EXECUTIVE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

GAIL JACKSON-BLOUNT

BOARD CHAIR
Gail is the founder and principal of Jackson Communications, a marketing communications firm specializing in fundraising, public relations, DEI marketing, political affairs, event production and management, community engagement strategy.

Most recently she served as the Sr. Director of Marketing and External Affairs at Carney Hospital, part of the Steward Health Care System. Reporting to the hospital president as a member of the hospital’s executive leadership team, Gail managed crisis communications, and developed a new marketing plan to rebrand the hospital, wrote speeches, created strategic partnerships that brought in new patients, and successfully enhanced the strategy for delivering equitable health care. Prior to joining Carney, Gail was the first Chief Development and Communications Officer at the Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, where she led fundraising efforts to raise over $4 Million to support the health center and COVID-19 programs. She drove media campaigns & strengthened relationships with elected officials, government and the broader community. Additionally, with leadership and community partners, established a COVID-19 Mass Vax Center which today has vaccinated tens of thousands of residents from across the Commonwealth. She joined Harvard Street, first as a consultant, and after three months was offered the CDO opportunity. Gail continues as the principal of Jackson Communications and is committed to working with mission-driven companies that are dedicated to advancing diverse and underserved populations and businesses.

Clients have included the American Red Cross, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. & MassBio, La Alianza Hispana, and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) – She has spearheaded DE&I focused marketing initiatives for Avon, Pfizer, and Partners HealthCare in Massachusetts. Gail has held communications leadership positions with Wang Laboratories, Action for Boston Community Development, Roxbury Community College, The Ad Club Foundation, and as the Massachusetts Executive Director for Political & Community Affairs of the 2004 Democratic National Convention Committee.

DELORIS PETTIS

VICE PRESIDENT | INTERIM PRESIDENT
Deloris Pettis is a C suite executive with broad experience in audit, general management and risk management across the public and private sectors and in higher education. She is currently serves as CFO for Quality Interactions, a leading provider of health care cultural competency training. Deloris previously served as the VP for Enterprise Risk Management at Northeastern University where she was responsible for the implementation of an institution-wide enterprise risk management program. Her work led to the effective incorporation of risk analysis with university strategy and stronger governance practices.

Earlier Deloris served for thirteen years in roles of increasing responsibility at Harvard University. As Director of Risk Management and Audit Services where she chaired Harvard’s international projects committee. As Associate Vice President for Sponsored Programs Administration, Deloris was accountable for a portfolio of over $600MM of federally sponsored awards; and as Director of the $70 million PEPFAR (AIDS) program transition initiative at the School of Public Health.

Deloris, held audit leadership positions at Digital Equipment Corporation, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Barone & Associates; and held financial and compliance roles at the Bank of Boston. Deloris began her career in public accounting at KPMG.

Deloris earned her MBA in accounting from Tulane University and has a BSc in Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and has a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA).

Deloris is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors and Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics. In addition, Deloris serves on the Board of Directors of OneUnited Bank and as Audit Committee Chair; Board of Directors of Boston Urban League and as a member of the Finance Committee, President of Newton Chapter Jack and Jill and a former Town Meeting Member in Framingham.

GRETCHEN MANNING

TREASURER
Gretchen is a seasoned executive with a professional portfolio that includes leadership in public affairs, public and private higher education, fundraising, government relations, and advocacy. She is the Chief Executive Officer at the Ronald

McDonald House Charities of New England. She previously served as the Deputy Director for the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.

Gretchen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Russell Sage College and her Master’s in Education Policy and Management from the University of Albany, SUNY.

NICOLE CARAVELLA

SECRETARY
Nicole Caravella has served as press secretary for Mayor Marty Walsh and Congressman Joe Kennedy, policy advisor to Senator John Kerry, and account manager at Solomon, McCown & Cence. Most recently, she was the director of communications for the Annissa for Boston campaign. Nicole graduated from Hobart & William Smith Colleges with a degree in political science and lives in Newburyport with her husband, Sean, and son, Jack.

2023 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHELSEA AQUINO

Chelsea Aquino joined the Museum of Science as their Senior Government Relations Officer in January of 2022. In this role, she develops and manages the museum’s policy efforts, maintains relationships with state and local

agencies, and secures government grants to support a wide array of initiatives to create compelling proposals for program, exhibit, curricula, and capital funding needs.

Prior to her work at the Museum of Science, Chelsea served as a lobbyist for the Mass Mentoring Partnership, Associate Director for the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, and was the former Finance Director for Boston City Councilor At-Large Ayanna Pressley’s ticket-topping 2011 and 2013 re-elections.

Chelsea graduated from UMass Amherst with a BA in Political Science in 2010 and completed a Master’s in Public Administration from UMass Boston in 2020. She lives in Winthrop with her husband Eric, their son Aidan, and their rescue dog Stella.

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ESHITA CHAKRABARTI

Eshita Chakrabarti has been a global advocate for the civil rights of women and children. She represents women of diverse cultures and supports social issues centered around mainstream America. Immigrating from India in her early twenties, she

now hosts, produces and directs Faces of South Asia, a television program on Access Television in Quincy, Mass., with a focus on human trafficking, child marriage, domestic violence, opioid abuse, gender equality, LGBTQ and LGBTQ senior issues, postpartum depression and mental health, educating to men regarding abuse towards women and pre- teen and teen violence and issues regarding rape and recovery.
Using her own diverse experiences, Eshita has developed time to assisting vocationally inexperienced women with assimilating into modern American culture. She is also a global political fundraiser for the progress of women and children. She has fundraised for Akshaya Patra USA, the world’s largest non-profit organization providing mid-day meals to 1.6 million children, is an advocate for DOVE, an organization devoted to end domestic violence and Saheli an organization dedicated to the empowerment of South Asian women and their families. Eshita is also an associate to Friends of Shelter, an organization that works to build toilets, stopping open defecation and protecting women from sexual abuse. She is a graduate of Jamshedpur Women’s College and has a Bachelors in Economics. Eshita resides in Canton Massachusetts with her husband Dr. Aniket Chakrabarti and is the mother of two daughters.

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SUSAN COAKLEY

Susan Coakley is the President of the Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan. She first joined Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan (BMCHP) in 2007 as Chief Legal Officer and became President of the organization in 2014. Under Ms. Coakley’s

leadership, BMCHP plays a significant role in government health programs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, including the MassHealth Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program in collaboration with the BMC Health System, the MassHealth Managed Care Organization (MCO) program, the Massachusetts Health Connector Qualified Health Plan (QHP) ConnectorCare program, the MassHealth Senior Care Options (SCO) program, and the New Hampshire Medicaid Care Management (MCM) program. Across the two states, Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan and Well Sense Health Plan serve over 400,000 low- or moderate- income members.

Since Ms. Coakley has served as President, Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan was named a Healthiest Employer by the Boston Business Journal, and Well Sense Health Plan has been recognized as a Best Company to Work for by Business NH Magazine for the past two years.

Prior to joining Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, Ms. Coakley served as Senior Associate General Counsel for Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Inc. in Wellesley, MA. A graduate of Connecticut College, Ms. 5 Coakley received a Master’s of Public Health from Yale School of Public Health and a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law.

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Ellen Fleming Clark

Ellen Fleming Clark is a client executive at a S&P 500 technology company. A lifelong campaign activist and New Hampshire native, Ellen served as finance director for Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter (New Hampshire First District). As a

volunteer, she has fundraised for powerhouse women throughout New England, including Senator Maggie Hassan, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, and Massachusetts State Representative Jamie Belsito. Ellen began her career as an SEIU labor organizer. An avid fundraiser, she has run the Boston Marathon twice to support her favorite charities.

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CHARLOTTE GOLAR RICHIE

Charlotte Golar Richie, a former state legislator, is an experienced leader and administrator with a background in public service and political activism, and a deeply held commitment to civil rights, fairness

and equality. As a former Commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), she successfully handled hundreds of discrimination complaints at that state civil rights enforcement agency. A trained mediator, Charlotte facilitated dozens of conciliations at the MCAD to help settle disputes; and she led the agency’s efforts to develop a robust language access program to better serve limited English proficient individuals.Prior to her tenure at the MCAD, Charlotte served as a Senior Vice President for Public Policy, Advocacy & Government Relations for YouthBuild USA, and oversaw its national campaign to protect federal funding for over 250 programs that connect young people to jobs and education. As Boston’s Housing Chief & Director of the Department of Neighborhood Development from 1999 to 2007, she spearheaded a citywide campaign to create and preserve thousands of affordable homes and apartments, to revitalize neighborhood commercial districts, and strengthen and expand the award-winning Main Streets program. As a state representative, and House Chair for the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing & Urban Development, Charlotte championed and secured passage of a $296 million bond bill to aid cities and towns in the construction and preservation of affordable housing in the Commonwealth.

Charlotte made history in Boston, in 2013, as the city’s first African-American woman to run for mayor, garnering enough votes in a 12-person field to land a third-place primary election finish. She has continued to direct her community activism toward nonprofit and philanthropic board service, as a member of the Board of Directors for the national nonprofit YouthBuild USA, and for Tuft’s Health Plan Foundation, where she helps to promote age-friendly communities.

She also serves as Vice Chair for the Board of Directors for Boston’s Higher Ground, a community-based nonprofit, which connects residents in under-resourced neighborhoods to needed services and programs; as Advisory Board Member for Mothers for Justice and Equality (MJE), a grassroots organization that seeks to raise awareness about and bring an end to neighborhood violence; and as Vice Chair for the Advisory Board for the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy (CWPPP) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where she works to advance opportunities for women’s leadership and involvement in government, politics and policy-making.

A graduate of Rutgers University (B.A.), Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism (M.S.) and Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Management (M.B.A.), Charlotte and her husband Winston Richie are longtime residents of Dorchester and former US Peace Corps Volunteers; and they are the proud parents of adult daughters Leigh and Kara, who are working to effect positive change in their own communities.

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Martina Jackson

Martina Jackson was the first woman in Massachusetts to run a statewide campaign. For over 20 years, she has been a leader within the Massachusetts State Democratic Party. There, she was instrumental in founding its Coalition of Democratic

Women, which worked to elect more women to public office. A lifelong political activist and campaign strategist for state and federal campaigns, she has a passion for making municipal government more diverse and inclusive.

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Christie Lindor

Christie Lindor is the CEO of Tessi Consulting, a Boston-based diversity firm focused on creating an anti-racist, anti-sexist corporate America. She is also the co-founder of the Political Lab, a nonprofit initiative focused on building a pipeline of

BIPOC political candidates and campaign and legislative staff throughout the state of Massachusetts. A TEDx speaker and author of two books, her work on workforce inclusion and culture has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Fast Company.

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GRETCHEN MANNING

Gretchen is a seasoned executive with a professional portfolio that includes leadership in public affairs, public and private higher education, fundraising, government relations, and advocacy. She is the Chief Executive Officer at the Ronald

McDonald House Charities of New England. She previously served as the Deputy Director for the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges.

Gretchen earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Russell Sage College and her Master’s in Education Policy and Management from the University of Albany, SUNY.

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Yvonne Spicer

Dr. Yvonne Spicer was sworn into office on January 1, 2018, as the first mayor of Framingham. Mayor Spicer was previously the vice president for advocacy and educational partnerships at the Museum of Science, Boston. Prior to joining the

museum, she served as a teacher and administrator in both Framingham and Newton Public Schools. Mayor Spicer served on the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, the board of directors of the Massachusetts Office of the Treasurer Economic Empowerment Trust Fund, and the Framingham Standing Committee on Ways and Means. She served on the International Technology Engineering Education Association board of directors from 2017 to 2020 and currently serves on the boards of Big Brother Big Sister and the Bob Moog Foundation.

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Jacquetta Van Zandt

Jacquetta Van Zandt is the vice president of engagement at The Partnership, Inc. A highly sought-after political strategist with a special focus on public policy and diversity initiatives, Van Zandt honed her political skill set on Capitol Hill and

on high profile municipal, state, and federal campaigns in Massachusetts. She hosts the popular podcast Politics and Prosecco. Born and raised in Boston, Van Zandt serves on the board of directors for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. She currently resides in Roxbury, Massachusetts.

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Linnea Walsh

Director of Communications and Intergovernmental Affairs, Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Services. Linnea Is a strategic communications professional whose portfolio includes leadership roles spanning

government, national and local non-profit organizations, PR agencies as well as community and board associations. A former journalist, she leads the development and execution of integrated marketing communication campaigns on behalf of agencies to increase awareness of and educate and inform members and stakeholders about programs and services.

In addition to her service with MWPC, she serves on the Steering Committee of The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s New Frontier Network, a diverse, cross generational group of emerging leaders and philanthropists and on the Board of the South Shore Conference for Women.

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RAQUEL WEBSTER

Raquel Webster is Senior Counsel in the regulatory group at National Grid, where she represents the company in regulatory proceedings in Rhode Island and advises clients regarding regulatory compliance and strategy on a wide range of statewide energy

policy initiatives.

Prior to working at National Grid, Raquel was a litigation attorney at the City of Boston Law Department, where she represented the city in state and federal court and before administrative agencies in all stages of litigation involving civil rights, employment, and tort law.Raquel also spent seven years as a litigator at a large law firm in Boston. Raquel is a former fellow of the Boston Bar Association’s (BBA) Public Interest Leadership Program, and currently serves on the BBA’s Subcommittee for the Community Reentry Readiness Program, collaboration between the BBA and the Federal District Court of Massachusetts, which focuses on providing educational training programs for federal probationers on a wide variety of topics. She is also a member of the board of trustees for the following organizations: Boston Bar Association (BBA Council), Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association, Boston Preparatory Public Charter School, and the Northeastern University School of Law Alumni/ae Association. She is an appointed attorney disciplinary hearing officer for the Boston Board of Bar Overseers and an appointed member of the City of Boston Women’s Workforce Council. Raquel is the proud mother of two boys. In her spare time, she enjoys attending her sons’ track meets, football, and basketball games. She also enjoys traveling and singing gospel music with her church choir.

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MWPC OFFICE

KAT CLINE

DIRECTOR
Kat Cline is the Associate Director of MWPC. Cline brings to the organization a wealth of campaign experience at both the federal and state level in Massachusetts. Most recently, she served as the Congressional campaign manager to Ihssane Leckey in the competitive 2020 CD-4 race. During Shannon Liss-Riordan’s Senate campaign, she was Political and Operations Director. In Cline’s first race, she managed State Senator Becca Rausch’s winning campaign against a four-term incumbent. A graduate of Simmons University (formerly Simmons College), Cline has also been a Barbara Lee Family Foundation Fellow.