Our People
Staff
Just A Start’s dedicated staff come to the organization from many different backgrounds with expertise in community development, education and training, real estate, housing stabilization, and financial management. Our staff includes teachers, case managers, licensed social workers, attorneys, trained mediators, construction managers, project managers, and finance and philanthropy professionals.
Executive Team
Robert Brainin
Carmen Chan
Carl Nagy-Koechlin
Miriam Ortiz
Michelle Robb
Noah Sawyer
Gerry Zipser
Administration
Sara Cyr
Grant Manager
617-918-7509
[email protected]
Monique Doyle
Office Manager
617-918-7539
[email protected]
Jeannette Passanisi
Account Payable Clerk
617-918-7501
[email protected]
Cindy Silva
Controller
617-918-7530
[email protected]
Kymira Woodberry
Real Estate Accountant
763-307-4577
[email protected]
Kendra Comstock
Office Clerk
617-333-8555
[email protected]
Vanessa Buenrostro
Senior Accountant
763-307-4415
[email protected]
Resource Development
Maggie Woodward
Communications Manager
617-918-7522
[email protected]
Emelia Misail
Philanthropy Manager
617-918-7515
[email protected]
Home Improvement Program
Ethan Solomon
Homeownership Programs Director
617-918-7514
[email protected]
Anna Cressman
Homeownership Programs Coordinator
617-918-7513
[email protected]
Tim Kardatzke
Rehab Specialist
617-918-7513
[email protected]
Real Estate Development
Vandana Sareen
Senior Project Manager
617-402-3092
[email protected]
Yolanda Gilibert
Real Estate Project Manager
617-681-4753
[email protected]
Molly Kaviar
Project Manager
617-917-4913
[email protected]
Madeline Lee
Project Manager
617-918-7540
[email protected]
Housing Services
Elizabeth Winston
Housing and Mediation Services Director
617-918-7518
[email protected]
Ian Davis
Financial Opportunity Program Coordinator
617-918-7525
[email protected]
Meg MacDonald Alfoni
Housing Specialist & Mediator
617-431-3175
[email protected]
Peter Shapiro
Housing Mediation Manager
617-620-9858
[email protected]
Selma DeCastro
Mobility Mentor
[email protected]
Karen Guthrie
Mediator
617-918-7798
[email protected]
Lori Segall
Mobility Mentor
617-341-8165
[email protected]
Jamison Rudd
Housing Stabilization Case Manager
617-918-7510
[email protected]
Sarah Pasternak
Tax Site Coordinator
617-918-7791
[email protected]
Jenny Komatsu
Financial Coach
763-244-8644
[email protected]
Resident Services
Pierre Fils-Aime
Senior Resident Services Coordinator
617-341-8164
[email protected]
Fenan Samuel
Resident Services Coordinator
617-918-7526
[email protected]
Ishwar Lamichhane
Digital Navigator Fellow
617-344-9583
[email protected]
Workforce
Development Programs
Korynn Stoyanoff
Director of Workforce Development
617-918-7502
[email protected]
Ben Jamieson
Academic Services Manager
617-906-6294
[email protected]
Mary Jo Kiepper
Alumni Programming Manager
617-918-7531
[email protected]
Melissa Liwanag
Manager of Learning and Evaluation
617-918-7554
[email protected]
Leora Rifkin Edouard
Operations Manager
617-918-7555
[email protected]
Tanya Quintanilla
Data and Program Coordinator
617-918-7520
[email protected]
Mayolina Seguy
Career Readiness Instructor
617-918-7556
[email protected]
Jude Alfaro
Database Administrator
617-356-1594
[email protected]
Kristen Butler
IT Instructor
Amerline Occean
Biology Instructor
Mina Reddy
Business Communications Instructor
Michele Sprengnether
Chemistry Instructor
FIRST LAST
Philanthropy Associate
(617) ###-####
[email protected]
Youth Programs
Nate Bae Kupel
Director of Youth Programs
617-380-3847
[email protected]
Tom Rodriguez, CWDP
Assistant Director of Youth Programs and Alumni Success
617-918-7528
[email protected].org
Christina Uplinger
Operations Manager, YouthBuild
617-918-7532
[email protected]
Kat Baena Garces
Alumni Support Coordinator, AmeriCorps VISTA
781-488-0852
[email protected]
Dan Madri
Vocational Instructor, Construction
617-918-7791
[email protected]
Derek Wood
Vocational Instructor
617-322-2990
[email protected]
Cynthia Prince
Case Management & Counseling Specialist
781-399-5893
[email protected]
Nicholas Branigan
Construction and Project Manager
617-918-7505
[email protected]
Andrea Chery
Case Manager and Counseling Program Manager
617-918-7801
[email protected]
Brian Ristau
Academic Program Services Manager
617-918-7557
[email protected]
Milagros De Pasquale
STEM Teacher and Academic Support Specialist
617-918-7529
[email protected]
Jessica Maddox
Youth Employment Specialist
617-604-3410
[email protected]
Board of Directors
All members of the Board of Directors serve as active volunteer leaders of Just A Start. Board members are residents of Cambridge and surrounding communities and include current and former participants of Just A Start’s programs, including residents, graduates of our career training programs, YouthBuild alumni, and Home Improvement Program participants. The Board brings diverse expertise in public policy, housing, real estate development, nonprofit and corporate management, community development, financial management, workforce training, youth development, and more.
Peter Munkenbeck
Chair Mr. Munkenbeck, who graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Public and International Affairs, earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, and was admitted to the bar in Massachusetts. From 1978-81, he was responsible for the redevelopment of several large waterfront industrial and mixed use parcels while employed at MASSPORT, including the planning, permitting, design, architecture, and construction of a 47-acre site for a marine terminal. He then spent 16 years at The Community Builders, where he served as Deputy Director for real estate development, administration, and finance. Since 1997, he has been actively involved in the development and/or financing of multifamily affordable housing on behalf of 15 community development corporations in Boston.
Zoe Weinrobe
Vice Chair Zoe Weinrobe, JCHE’s Director of Real Estate Innovation, has more than 14 years of experience in the field of affordable housing finance and development. Zoe is currently managing a $71 million 4% LIHTC acquisition/rehab project, a $25 million new construction project, and a number of potential prospects for JCHE. Prior to joining JCHE, Zoe was most recently Vice President at Recap Real Estate Advisors working with public housing authorities and private property owners on conversions through HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration (“RAD”) program. Zoe has also worked at Urban Edge CDC, the Cambridge Housing Authority, and the City of Cambridge. Zoe has a Master’s in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated with honors from Cornell University.
Samuel Gebru
Clerk Samuel M. Gebru is an Ethiopian American social entrepreneur, community organizer, and consultant. Born in Sudan to Ethiopian parents, Samuel moved to the United States at age three in 1995 and was raised by his single mother in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He discovered his vocation for public service as a 13-year-old bringing attention to maternal health issues and raising funds for women suffering from obstetric fistula in his native Ethiopia. Samuel is currently the Massachusetts Development and Partnerships Manager at Generation Citizen and serves as the Managing Director of Black Lion Strategies and Executive Producer of Boston Ethiopia Week. Samuel founded and led the Ethiopian Global Initiative from 2006-2016, convening change makers in Ethiopia and abroad in support of Ethiopia’s growth and development. He has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Alumni Association, Africans in Boston, Cambridge Community Center, City of Cambridge Prince Hall Memorial Committee, City of Cambridge Family Policy Council, and the Cambridge Public School District’s Superintendent Transition Team. He is currently affiliated with City of Cambridge River Street Infrastructure and Streetscape Working Group, Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Michael Kuhn
Treasurer Michael Kuhn is Senior Vice President in Commercial Lending at Cambridge Savings Bank and helps to continue JAS’s long standing partnership with Cambridge Savings Bank. Michael has been with Cambridge Savings for almost 13 years and previously worked for Rockland Trust Company and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He received a B.S. in Finance from Rowan University and an Associate’s degree in Computer Science from Camden County College.
Tara Dendy
Ms. Dendy has lived in Cambridge for 10+ years raising her children in a Just A Start community. Although there have been other housing opportunities, Ms. Dendy and her family continue to reside in that community because of the consistency and familiarity of neighbors. Ms. Dendy was previously the Program Director for Community Cooks and was responsible for overseeing 800 volunteers who prepared food to vulnerable neighbors seeking assistance from human service agencies, students working to improve their lives in after school programs and families struggling with food insecurity. Prior to joining Community Cooks, Dendy worked at Elizabeth Stone House as Director of Adult Programming, overseeing three of their programs. Prior to joining Elizabeth Stone House, Dendy worked at the Community Resource for Justice as the Director of the McGrath House, a program that serves female offenders referred by the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Massachusetts Parole Board.
Lisa J. Drapkin
Lisa is the Founder of True Home Partners and its Team Leader. After 24 years at Coldwell Banker, she recently became a Managing Director at Compass and she and her team have set up shop at the new 1100 Mass Ave office, just steps to Harvard Square. She is a member of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, is a certified GREEN Realtor, and is a Trained Mediator. One of her proudest accomplishments was being awarded Banker & Tradesman’s Women of Fire award in 2018. Lisa has a well-deserved reputation for her knowledge of real estate and is renowned for her high energy level and enthusiasm. In her spare time, Lisa is a real estate Investor, a small-time real estate Developer, a Board Member for Just A Start, a member of the Federal Club of the Human Rights Campaign, a top Pie Seller for Community Servings, a member of Arlington Street Church and most recently, a member of the Cambridge Solar Access campaign. Lisa lives in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge with her wife, Debbie.
Shawn Fitzpatrick
Shawn Fitzpatrick is a Director of Manufacturing at Wuxi Biologics and has worked in the Biotechnology field for over 22 years. He is a former graduate (1997) of Just A Start’s Biomedical Careers Program. He also sits on a number of advisory boards of local schools with Biotechnology programs that advise on course curriculum, guest lectures, etc.
Richard Harding
Richard Harding is a lifelong Cambridge resident whose career has always been focused on public service and community engagement. He began as an intern at Joe Kennedy’s Citizen’s Energy, then served as Director of Constituent Services for Senator Seven Tolman and is the past Chair of the Ward 2 Democratic Committee. He has served on the board of the Young People’s Project and of the Community Arts Center. Richard is the President of the Port Life Foundation and a founder of the Port Action Group, a neighborhood group focused on violence prevention. Richard is the proud recipient of the NAACP Education Excellence Award and the Cambridge Peace and Justice Award. As a School Committee member, Richard has served as Vice-Chair and co-chair of the Budget Committee and Contract Negotiations, co-chaired the Kids Council, and served on the Neighborhood Safety Task Force’s Employment Sub-Committee. Richard currently runs the Men of Color Health Initiative and is a program consultant to the job training program CambridgeWorks. He attended the Kennedy Elementary School and graduated from Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School (CRLS) and Fitchburg State College. His daughter is a 2015 graduate of the Cambridge public schools.
Junardy Jean-Charles
Junardy Jean-Charles is the Program Development Administrator for the Job Connector by MIT. She began her career with a focus on mental health and social work after completing a degree at Lesley University in counseling psychology. She went on to work and volunteer for various human services based nonprofit organizations, specially adhering to the needs of youth and families. The recurring theme that stood out for her when working with individuals was the need for economic stability in order to live a life that was physically, mentally and financially healthy, amongst other variables. She eventually ventured into career counseling working for a government-based career center, which blossomed into a steady career in workforce development. Her career in workforce development has allowed her to provide individuals with tangible outcomes for their overall wellbeing, which translates into their family system, and bears fruit for the larger community system. Junardy has a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Salem State University.
Jesse Kanson-Benanav
Jesse Kanson-Benanav moved to the Boston area after graduating from Oberlin College and started working as a community organizer on housing issues with Somerville Community Corporation. He went on to get a Master of City Planning at MIT with a concentration in housing, community, and economic development. After completing his Masters, Jesse went on to work for several organizations focused on public housing, affordable housing, and real estate development, before returning to Somerville Community Corporation as a Senior Project Manager. Jesse also founded and served for seven years as the Chairman for A Better Cambridge, a community group dedicated to smart growth development to preserve and expand diverse, affordable, livable and sustainable neighborhoods.
Joel Miranda
Joel Miranda is the Senior Director of Leadership Development and Graduate Leadership at YouthBuild USA. As the first YouthBuild graduate to serve in a Director’s role at YouthBuild USA, Joel leads efforts to deepen the practice of Leadership Development at YouthBuild programs, oversees the development of YouthBuild’s graduate leadership work, and to move the impact of Youthbuild’s leadership work deeper into the wider world. Prior to joining YouthBuild USA, Joel worked at the grassroots level as a Mentor, Case Manager, and lastly Deputy Director at the YouthBuild Just A Start Chelsea/Cambridge program. Joel was a 2012-2013 Community Fellow at Boston University School of Management’s Institute for Non-Profit Management and Leadership and a graduate of the 2014 American Express Leadership Academy for emerging non-profit leaders.
Jeff Myers
Jeff Myers, a Cambridge resident since 2007, is employed as the real estate Deputy Director of Portfolio & Asset Management at the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). Jeff has expertise in market dynamics of metros across the country and spent more than a decade as a consultant to institutional commercial real estate investors. He has also served as a public-sector planning professional and has provided consulting services to non-profit organizations. Jeff holds a Master of Science in Real Estate from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Urban Planning & Development from Ball State University.
Paul Parravano
Paul Parravano has been part of the MIT community since 1991. His role in the Office of Government and Community Relations involves fostering communication and understanding between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and all levels of government, major constituency groups, and MIT’s surrounding community. Mr. Parravano serves as MIT’s campus federal relations officer, accompanying MIT’s President on regular visits to Washington and hosting campus visits by elected officials and other dignitaries. In Cambridge, Paul works to strengthen MIT’s involvement in science education for K- 12 teachers and students through a growing list of partnerships, especially with the Cambridge Public Schools. In all of his work and travel, both in Washington and locally, Paul’s most critical task is to represent the Institute in a personal way as a resource for knowledge, neighborly support, and the advancement of MIT’s mission of scientific education and research. Prior to his employment at MIT, Paul worked as a staff attorney in a civil rights consulting firm in the Boston area, providing advice and consultation for corporations on the implementation of civil rights regulations. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a law degree from Northeastern University School of Law.
Susan Stockard
Susan Stockard retired from Maloney Properties, Inc., where she was a partner in the property management company. Her specialty was elderly housing and resident services. In addition to serving on the Board of Just A Start, Susan is the President of the Board of FOCUS – a non-profit that oversees supportive services in housing and owns [email protected], a home in Somerville for 15 young women aging out of foster care. She is involved in Partakers prisoner education, Sanctuary, racial justice, and building management through Old Cambridge Baptist Church. Susan is a founding member of a housing cooperative in Cambridge formed in 1973.