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Board of Trustees
Jamie Day (Co-Chair) is Head of Global Art Direction for IDEXX. Previously a consultant on marketing, Creative Director at LiteBoxer and Associate Creative Director at MullenLowe, throughout his career, he has created award-winning work for a wide variety of national and global clients across many forms of media, including broadcast, digital, outdoor, brand experience, and social content. He is passionate about art, design, and the creative process. Jamie lives on Holbrook Street, across the street from the Eliot schoolhouse, and his wife, Deirdre, sits on the Eliot School’s Advisory Council and Marketing Committee. Their young children attend classes at the Eliot School.
Fifile Nguyen (Co-Chair) is a strategy consultant with expertise in business & service design, branding & marketing, and product strategy & development. She’s helped design digital and physical experiences from employee training websites to medical devices to space station modules for clients like Intel, Galvanize Therapeutics, Sierra Space, and Live Nation. Born in Texas to Vietnamese war refugees, Fifile holds a BBA in International Business and BS in Textile & Apparel Design from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MBA in Business Design from the University of Toronto. Fifile has supported the Eliot School in several ways for over ten years. Before joining the board, she served on its Advisory Council, creating a Community Insights Study to help with strategic planning. She has been a member of our sewing faculty from 2013-17, and 2023 to present. And, in her spare time, Fifile teaches undergraduate courses on business analysis and research at Endicott College.
Photo by Gretjen Helene
Edward Forte (Past Chair) is principal and founder of Forte Architecture + Design, a professional architectural and design services firm serving commercial, retail, government and residential clients in the northeastern United States and beyond. An architect with over 30 years of professional experience, he is a graduate of the Boston Architectural College and has studied urban design, planning and restoration architecture at L'Universita' della Sapienza, in Rome. He is active with Boston Centre/South Main Streets, which named him Volunteer of the Year in 2014.
Alex Jacobson (Secretary) is the owner of Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers, a cornerstone of the Jamaica Plain arts community since 1985. He founded his first business, Adjective Art & Framing, in 2011, growing it into a respected establishment among galleries and artists. In 2016, Alex acquired Jameson & Thompson, continuing its legacy of serving artists, collectors, galleries, and museums throughout Boston. Alex holds a degree from the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and has been a member of the Jamaica Plain community since 2009. Under his leadership, Jameson & Thompson strives to build a robust network of artists, craftspeople, and collaborators, using the shop as a central hub. His commitment to the arts and community aligns with the Eliot School’s mission to inspire lifelong learning in craftsmanship and creativity for all.
Ling Luo (Treasurer) works in the financial services industry and has been employed by Fidelity Investments since 2006, primarily supporting institutional clients and corporate functions. Ling moved here in 2000 for school and graduated from Boston College's Master of Science in Finance program.
Anuradha Desai, a seasoned nonprofit executive, served for more than four decades in the nonprofit sector before retiring in 2023. She currently provides coaching and mentoring support to leaders of nonprofits regionally and nationally. She most recently worked as the Senior Vice President for External Relations at EdVestors, a Boston-based school change organization that combines strategic private philanthropy, education expertise, and hands-on implementation to advance equitable, meaningful education to Boston students.
Previously, Anuradha served in leadership roles at international organizations such as Oxfam America, International Center for Conciliation (ICfC), Save the Children, and TIFA in Indonesia, as well as national/local organizations such as Citizen Schools and Boston Rising. Over the years, Anuradha has served on the board of nonprofits including Oxfam America, Action Aid USA, and Grassroots International. Presently, she serves as Senior Fellow for the national program at the Institute for Nonprofit Practice.
Anuradha received her master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and was awarded the prestigious Presidential Scholarship. She also has a master’s degree in urban studies and architecture from the Royal Academy of Denmark, where she was awarded the DANIDA fellowship. Anuradha resides in Boston with her husband and their cat.
Betty Herschman is a major donor advisor with Movement Voter Project (MVP). Over the course of her 20+ year career as a policy advocate, development and communications specialist, and educator, she has directed international advocacy for an Israeli activist NGO focused on the city’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; helped build the organizational capacity of seminal Boston-based organizations responding to domestic violence and disparities in health care access; and taught in the Boston Public Schools. Betty holds an MPA from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and an MAT from Boston University. Her involvement in the Eliot School is rooted in her belief in the personal, political, and healing power of art for young people and the need for racial equity in access to art and craft education, making, and markets.
Jesse Johnson is a visual artist and non-profit consultant in the creative sector with a focus on strategic planning and data-driven decision-making. His artwork explores the beauty of math, and his consulting has recently focused on creative career pathways. He was born and raised in the Boston area, has a BA in Math and French from Amherst College, and an MBA from the Tuck School at Dartmouth. He previously worked in data analytics at companies including Forrester and Google, was the founding Business Manager of Camp Starfish (Rindge, NH), and the founding Board Chair of Maker Nexus, a makerspace in Sunnyvale, CA. Jesse also served as Board Chair of Keys School (Palo Alto, CA), and he's currently on the Advisory Board for the Museum of Science. Jesse lives in Milton with his two children and two long-haired dachshunds. He enjoys running, snowboarding, and crossword and jigsaw puzzles.
Carolyn Brunis Luc is a highly creative collaborative leader with 17 years of progressive experience developing and growing equitable programs that drive positive outcomes for historically excluded populations. She is passionate about people and has spearheaded community and corporate-wide engagement to advance inclusive communities and work environments. Prior to joining Suffolk, Carolyn worked for over 13 years fundraising and engaging business leaders, companies, and individuals in social issues such as food insecurity, child abuse prevention, and urgent needs for non-profit organizations in the Greater Boston area. Currently, Carolyn is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Suffolk Construction. She is responsible for strengthening internal diversity and inclusion efforts by working with key stakeholders and executives across the organization to drive sustainable DEI strategies and outcomes. Carolyn has been with Suffolk Construction for nearly five years and currently serves as a committee member on the organization’s 501c3 non-profit, the Giving Circle. She holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from Regis College in Weston, MA.
Marisa Luse is a visionary nonprofit leader, trusted community advocate, and naturally gifted relationship builder with over 25 years of experience in nonprofit management, civic and community engagement, racial justice, and health equity. Her work spans pioneering organizations across Massachusetts and Rhode Island, where she has led transformative efforts in fundraising, program development, DEIB strategy, and community-based participatory research.
A culture change activist at heart, Marisa has a proven track record of designing and implementing sustainable, community-rooted programs and events that foster connection, amplify resident voices, and inspire leadership. She currently serves as a strategic advisor, board member, and volunteer for a range of initiatives across the arts, education, and public health sectors.
Marisa is also a proud graduate of the Rhode Island Black Storytellers’ Legacy Academy, where she is cultivating a storytelling practice rooted in truth-telling, healing, and social change. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Northeastern University, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management & Leadership from Boston University, and a Certificate in Social Justice Mediation from Vital Village's Social Justice Mediation Institute.
Meredith Wallace has worked at Brigham and Women's Hospital for over a decade and is the Executive Administrator for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology overseeing all operational, financial, academic and research affairs for the department and leading the Women's Health Service Line. Previously, she worked in healthcare strategy consulting and clinical research, and interned at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Meredith has a Masters in Public Health focused on Healthcare Administration and Policy from Boston University School of Public Health and a BA in Biology and Neuroscience from Williams College. Aside from work, Meredith enjoys being outside and active - spending time in mid-coast Maine in the summer, skiing in Vermont in the winter, or hiking around Boston with her husband and children. She has served on the Eliot School's Advisory Council from 2019 to 2022 and as a member of the Governance Committee before joining the Board.
Advisory Council
The Advisory Council is a group of individuals committed to a three-year term, actively participating in our committees and councils.
Drew Bagdasarian, DRB Associates
Analesa Baraka
Barbara Berns
L. Soul Brown, Rhode Island School of Design
Geoff Chasin, Cardinal Logistics Management
Estefania Ciliotta, Northeastern University Center for Design
Cornell Coley, Coley Communications
Deirdre Day, Channel Maven Consulting
Luiza de Camargo, Junior Achievement of Northern New England
Kevin Derrick, North Bennet Street School
Lee Englert, Steppingstone Foundation
Kathryn Fenneman, Grub Street
Greg Frank, Eversource
Melissa Gallin
Meryl Glassman, Dignity Matters
Devin Hill, JP Morgan Securities
Andrés Holder, Boston Children's Chorus
Andrea Howard, West End House
Janet Kawada, Massachusetts College of Art & Design (retired)
Michelle Madera, Cambridge Public Schools
George Mallett, Artists for Humanity (retired)
Michelle Millar Fisher, Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Anita Morson-Matra, Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture
Nicole Murray
Ma'ayan Plaut, N2K
Michael Reiskind, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council; Jamaica Pond Association
Teresa Rodriguez, Somerville Public Schools
Antoinette Russell, Eaton Vance Investment Counsel
Jan Spitz, Norman B. Leventhal Map Center (retired)
Corey Stallings, South Street Youth Center
Robert Tuchmann, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LP (retired)
Jonathan Wilson
Norman Yu, IMB Partners
Board Emeriti Council
The Board Emeriti Council consists of former board members who continue to actively contribute through various committees and councils.
Melony Swasey, Board Chair Emeritus
Charles Fox
Curdina Hill
Carolyn Ingles
Marilyn Mase
Joy Silverstein
Organizational affiliations for identification only