November 5, 2019 | 6:00 – 8:30 PM | CIC Venture Cafe – Kendall Square
Art, events, food, public health, affordable housing, human-centric streetscapes, greenspace, parking, recreation, signage, main street beautification, small and new business support, nature tourism — are any of these your community’s theory of change?
Our Boston Area Sustainability Group (BASG) evening on November 5th considers how cities and neighborhoods approach sustainable economic development, how they build cross-stakeholder support, and how they fund plan implementation.
Join us to learn from a dozen communities from Maine to Alaska, including those closest to Boston, about their designs for thriving long into the future.
Our Speakers
Carlos Matos, Transformative Development Initiative Fellow, MassDevelopment
Carlos is MassDevelopment’s TDI Fellow in Chelsea, Massachusetts helping to create a vibrant shopping district with a mix of affordable and market-rate housing that will engage the community, redevelop key sites, and improve the impact of a cluster of small businesses.
He previously served as Chief Operating Officer at Conexion, Associate General Manager at Hexaware, and Assistant Vice President in State Street Corporation’s Investment Management Services’ PMO/GCS business unit. Prior to joining State Street, Carlos worked at MassBay Community College as the school’s Senior Government Services Consultant and Vice President/CIO. He also managed a number of projects at Northern Essex Community College, including one in which he analyzed and researched strategies to foster economic improvement in majority Latino cities. Carlos has a bachelor’s degree from Saint Anselm College and has taken master’s level classes in regional economic and social development at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He has also served as a Lawrence City Councilor, an assistant to the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island, and a legislative aide in the Massachusetts State House.
Danelle Marable, MA, Senior Director of Evaluation, Assessments & Coalitions MGH Center for Community Health Improvement (CCHI)
Danelle will represent the Healthy Chelsea coalition and share how its members collaborate to advance community empowerment and economic development.
Danelle Marable has been involved with nonprofit program evaluations and strategic planning for more than 16 years. In her current position, she is responsible for directing the evaluation activities at the Mass General Center for Community Health Improvement, which includes a team of 4 internal evaluators, as well as overseeing 4 multi-sector community coalitions. This involves working with over 50 staff to help shape initiatives and monitor progress in community activation and partnerships, increasing access to care and addressing the social determinants of health, and supporting the educational attainment of youth. Danelle also manages the Community Health Needs Assessment for Mass General, covering Revere, Chelsea, Boston, Winthrop and Everett. Previously, Danelle worked as the data and research coordinator at the American Academy of Physician Assistants where she was responsible for survey development, implementation, and reporting. Danelle received her B.A in Anthropology from the University of Central Florida and her M.A in Applied Social Research from West Virginia University. She is a member of the American Evaluation Association and is the President of the Greater Boston Evaluation Network.
Sylvia Ramirez, Workforce Development Manager, Chelsea Collaborative Inc.
Sylvia will explain the Chelsea Collaborative’s workforce development program, Chelsea Gets Ready, and its role in the city’s economic future.
Originally from Arecibo, Puerto Rico, Sylvia Ramirez has lived in the City of Chelsea for 30 years. She is the Workforce Development Manager for the Chelsea Collaborative and also a board member for the Harbor Area DCF office, member of the City of Chelsea Planning Board, the current President of the Chelsea Kiwanis Club, participatant of Chel-yea, the Chelsea Bike and Ped Committee, on the Chelsea Public Schools Wellness Committee, leads the Chelsea 500 coalition and is an LGTBQ community advocate. Sylvia’s involvement as an active member of the community reflects her care and love of Chelsea and its people. Sylvia has raised a total of nine children: three which are her own; two children from the marriage of her late ex-husband; her late sister’s three children and one more youngster who came to live with the family unexpectedly. Family is everything to her.
Holly Fowler, Co-founder & CEO, Northbound Ventures
In addition to her role co-organizing BASG, Holly is a sustainable communities and food systems consultant. Since 2016, she has been a technical assistance provider for the U.S. EPA’s Local Foods, Local Places program, working with almost 20 communities to help them vision and plan out economic development strategies focused around place-making and food systems. Holly will share project profiles from the communities she has supported and a number of federal resources available to community change-makers.
Get your tickets on Eventbrite today and see you there!
– Eric, Amy, Holly, Tilly and Carol
BASG 