Board of Directors

Claudia Thompson is the Founder and President of Claudia Connects, a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting firm focusing on networking and training. She is also the Managing Launch Director for Business Network International, Inc. (BNI), a global networking organization, and is the Chair of their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Panel.
 

Claudia is passionate about giving back. Claudia is the Founder and Organizer of Single Mothers United. She is the Board Chair of the free-fitness organization, November Project. She previously sat on the boards of the Women of Color AIDS Council, Self-Esteem Boston, and YogaHope. In her spare time, Claudia loves spending time with her son Michael and stays active by performing with the dance company Boston Bollywood, running marathons, and hiking trails.

Akosua has dedicated her career to supporting girls and women living in resource poor settings build a better quality of life. She is experienced in collaborating with diverse teams here in the U.S., Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, to secure new funding, leverage community resources, and implement federally and privately funded programs.

Virginia is a consultant in financial services. Prior to this role, she served as an assistant director in the Office of Risk Management at the Securities and Exchange Commission. She has had extensive experience in executive management, back office operations and regulatory compliance and has also served on several corporate and nonprofit boards.

Virginia has been employed in senior management roles at Fidelity Investments, J.P. Morgan and State Street Corporation. She has also served as independent trustee on the board of Old Mutual Global Funds Shares, and chair of the board of the New England College of Business. Virginia has long been a proponent of gender equity and children’s literacy.

Brianna Boggs is a leadership coach and consultant supporting executives and boards of directors through leadership challenges. She focuses on racial equity and fundraising. As co-founder and co-facilitator of the Racial Equity Senior Leaders Learning Circle, Brianna developed the curriculum and facilitates a 10-month cohort for nonprofit senior leaders seeking to dig deeply into the personal side of leadership on racial equity and implement new practices to improve their organizations. Prior to her coaching and consulting work, Brianna’s career focused on fundraising and communications in social justice organizations including Director of Development at GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders), Director of Development and Communications at Trinity Boston Connects and Development Manager for StreetSafe Boston at The Boston Foundation.

Brianna has served as a volunteer or board member for organizations including the One Love Foundation, the Boston Women’s Fund, GLAD, the Ms. Foundation, the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund, Coro Allegro and InnerCity Weightlifting. She holds a BA in Women’s Studies from the Ohio State University. She is a proud Midwesterner who descends from a country music singer/songwriter and an opera conductor. She lives in Dorchester, MA with her husband Sean and cuddly senior pit bull Papa.
 

Chastity Bowick is an activist, civil rights leader, and transgender health advocate.Chastity studied Nonprofit Management at Clark University, and since 2015 has been the Executive Director of the Trans Emergency Fund, the only organization dedicated to supporting low income and homeless transgender individuals in Massachusetts. The Transgender Emergency Fund assists with homelessness prevention, shelter assistance, nutrition assistance, prescription co-pay assistance, transportation and escort to medical appointments, etc. Chastity is the Co-Founder & Treasurer of Trans Resistance.Trans Resistance builds off the work of the Transgender Emergency Fund, the only organization dedicated to supporting low income and homeless Transgender individuals in Massachusetts.
 

Chastity led the transgender health programming at AIDS Project Worcester. Many of the support groups and transgender-focused health navigation models she founded there were the first of their kind in the city. Her commitment and trailblazing work earned Chastity the 2016 Belynda Dunn Award from the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.

Rita Germán is Vice President and Market Manager for the Northeast Community Engagement team as part of the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Responsibility Department. Rita partners with the lines of Business and Global Philanthropy to set and drive the strategy for the region focusing on engaging key stakeholders across community and business to advance a more inclusive economy for all. Prior to JP Morgan Chase, Rita served as Director, Community Investments at John Hancock leading the Community Investment and External Relations program managing the company’s grants portfolio and external engagement work. Prior to John Hancock, Rita spent 5 years as Development Director with United Way Massachusetts Bay, managing the Private Equity, Venture Capital & Hedge Fund donor group. Rita started her career in Public Relations, working at firms including Bloomingdales, Cone Communications, Solomon McCown & Co. and Porter Novelli.

Rita is a graduate of Boston University’s College of Communication. In 2020, Rita received a Pinnacle Award for Emerging Executive from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. She serves on the Boards of More Than Words, The Boston Foundation’s Latino Equity Fund and The Community Builders. She is the immediate past Co-Chair of WGBH’s Community Advisory Board – Boston’s PBS affiliate station and previously served 10 years on the YWCA Boston Board of Directors Executive committee.

Amanda Matos-Gonzalez’s career in service, non-profit management and program evaluation is informed by her beliefs in social justice, equity and the power of communities to organize for systemic change. As an Assessments Manager, Amanda works with community development organizations in the US Northeast and Puerto Rico to evaluate their organizational health. Prior to this role she worked in universities, public health and community organizations and progressive funders. Amanda implemented programs to help hundreds of Boston youth, including recent immigrants develop leadership skills, obtain entrance to college, and enter the health and education workforce. In her roles with funders, she increased representation of girls in funding and advocated for greater community participation in grantmaking.

Amanda is a proud bilingual Spanish-English speaker with goals to travel the world, speak four languages fluently, and dance salsa on at least four continents. Amanda holds a M.S. in Management with a concentration in Organizational Management and Leadership from Springfield College and a BA in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Danielle Parish works as a Senior Director of Philanthropy for a national nonprofit in Greater Boston. She has 16 years of fundraising experience, having started in state politics in Michigan and going on to work at Michigan State University as well. After living in the Mitten State for all of her life, Danielle made her way to the east coast two years ago to live in the city of Boston, which she had long admired. Danielle now lives in Lower Mills, Dorchester and loves it. Danielle first got connected to BWF through an open house at the former location on Beacon Street, where she worked in the same building. After getting involved with BWF’s development committee, it was Danielle’s great pleasure that she was asked to join the board. She can’t be more proud to volunteer for an organization that supports women. In her spare time Danielle loves to read mystery-thrillers, go to Red Sox games, watch basketball, do yoga and put together a nice cheeseboard.

Lauren Gill Pimpare founded the non-profit Tomorrow’s Women TODAY in 2009. It is primarily an invite-only organization comprised of approximately 100 emerging women identified by community leaders. As Founder and President, Lauren is committed to ensuring this intimate group of women have a safe and supportive network and opportunities to learn from industry leaders whose stories and experiences educate and inspire. Lauren is responsible for the organizations’ strategic planning, event planning, outreach and communications.

Lauren created a Fellowship Program within the organization for younger female leaders. She also established a Student Membership which provides emerging college students with opportunities to learn real-world networking skills and partners them with mentors. Lauren’s commitment to women extends beyond her members. Annually, her organization participates in a “Pay it Forward” activity including organizing children’s clothing at “Pass it On,” collecting suits for “Year Up” or “Dress for Success,” ice cream socials for patients undergoing cancer treatment, and hosting an educational event with Crittenton Women’s Union.

In 2018, Lauren launched a second non-profit focused on Executive female leaders called, The Boston Women’s Leadership Council. Lauren previously worked as a healthcare professional for over thirteen years. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business/Healthcare Administration.

Melissa Tearney, co-chair of Choate, Hall & Stewart’s Litigation Department, helps clients ranging from start-ups to global companies –and their high level executives –to successfully navigate the complex and high-stakes challenges of government investigations, internal investigations, False Claims Act litigation, and the development and implementation of effective compliance measures and programs. Melissa’s nearly 30 years of experience includes guiding clients through issues with a range of government agencies including DOJ, HHS-OIG, and the SEC, and state attorneys general.

Melissa has been recognized as “2016’s Woman of Influence” by Boston Business Journal and the “Top Woman of Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. Melissa is well known in her community. She is the Chair of Hebrew SeniorLife’s Board of Directors, a member of Camp Bauercrest’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and a member of the Greater Boston Legal Services Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Magalis Troncoso Lama is a veteran community organizer. She has worked with the Boston Tenant Coalition where she coordinated leadership trainings and initiatives to engage immigration organizations and tenants in affordable housing campaigns. Magalis is the founder and Executive Director of the Dominican Development Center which supports justice for immigrants. Magalis has researched, supported and anchored news broadcasts for Vida Hispana on local Channel 9. She is Vice Chair of the Board for City Life-Vida Urbana and serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Greater Boston Legal Services.

Obtaining a BA from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Jennifer Aronson has dedicated twelve years to The Boston Foundation (TBF) where she oversees TBF’s Social Justice Ecology work to provide access to resources and support for people, movements and nonprofit organizations working to disrupt persistent structural and institutional inequity. She also oversees TBF’s Program Effectiveness Team which includes grants and budget management, impact measurement, and grantee communication and feedback functions for TBF’s discretionary grantmaking which allocates $15 million annually in Greater Boston.

Jackie Jenkins-Scott is a nationally recognized leader with more than three decades of experience in senior and executive leadership positions in public health and higher education. She is widely recognized as a transformational leader, helping individuals and institutions achieve high performance and strategic results. She is a strategic thinker with special skills for bringing together the diverse talents in a Board, professional staff, and the business and civic community to support and enhance organizational mission and values.
 

She served for twenty-one years as the President of Dimock Community Health Center and twelve years as the President of Wheelock College. In 2016, Jenkins-Scott founded JJS Advising, focusing on leadership development and organizational strategy.

Her personal commitment to improve society extends to active community and civic engagement. She is currently the President of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum, Chair of the Schott Foundation for Public Education, and serves on the national Boards of Community Change and Jumpstart. Jackie raises public awareness about education and other public sector issues on a national and global scale by speaking and writing in a variety of media.

Jenkins-Scott received a B.S. degree from Eastern Michigan University and a Master’s of Social Work from Boston University School of Social Work. She has received six Honorary Doctorate degrees and numerous awards and citations including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Pinnacle Award; the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Lifetime Achievement Award; and the Boston Visiting Nurses Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Makeeba McCreary is the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston’s first Chief of Learning and Community Engagement. Prior to joining the MFA, she was most recently Chief of Staff and then Managing Director and Senior Advisor of External Affairs at Boston Public Schools where she worked with the Mayor, School Committee, Superintendent, and district leadership to engage members of the Boston community. Makeeba’s current portfolio touches the early childhood to college pipeline and along the way emphasizes the inclusion of students with special needs, experiencing housing instability and those most marginalized by the opportunity and achievement gaps. Makeeba earned her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston, an M.Ed. from Harvard University, and an EdD. from Teachers College, Columbia University.