Massachusetts Promise Fellowship

Colleen Holohan | Director

Colleen came to Massachusetts Promise Fellowship in July 2006. Colleen is from Bethpage, New York and graduated from Providence College in 2003 with a BA in Social Science and Public and Community Service Studies.

Following graduation, Colleen served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA member with the Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC). Based at Emerson College, in downtown Boston, she worked on strengthening partnerships between the college and local community organizations. She also spent two years with MACC as the AmeriCorps*VISTA leader, training and supporting her fellow VISTA members serving on campuses across the state.

In her time with MPF, Colleen has served as both a coordinator and a manager and has focused on member support, training, evaluation. She also developed MPF's Non-Profit Leadership Institute, a training program focused on leadership theory and non-profit management.

Colleen has her MS in Leadership with a focus in Non-Profit Management from the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern in 2010.

Colleen volunteers her time as a board member of Oil Heat Cares and a mentor for youth with disabilities. She is an avid Boston Bruins fan and loves the beach and baking.

Cecelia Auditore | Evaluation & Volunteer Manager

Cecelia joined the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship in August 2008 as a fellow and joined the staff in July 2012. Cecelia is from Medford & Somerville and graduated from Emmanuel College with a BA in History and a minor in Political Science.

Upon graduation, Cecelia served as a Mass Promise Fellow at Mass Mentoring Partnership and Adoption and Foster Care Mentoring her second year. While serving at both sites, Cecelia learned a great deal about mentoring, evaluation, and youth development. Recently, Cecelia lived in Chicago where she worked at the University of Chicago in their development office, focusing specifically on their Urban Health Initiative.

Cecelia has her MS in Global Studies and International Affairs from the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern.  She’s very excited to be back in Boston, working for a program that has contributed tremendously to both her personal and professional growth.  Cecelia loves the Bruins and enjoys— with varying degrees of success — zumba, pub trivia, tennis, and softball. 

Katy Allen | Member & Program Manager

Katy first arrived at the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship as a Class XII Fellow during August 2010 and came back as a staff member in October 2012. Katy is originally from Mount Sinai, New York and graduated from Cornell University with a BS in Biology & Society and a Minor in Education.

Upon graduation Katy jumped right into two years of fulltime service. The first year was served through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps where Katy was placed at an alternative high school in Oakland, CA. Katy then moved back east to serve a year with the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship to work with a juvenile defense clinic in Roxbury. During this time Katy developed her skills as a facilitator, community builder and youth worker. After graduating from the Fellowship, Katy then worked within the fundraising team of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences where she developed a significant appreciation for the power of philanthropy.

Unable to stay away from service for long, Katy is very happy to find herself back with MPF and looks forward to serve the program that radically changed her life for the better. When not working for the Fellowship, Katy is usually in the midst of 3-5 knitting projects, running around Somerville or trying out new recipes in her tiny kitchen.

              Email Colleen

                  Email Cecelia

                   Email Katy

Julie Balasalle | Co-Chair

Julie is currently the Government Relations and Political Action Associate at the MA Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. Julie returned to her hometown of Dorchester after completing her MSW at Tulane University . She served as a Class VII Fellow with SCI Dorchester. Julie was also a youth participant in a Fellow project out of Health Care for All when she was in high school. Julie graduated with a BA in political science and community and justice studies from Guilford College in North Carolina.

Eli Pimentel | Government Relations Co-Chair

A Boston native, Eli served with the Fellowship for two years at the Youth Advocacy Project as the Community Outreach Coordinator, coordinating trainings for young people, helping to locate jobs and community service opportunities, developing collaborations with community agencies, and attending community meetings. Eli also served as a Senior Fellow in her second year with the Fellowship as the Capacity Building Coordinator where her main responsibilities were to serve on the Fellowship Advisory Board and coordinate the Fellow legacy project. Eli also served as an Americorps VISTA for the Children’s Law Center of MA prior to the Fellowship totaling three years of service with Americorps! Eli continues to serve on the board with the Government Relations Committee and studies social justice and human rights in San Francisco, CA.

Eli graduated from St. Lawrence University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government, African Studies, and Spanish. She also completed her Master’s in Global Studies and International Affairs at Northeastern University in 2010.

Rich Bielecki | Government Relations Co-Chair

Rich Bielecki is serving as the Government Relations/Outreach Chair for the Advisory Board. Rich is not a Fellow alumnus but is a retired 25 year employee of the Gillette Company.  He comes to us via our partnership with the Taproot Foundation.  Rich served as the account director for our Taproot Foundation grant.  This grant produced our current web site.  While working on the grant, Rich was impressed by  the great work being done by the Fellowship.  He hopes to bring a different perspective to the Massachusetts Promise Board.

Annemarie Sharkey | Fundraising

Annemarie is serving her second year as a MPF at CD Recreation in Fall River, MA as the Youth Leadership Coordinator.   In her Senior Fellow Role, Annemarie serves as the Capacity Building Coordinator, assisting the other Fellows in the Legacy Project as well as serving on the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship Advisory Board.  

Annemarie is originally from New Jersey.  She attended college at Western New England College and is now pursuing her M.S. from Northeastern University in Leadership with a specialization in Project Management.

Kori Redepenning | Government Relations

Kori has been a member of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship family for nine years. She came to the Fellowship in April of 2003 as a second year AmeriCorps member and served as the sole Senior Fellow. After that year of service, Kori was hired on as the Director of Training and Evaluation for the Fellowship. In March of 2006, Kori took over as Director of the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship, a role she recently transitioned from. Prior to her service and work with the Fellowship, Kori completed a year of service as the *VISTA Service Coordinator with Peace Games in Boston, where she coordinated the volunteer program and created an internship program.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Kori studied in Thailand, England and Ghana and graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a BA in Entrepreneurship. Kori also holds an MBA from Northeastern University, with a concentration in marketing and entrepreneurship. Continuing her own commitment to service and civic engagement, Kori is a former board member of Families for Depression Awareness- a non profit organization that strives to help families recognize and cope with depressive disorders, encourage and facilitate treatment, and prevent suicides, as well Boston Connects, Inc.

Kori is a huge Minnesota Vikings fan and is anxiously awaiting the day when they win the Superbowl! She is relocating to back to Minnesota and will be serving as the Director of Youth Policy Initiatives with the MN Alliance With Youth.

Yves Singletary

Yves served his first year in MPF at the City of Brockton Mayor’s Office supporting various youth initiatives for the city, including coordinating the Brockton Youth Council and serving as a member of the Brockton’s Promise Coalition.  He served a second year at The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) as the Engaging Men & Boys Fellow, where he facilitated workshops for males across the City of Boston around deconstructing masculinity, dating violence prevention and promoting healthy relationships. Following his graduation from MPF in July 2013, Yves was hired by the Museum of Science's Flagship Computer Clubhouse.

Yves received his B.A in Youth Development from Springfield College. A life-long Boston resident, he is proud graduate of TechBoston Academy in Dorchester and also Tenacity’s Middle School Academy. When he’s not working chances are you can find him at the local tennis courts hitting his picture perfect one handed back hand. 

Jeff Doggett

Jeff has been involved in the MPF Community for 11 years, especially during his role as Vice President of Government Relations and Community Relations at Northeastern University.  Jeff received his BA, MPA, and MBA from Northeastern University and continued his work there for 19 years.   He is now the Chief of Staff at Merrimack College and in his spare time likes to golf, sail, and travel. 

Gretchen Carey

Gretchen was first introduced to MPF in 2008, when she was a member of the Taproot Foundation team working on the MPF website project. Since then she has joined the Strategic Planning Committee, and most recently the Advisory Board.

Gretchen earned her BS from Fairfield University and MBA from Boston College. She currently works as a marketing manager in the e-commerce industry.

Chaci Ciano

Charles “Chaci” Ciano is currently the Grants Administrator at YouthBuild USA.  In this position he ensures federal financial compliance for over 50 YouthBuild programs across the country and multiple international grants.  Chaci has over 6 years of experience working with national service programs and federal contracts.  Previous to his arrival at YouthBuild USA, Chaci worked as a Program Officer with the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), the state commission on community service.  At MSA, Chaci administered multiple state and federal grants to sub-grantees (including AmeriCorps and mentoring programs), this is where he began working with the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship.  During his time at the commission, Chaci oversaw both fiscal and programmatic reporting and management, while providing technical assistance and training to programs.  Chaci received his B.S. from Emerson College in Integrated Marketing Communications, and his M.S. in Human Services with a specialization in Non-profit Management from Northeastern University.

Catherine Noel | Senior Fellow-Capacity Building Coordinator

Catherine Noel is serving her second year as the Alumni Coordinator at America SCORES Boston where she facilitates leadership workshops/meetings for middle school and high school students throughout the year. Catherine has taken on the role as the Capacity Building Senior Fellow; in this role, she serves on the MPF Advisory Board and leads workshops for fellows to guide them through completion of their Legacy Project – a resource guide created by each fellow to help transition through each service year. Catherine is a graduate of Northeastern University with a B.A. in Economics. In her free time she was engaged in the community and she is glad to continue serving in the Boston area.

Catherine Noel | Senior Fellow 

Catherine Noel is serving her second year as the Alumni Coordinator at America SCORES Boston where she facilitates leadership workshops/meetings for middle school and high school students throughout the year. Catherine has taken on the role as the Capacity Building Senior Fellow; in this role, she serves on the MPF Advisory Board and leads workshops for fellows to guide them through completion of their Legacy Project – a resource guide created by each fellow to help transition through each service year. Catherine is a graduate of Northeastern University with a B.A. in Economics. In her free time she was engaged in the community and she is glad to continue serving in the Boston area.

Rei Champion | Senior Fellow 

Rei Champion is serving his second year with Prospect Hill Academy Charter School as the Academic Pursuits of Excellence (APEX) Fellow. The mission of Prospect Hill Academy Charter School (PHA) is to prepare each student for success in college, to inspire a lifelong love of learning, and to foster responsible citizenship.  The program that Rei manages focuses on out-of-school time academic support and enrichment. Rei's service includes managing and recruiting volunteer tutors and students, connecting students to academic enrichment opportunities and coordinating structured work time at Wednesday School and Saturday School. 

As a Senior Fellow, Rei is the Public Relations Fellow which means he serves as the MPF event reporter and supports the coordination of the Day at the State House event. He also serves on MPF’s Government Relations Committee.

Rei is originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, and later moved to Maryland to pursue his undergraduate degree in History and Sociology at the University of Maryland. He currently participates in the Community Fellows program at Boston University’s Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership.

Stephanie Loneck | Senior Fellow

Stephanie is currently serving her second year with MPF as the MathPOWER Youth Advisory Board Fellow. Her role includes recruiting and training tutor-mentors as well as running the day-to-day activities at the MathPOWER afterschool program, Math*STARS, at the Yawkey Boys and Girls Club. She will continue to build on the Youth Advisory Board, which she started during her first year with the Fellowship, by hosting meetings and events focused on building youth resiliency and leadership.

Originally from Upstate New York, Stephanie moved to Boston to  complete a Bachelor's of Science in Mathematics at Northeastern University. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Education at Northeastern University's College of Professional Studies, and plans to become a mathematics teacher in the Boston Public Schools after MPF.

Lauren Peckler | Senior Fellow

Lauren is serving her second year with MPF at the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club of Roxbury as their College Readiness Fellow. In this position, Lauren manages College Bound, which is a college preparation advising program for teens ages 13 to 18 years old,  and co-leads the College Club and Girls Group. In conjunction with College Bound, Lauren has created a college preparation curriculum that she will be sharing with other Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston staff along with the MPF cohort. 

As a Senior Fellow, Lauren is serving as the College and Career Access Youth Coordinator and will work to engage youth involved with MPF’s many host sites in college access programs, career exploration, and the MPF organization.

Lauren is originally from New York and graduated  in 2011 from Keene State College with a Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Women's Studies. After her time with MPF, Lauren hopes to continue working in the college advising field. 

Will Syldor | Senior Fellow

William Amado Syldor-Severino is serving his second year at the Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) in Great Barrington. RSYP is a drop-in center  focused on youth empowerment through youth-inspired projects. At the organization, Will serves as the Jobs and Careers (JC) Coordinator, providing employment, academic, and personal support to youth 14-25 via a variety of workshops, one on ones, workplace consultation, and other activities.

Will is the Community Building Coordinator Senior Fellow. Some of his responsibilities includes implementing community building/social justice oriented activities and conversations, creating a distributing the Hello Fellow Newsletter, and supporting trainers who come in to present and facilitate workshops.

Will originates from Brockton, MA, moving to University of Massachusetts Amherst for a Bachelor’s Degree in English. After this year of service, Will plans to pursue a Masters in Social Justice Education.