Board of Directors

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.