Fellowship at the Dartmouth Institute. She has been on the HSNHC board for 2 years.
Irene Hammer- MA, MNM, is Harvard Street Neighborhood's inaugural Director of Development. Irene brings nearly 20 years of nonprofit fundraising to her role. With a strong track record of raising transformational 6-, 7-, and 8-figure gifts, Irene has successfully led development teams and partnered with Board members in multiple sectors with a focus on medical fundraising in the Northeast.
Irene comes to HSNHC most recently from Emory University in Atlanta, GA where she oversaw fundraising for the Emory Healthcare's neurosurgery and neurology departments and managed the fundraising team of its Winship Cancer Institute. Prior to this, she served as frontline fundraiser at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, and the Alzheimer's Association.
In her position as Director of Development at HSNHC, Irene is designing and implementing a momentous, first-ever capital campaign to support a new stand-alone health center and build a sustainable fundraising program to support HSNHC's future growth.
Irene works closely with CEO Charlie Murphy and external stakeholders on fundraising initiatives. As DoD, she participated in strategic planning, develops the donor pipeline, further engages a passionate Board of Directors, and is building HSNHC's development team.
Irene earned a master's in English from Northeastern University and her master's in nonprofit management from Regis University. When she isn't working, in class, or commuting, Irene enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time at her house on Cape Cod with family and friends.
Jim Cote is currently the City Councilor at Large for the City of Newton and financial advisor for Concord Wealth Management. James also works as a Career Search Expert for senior executives who are looking for a transition and has been a member of the HSNHC board for 8 years. He is a veteran - serving as a First Sergeant for the Marine Corps for 20 years.
Jessica DaRosa, is the Director of Operations at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, a role she assumed in October 2021. Jessica has been a part of the Harvard Street family for nine years, working in many different positions working alongside the fellow leaders of the organization. She is responsible for ensuring that the health center's operational activities are efficient and ensure delivery of quality service.
This includes overseeing system performance, supporting and advancing clinical operations, creating, and upholding outstanding patient experience standards. Prior to this role, Jessica served as the Human Resources and Credentialing Manager at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center. She was a key player in assisting the organization succeed in two HRSA Operational Site Visits, during which time the health center transitioned from a look-Alike to a FQHC.
Having been at the health center for 9 years, Jessica is a great resource for the team given her knowledge of past processes. Jessica is inspired everyday by her 9-year-old son. She is a powerful force in the organization and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed.
Jessica enjoys spending time with her friends and family and she often will host family game nights. She is also a fantastic baker and cook, who enjoys spreading joy amongst her colleagues with her baked goods. Jessica often contributes and volunteers her spare time to her local community church.
SNAP Program Integrity Specialist | USDA Food and Nutrition Program Jheanell West is a Mattapan resident who currently works with the USDA Food and Nutrition Program as a SNAP Program Integrity Specialist. She holds a Masters of Education degree from Merrimack College where she majored in Community Engagement. She also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Clark University. She has experience in analytics and as a site manager.
Laurita Kaigler-Crawlle is a Roxbury resident who is currently the Director for the Learning Network at Health Leads. She holds a Master's of Science Degree from Cambridge College School of Management and earned her undergraduate degree in Marketing and Communications from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She has experience working for various non-profits and health-related settings.
"From my first day, my work at Harvard Street has been filled with compelling challenges and rewarding accomplishments. The opportunity to work with people from all walks of life has meant that there was never a dull day!" -Melesse Gobena
As Director of Finance at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center since 2013, Melesse Gobena has built a reputation for excellence and integrity. He came to Harvard Street as an accountant shortly after arriving in the United States and was promoted several times based on his hard work, dedication and strong command of the finance and accounting disciplines.
"It's important to stay on top of industry trends and news and to take ongoing courses related to non-profit financial accounting," he said. "There are always changes and innovations that can benefit our health center."
"Because I have been here for many years, I have seen the health center grow and continually do more for the people we serve. Every day I benefit from the vast amount of information gleaned from meetings and trainings and I feel the reward of making a positive impact. I can see how the decisions we staff members and managers make daily affect the level of care that patients receive."
Melesse earned an advanced Financial Management Certificate from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and worked as a financial manager in the printing and dairy industries in Africa for over 15 years before coming to the United States.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Resident of Dorchester
Ms. Eileen Kenner is a resident of Dorchester and an active member of the community. She is a resourceful woman and network to bring individuals to Harvard Street. She has been on the board for 30+ years.
Job Titles:
- Director of Information Technology
"In coming to Harvard Street, my vision is to work at those critical intersections of strategy and technology, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and increasing productivity in our operations."
Olumide has worked at the intersection of Public Health, Strategy, and Technology for 15+ years as a consultant and entrepreneur. Prior to starting his own firm, Olumide was Director of IT at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC). While at BPHC he was the Chief Architect on the Boston Public Health Commission's first Syndromic (disease) Surveillance application developed in conjunction with the CDC.
Olumide considered this project to be used to detect potential outbreaks, one of his proudest accomplishments, because of the complexities involved and that the team moved from vision to production in less than 6 months.
He has managed the entire strategic life cycle from envisioning and exploration to implementation, using an Agile Project Management approach. He has worked on projects with budgets ranging from thousands to millions of dollars and has scaled processes from small and large projects.
Paula Josephs is a Mattapan resident and works at Bentley University as a Program Manager for Executive Education. She has received her Master's degree from Springfield College majoring in Human Service Organizational Management and Leadership. She has been on the HSNHC board for 2 years.
Job Titles:
- Director of Communications & Grants
Sara is a highly experienced development and communications professional with more than 20 years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience. She's grateful to be a member of the Harvard Street team, as she's passionate about working with vulnerable populations and addressing health disparities.
She received her MBA from Boston University, her BA in English from Boston College, and also attended Yale School of Management and Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied fine arts/painting.
Sara's professional experience includes her roles as Director of Development, Grants Manager and Development Consultant with organizations such as Boston University, St Mary's Center for Women & Children, the Forbes House Museum, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, Neighborhood House Charter School and Father Bills & Mainspring. In addition, she has worked as a freelance writer for Inc. Magazine and other local publications.
A single mom of two awesome teens, Sara enjoys painting, piano, writing poetry, and long walks with her Newfie-doodle. She enjoys using her skills as a writer/artist to tell stories that need to be heard, helping nonprofits like Harvard Street to make a difference for underserved communities.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- Director of Clinical Quality Improvement & Quality Assurancet
"I have many goals and I am passionate about implementing Quality Assurance in every aspect/level of care here at the health center. My immediate plan is to focus on receiving Joint Commission Accreditation for Harvard Street. This accreditation will increase the visibility of the health center while also adding value. The pandemic has left many health centers at a crossroads and I see this as an opportunity for Harvard Street to expand and make even deeper connections with the community."
Tanveer is also the founder of several non-profit foundations in India, with a focus on community rebuilding and engagement. Dr. Khan's extensive credentials coupled with her history of community-based volunteer work makes her a tremendous addition to the Harvard Street team.