Our Leadership

Get to know Boston Builds Credit's leadership team

Our Leadership Structure

Boston Builds Credit’s leadership structure is made up of three core parts: The BBC Director / Leadership Team, the Board, and the committees. BBC has ambitious goals, but we can’t reach them alone, so both the Board and BBC’s committees are designed to share power with our cross-sector partners and Boston residents.

There are currently five committees within our leadership structure:

  • Service Delivery
  • Systems Change
  • Safe Products (in partnership with Bank On Boston),
  • Community Advisory Council
  • BBC Backbone Committee

For more information on these committees or on BBC’s Board, please contact our Director, Allison Kroner Barron at  akroner@supportunitedway.org

    BBC Leadership Team

    Get to know the team behind Boston Builds Credit.

    Marcia Tabenken

    Interim Director, Boston Builds Credit 

    As interim director, Marcia helps ensure that the important work of Boston Builds Credit continues during the search for a new director. Marcia filled this same role last spring during the program director’s leave, focusing on BBC’s’ racial equity assessment, governance, and outreach efforts.

    Marcia’s professional background is in communications and public relations for health care and non-profit organizations, including the Massachusetts Medical Society, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, HIAS and New England Deaconess Hospital. She is a deeply committed volunteer in her community, where she has led several non-profit board and ballot initiatives.

    Email: mtabenkan@supportunitedway.org

    Paul Francois

    Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications, Boston Builds Credit

    Paul serves as the Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications for Boston Builds Credit. Before his time with BBC, Paul served as the Marketing & Project Manger for CLLCTV.US where he managed initiatives and projects for several notable organizations. His past work includes projects managed for Boston based clients that include the MFA Boston, Converse, Bodega, and Reebok. As a resident of the Roxbury area, Paul’s goal is to help members of the greater Boston community gain access to valuable information that can help them realize their economic goals

    Email: pfrancois@supportunitedway.org

    Community Advisory Council

    Brit Johnson

    Community Advisory Council – Chair

    Brit Johnson serves as the Community Advisory Council Chair for BBC, with lead responsibility for oversight and coordination of the 20-person Boston resident council. Brit is a strong presenter with experience speaking to all age groups about generational wealth, budgeting, investing and small business ownership.

    Brit is an experienced small business owner with a demonstrated history of working as a real estate agent and investor.  Brit has a BA focused in Business Management, Fashion Merchandising, and Economics from Fisher College

     

    Cynthia Jones

    Community Advisory Council

    Roxbury resident Cynthia Jones had gotten to the point of dreading her mail. “When you don’t have money to pay off debt, you don’t want to look at it or touch anything related to it,” she said. “It feels like you’ll just get more discouraged.” Cynthia began her journey with Boston Builds Credit when she attended United Way’s Connect event at the Reggie Lewis Center. There she met Maddie Deeds, a financial coach with the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment. With help from Maddie, she enrolled in financial coaching as she was able to increase her credit score by 100 points in six months. She has now joined the Boston Builds Credit team as a network leader supporting public outreach and education for the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment.

     

    Bank On Boston

    Michael D Andelman

    Program Manager, Bank on Boston

    Michael D. Andelman program manages the Bank On Boston Coalition within the Boston Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment. At 14, Michael started his first business, a direct mail and database management corporation sustainably employing youth and stay at home parents. His entrepreneurial successes in variegated industries, like cafes, entertainment, construction and hospitality has enabled non-business minded individuals, especially artists to quit their day jobs becoming fiscally responsible and solvent. As the chief creative officer of the Massachusetts Jump$tart Coalition, Michael created the Massachusetts Financial Regatta, a real-life sailing and personal finance competition for high schoolers. Michael has been an awarded, active member of the FDIC’s Money Smart Alliance since 2008.

    Email: michael.andelman@boston.gov

    BBC Board Members

    Boston Builds Credit’s Boad is an essential component of our leadership structure. It is comprised of community and organizational partners

    Board Members

    • Karley Ausiello, Senior Vice President, United Way of MBMV
    • Daniel Dodd-Ramirez, Director for the Office of Community Affairs, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
    • Emilio Dorcely, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Edge
    • Karen Kelleher, Executive Director, LISC Boston
    • Carmina Lass, Chief Program Officer, Credit Builders Alliance
    • Constance Martin, Deputy Director, Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment
    • Gail Sokoloff, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Foundation Relations, United Way of MBMV
    • Mimi Turchinetz, Assistant Deputy Director, Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment

    BBC Committees

    The committees of our leadership structure that help give external insights to BBC’s initiatives.

    Service Delivery Committee

    • Gail Sokoloff, United Way
    • Alan Gentle, Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment 
    • Michael D. Andelman, Bank On Boston
    • Carlos Moreno, EMPath
    • Constance Martin, Mayor’s Office for Community Empowerment 
    • Jason Andrade,  Compass Working Capital
    • Jenny Geffrard, Boston UJIMA Project
    • Paola Liendo, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corp.
    • Ricki Lowitz, Working Credit
    • Ronice Kimbrel, Boston Tax Help Coalition
    • Nathalie Kallab Racimo, NOAH
    • Rafael Medina, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion

    Systems Change Committee

    • Mimi Turchinetz, Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment – Chair
    • Silvana Bastante, LISC
    • Michael Best, National Consumer Law Center
    • Brigid Boyd, United Way of MBMV
    • Monét Eugene, Midas Collaborative
    • Jason Ewas, Commonwealth
    • Shirley Fan-Chan, Heading Home
    • Lopamudra Jhamb, Saheli
    • Danielle Kim, United Way of MBMV
    • Michael Rousseau, Urban Edge
    • Janet Iraola, Community Advisory Council
    • Allison Kroner Barron, Boston Builds Credit

    Safe Products Committee

    • Co-Chair: Jason Andrade, Compass Working Capital
    • Co-Chair: Shawn Judge, Metro Housing Boston
    • Staff: Michael D. Andelman, Bank On Boston
    • Akwasi Agyemang, Massachusetts Division of Banks
    • Silvana Bastante, Local Support Initiatives Corporation | LISC
    • Charlene Bauer, Metro Credit Union
    • Lauren Bringle, Self Financial
    • Tom Callahan, Massachusetts Community & Banking Council.(MCBC)
    • Susanne Cameron, JPMorgan Chase
    • James Carden, City of Boston Credit Union
    • Eric Dahl, M&T Bank
    • Paul Francois, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
    • Tori L. Hamilton, Connecticut Association for Human Services, Bank On CT
    • Tracy Harvard, Dedham Savings Bank
    • Brit Johnson, Community Advisory Council (Advisor)
    • Blanca Vespe, Dora Financial
    • Kristi Kenworthy, Dora p/b USAlliance Financial
    • Natalia Lima, Citizens Bank
    • Robert “Bob” McLaughlin, Digital Equity and Bank On New Hampshire
    • Peter Mosbacher, Webster Bank
    • Brad S. Papalardo, Massachusetts Bankers Association
    • Leneva Penton, Urban Edge
    • Jennings McArthur Rainey, Bank of America
    • Kristin Schell, Working Credit
    • Shannon Tobin, USAlliance Financial
    • Mimi Turchinetz, Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment
    • Maureen “Mo” Wilkinson, Harbor One
    • Peter J. Mullen, American Consumer Credit Counseling

    Community Advisory Council

    • Brit Johnson – Chair
    • Cynthia Jones *
    • Carl Baty *
    • Arnette Baty *
    • Garret Thames
    • Marie Firmin
    • Janet Irola
    • Jesse Grant
    • Shaniqua Hunt
    • Ketura Cordon
    • Janet Iraola
    • Joseph Eubanks
    • Evelyn Calderon
    • Nicole Williams
    • Ilene Robinson
    • Judy Davis
    • Brent Harding
    • Nadine Moore
    • Lydia Deloney
    • Bianca Gomez
    • Nnenka Hall
    • Martin Ryan
    • Ester Jackson
    • Isabel Andrade
    • Barbara Hunt
    • Isabel Torres
    • Trayce Booth
    • Correta Brown
    • Janice Thomas
    • Tayla Jones
    • Sharee Fairley

    *Network leader

    BBC Backbone Committee

    • Christine Nicoli
    • Brit Johnson
    • Cynthia Jones
    • Adalberto Jaimes
    • Keri Nicole Dillman
    • Michael Andelman
    • Tina Petigny
    • Paul Francois
    • Ronice Kimbrel
    • Gail Sokoloff
    • Constance Martin
    • Maureen Kenmeni
    • Mimi Turchinetz
    • Ricki Lowitz
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