Kori Redepenning
Director

Kori has been a member of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship family for almost eight years. She came to the Fellowship in April of 2003 as a second year AmeriCorps member and served as the sole Senior Fellow. After that year of service, Kori was hired on as the Director of Training and Evaluation for the Fellowship. In March of 2006, Kori took over as Director of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship, a role which she is honored to continue to hold today. Prior to her service and work with the Fellowship, Kori completed a year of service as the *VISTA Service Coordinator with Peace Games in Boston, where she coordinated the volunteer program and created an internship program.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Kori studied in Thailand, England and Ghana and graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a BA in Entrepreneurship. Kori also holds an MBA from Northeastern University, with a concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship. Continuing her own commitment to service and civic engagement, Kori is a former board member of Families for Depression Awareness- a non profit organization that strives to help families recognize and cope with depressive disorders, encourage and facilitate treatment, and prevent suicides, as well Boston Connects, Inc.
Kori is a huge Minnesota Vikings fan and is anxiously awaiting the day when they win the Superbowl!

Colleen Holohan
Member Development Manager

Colleen came to Massachusetts Promise Fellowship in July 2006. Colleen is from Bethpage, New York and graduated from Providence College with a BA in Social Science and Public and Community Service Studies.

Following graduation, Colleen served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member with the Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC). Based at Emerson College, in downtown Boston, she worked on strengthening partnerships between the college and local community organizations.

She also spent two years with MACC as the AmeriCorps*VISTA leader, training and supporting her fellow VISTA members serving on campuses across the state.

Colleen has her MS in Leadership with a focus in Non-Profit Management from the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern.

Colleen is also a board member of Oil Heat Cares, a non-profit foundation that assists needy persons and organizations with the replacement of their oil heating appliances.

TBD
New Staff Member Coming Soon!

Heather Catherwood
Co-Chair

Heather Catherwood is serving as a Co-Chair for the Advisory Board. Heather served as the Massachusetts Promise Fellow at MY TURN, Inc. as a member of the VIII Fellow class after graduating from Brandeis University in 2006. She is currently at student at Northeastern University School of Law. She enjoys volunteering, reading, shopping and going to Starbucks. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to be reconnected with the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship!

Julie Balasalle
Co-Chair

Julie is currently the Government Relations and Political Action Associate at the MA Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Julie returned to her hometown of Dorchester after completing her MSW at Tulane University . She served as a Class VII Fellow with SCI Dorchester. Julie was also a youth participant in a Fellow project out of Health Care for All when she was in high school. Julie graduated with a BA in political science and community and justice studies from Guilford College in North Carolina.

Walt Horner
Fundraising Chair

Walt Horner is serving as the Fundraising Chair for the Advisory Board.  In April 2000, Walt came to Northeastern as director of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship after founding the Fellowship as a program officer with the Massachusetts Service Alliance and Massachusetts Promise.  In 2006, he accepted a position as executive director of the Colorado Outdoor Training Initiative (now the Outdoor Stewardship Institute) in Denver, CO.  Drawn back to Massachusetts because of his love of the Fellowship (and his wife, daughter and dog), Walt currently works at Regis College in Weston, MA as Director of Special Programs, helping to connect campus and community.
 
After graduating from the University of Rochester with degree in Environmental Studies, Walt served two years as a team leader with the AmeriCorps*National Civilian Community Corps in Colorado.  Walt earned an MBA from Northeastern University in 2003 and enjoys bodysurfing, empty trails and skiing with family and friends.

Eli Pimentel
Community Relations Co-Chair

A Boston native, Eli served with the Fellowship for two years at the Youth Advocacy Project as the the Community Outreach Coordinator, coordinating trainings for young people, helped to locate jobs and community service opportunities, worked on collaborations with community agencies, and attended community meetings. Eli also served as a Senior Fellow in her second year with the Fellowship as the Capacity Building Coordinator where her main responsibilities wereto serve on the Fellowship Advisory Board and coordinate the Fellow legacy project. Eli also served as an Americorps VISTA for the Children’s Law Center of MA prior to the Fellowship totalling three year of service with Americorps! Eli contiues to serve on the board while continuing her studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, CA.

Eli graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government, African Studies, and Spanish. She also completed her Master’s in Global Studies and International Affairs at Northeastern University in 2010.

Rich Bielecki
Community Relations Co-Chair

Rich Bielecki is serving as the Government Relations/Outreach Chair for the Advisory Board. Rich is not a Fellow alumnus but is a retired 25 year employee of the Gillette Company.  He comes to us via our partnership with the Taproot Foundation.  Rich served as the account director for our Taproot Foundation grant.  This grant produced our current web site.  While working on the grant, Rich was impressed by  the great work being done by the Fellowship.  He hopes to bring a different perspective to the Massachusetts Promise Board.

Denise Riebman
Community Relations

After starting her professional life as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at the Denver Indian Center in 1994, Denise Riebman has spent over 15 years in the non-profit sector, with experience in youth development, volunteer engagement, community building and poverty alleviation.  Denise has been connected to the national service movement through her professional experience at Communities for Children, Boston Cares, LEAP and the Maine’s Promise.  Last year she became a member of the AmeriCorps Alum Facilitation Team and has conducted trainings for numerous national service programs.  Denise’s current position is the Assistant Dean of Career Services at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University. Denise joins MPF as a former Fellow supervisor and long-time Fellow trainer!

Annemarie is serving her second year as a MPF at CD Recreation in Fall River, MA as the Youth Leadership Coordinator.   In her Senior Fellow Role, Annemarie serves as the Capacity Building Coordinator, assisting the other Fellows in the Legacy Project as well as serving on the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship Advisory Board. 
Annemarie is originally from New Jersey.  She attended college at Western New England College and is now pursuing her M.S. from Northeastern University in Leadership with a specialization in Project Management.

Jeff has been involved in the MPF Community for 11 years, especially during his role as Vice President of Government Relations and Community Relations at Northeastern University.  Jeff received his BA, MPA, and MBA from Northeastern University and continued his work there for 19 years.   He is now the Chief of Staff at Merrimack College and in his spare time likes to golf, sail, and travel. 

Chaci Ciano

Charles “Chaci” Ciano is currently the Grants Administrator at YouthBuild USA.  In this position he ensures federal financial compliance for over 50 YouthBuild programs across the country and multiple international grants.  Chaci has over 6 years of experience working with national service programs and federal contracts.  Previous to his arrival at YouthBuild USA, Chaci worked as a Program Officer with the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), the state commission on community service.  At MSA, Chaci administered multiple state and federal grants to sub-grantees (including AmeriCorps and mentoring programs), this is where he began working with the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship.  During his time at the commission, Chaci oversaw both fiscal and programmatic reporting and management, while providing technical assistance and training to programs.  Chaci received his B.S. from Emerson College in Integrated Marketing Communications, and his M.S. in Human Services with a specialization in Non-profit Management from Northeastern University.

Alia Hamada, Senior Fellow

Alia Hamada is a current Massachusetts Promise Fellow. As part of her Senior Fellow role, she is serving on the Advisory Board to provide Fellow voice in all Board plans. Her full bio can be found below.

Grace Duffy
Senior Fellow

Grace Duffy is a proud native of Worcester, Massachusetts who found MPF immediately after college. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Art History and applied for a Fellow position in the hopes of building her experience working in the education field. She served her first year and continues to serve at the Regional Environmental Council in Worcester, just a few blocks from where she grew up. She serves as the Education and Youth Development Coordinator and works to expand and improve academic and service oriented academic year programming for the youth of the Regional Environmental Council's YouthGROW program. She also serves as the area course coordinator for Cooking Matters through a partnership with Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters Massachusetts.
In her Senior Fellow role, Grace serves as the Fellow Engagement Coordinator. She will be creating and publishing a Fellow newsletter, developing and delivering trainings to build the Fellows’ civic engagement and social capital, and offering optional InterCorps activities to build connections between the MPF and other AmeriCorps programs. Post MPF, Grace plans to pursue her Master's in Non-Profit Management at Northeastern University.

Alia Hamada
Senior Fellow

Alia Hamada is serving her second year at 826 Boston in Roxbury as the In-School Project Fellow. 826 Boston is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Alia is managing the elementary and middle school in-school tutoring program and publishing projects, as well as assisting with 826 Boston's field trip program and creative writing workshops. Last year, she served as the In-School Program and Volunteer Fellow at 826 Boston, where she managed over 500 volunteers.
As a Senior Fellow, Alia is the Capacity Building Fellow which means she serves on the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship Advisory Board representing the voice of the Fellows. She also supports Fellows as they create and finish their Legacy Projects by the end of their service year.
Originally from Phoenix, AZ, Alia graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing in 2007. After college, she worked in several different departments at a children's book publishing company in Cambridge (while volunteering at 826 Boston). She is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing in Poetry at Lesley University and plans on continuing her career in the educational and/or arts non-profit sector.

Shanell Mosley
Senior Fellow

Shanell Mosley is serving a second year with the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship. She is serving at MathPOWER as Director of Math*STARS Afterschool Program at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club in Roxbury.  MathPOWER is dedicated to taking a comprehensive approach to developing both proficiency in advanced mathematics and personal resiliency as vehicles to bring about transformational change in the lives of urban youth.  Her responsibilities include overseeing and expanding the current afterschool tutoring programming. In addition she will work to develop a Math*STARS curriculum, as well as design and implement a tutor-mentor workshop curriculum to support the college and community volunteers serving at the afterschool.
As a Senior Fellow, Shanell serves as the Community Impact Coordinator. Her main responsibilities will be to develop a yearlong plan for Fellow project based practice sharing and to conduct research to produce MPF host site impact case studies. She will also serve on the MPF Fundraising Committee and work with the Member Development Manager to update reporting and project planning trainings.
Shanell graduated from Bentley University in 2010 with a B.S. in Business Management, Global Perspectives and Spanish. She is currently pursuing her M.S. from Northeastern University in Nonprofit Management with a specialization in Sports and Social Change. She hopes to pursue a career in fundraising and development.

Jessica Stein
Senior Fellow

Jessica served her first year in MPF at Bikes Not Bombs and is excited to be spending this year at The DREAM Program in Roxbury as DREAM’s first Program Empowerment Fellow.  At DREAM she is responsible for supporting mentors primarily at Boston University and Harvard in their work supporting youth in neighboring affordable housing communities.
In Jessica’s Senior Fellow Role as Youth Voice Coordinator she will be working with the Youth Voice Committee to create opportunities for young people involved at MPF host sites across the state to meet each other, network, and become more involved in MPF.  She will also be recruiting youth for the MPF Youth Board and working with the Youth Board to plan and run MPF’s annual Opportunity To Serve.
A Native of Seattle, WA, Jessica is a graduate of the University of Washington with a BA in Drama (Technical Theatre) and Jewish Studies.  After her time with MPF she hopes to continue her career working with youth in experiential learning programs.

Amanda Trask
Senior Fellow

Amanda is serving her second year at the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office which collaborates with a youth development coalition called Brockton's Promise.  Amanda works with the coalition to deliver the Five Promises to Brockton youth through managing and expanding partnerships of the City's youth-serving agencies.   She also helped to market and promote the five promise teams, and launch Brockton's Promise into the social media world.  Working with this agency has given Amanda the opportunity to do a broad range of meaningful activities, but the most exciting was her part in coordinating the annual citywide Mentor Recruitment Rally with the coalition. 
In her second year of service, Amanda will develop a volunteer program for youth that connects them to adult mentors with whom they can complete service activities.  As a Senior Fellow, Amanda will serve as the Alumni-Fellow Liaison to spearhead the pilot fellow-alumni mentoring program and work with the Alumni Host Committee to coordinate alumnae events and outreach. Amanda is originally from Brockton, MA, but prior to serving her first year of service she lived in Brussels, Belgium where she completed a Master's Degree in Migration Studies with the University of Kent. Before moving to Brussels, she attended Mount Holyoke College where she double majored in International Relations and French.  She is currently taking courses in Nonprofit Management with the Northeastern College of Professional Studies. Amanda is excited to have the opportunity to continue her work in Brockton and give back to the community that has led her to where she is today!