UNITED STATES PARTICIPANTS

JANUARY, 2013 GROUP

JEANETTE BELTRAN
Jeanette Beltran is the Director of Community Initiatives for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As the Director of Community Initiatives, Ms. Beltran oversees Grant-making, Public Policy and Education programs for the agency. Ms. Beltran’s life-long commitment to improving the quality of health care for women is demonstrated through 18 years of service in health and human services. She is a sought after national speaker and trainer for national associations, government/non-governmental agencies. Ms. Beltran’s portfolio includes developing, organizing and advocating passage of Environmental Tobacco Smoke ordinances and regulations in Massachusetts. She creates and designs prevention and education programs targeted at women and youth in the areas of substance abuse/tobacco use, Diabetes, mental health breast health and HIV/AIDS. During her 9 years at a national organization in WDC, she was involved in several innovative national prevention education policy and leadership initiatives. During this time Ms. Beltran unveiled the first ever National Latina Health Agenda for the nation and in her current position created the first Breast Health agenda for the state of Massachusetts.

Ms. Beltran’s appointments include serving as chair for CDC’s Division of Adolescent School Health (DASH) Taskforce, Latino chair Committee to End Disparities Among Special Populations (CEDAP), DHHS, Office on Women’s Health (OWH), Co-chair HIV/AIDS strategies workgroup and advisory member of PBS La Plaza. She is a founding member of the Hispanic Society for Preventive Medicine, Member of Dana Farber Cancer Institute's External Advisory Council and recently was awarded a grant from Yoplait to address the unmet programmatic needs of Latinas around breast health.  Ms. Beltran was recently appointed to Komen's National Public Policy Advisory Council and the executive leadership program Lead Boston's class of 2012. Jeanette lives in Boston with her husband and daughter.

JOYCE BERNSTEIN

Joyce Bernstein is the owner and operator of Spice Dragon, a 200 seat restaurant and 350 seat banquet facility that she designed and built as part of a 10 million dollar economic development project she and her partner built in Pittsfield MA in 2006. Prior to that Ms. Bernstein served as President and COO of Link to Life, a national company that provided personal emergency response services for 22 years.

In addition to her service on the Tapestry Health Board, Joyce Bernstein serves or has served on the Boards of MASS MoCA, The Berkshire Museum, The Eagle Fund, The United Way, The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and other organizations.

Ms Bernstein has been active in Women’s Rights and Healthcare issues since a teenager and has done extensive advocacy and volunteer work in both those issues as well as Refugee and Immigrant affairs worldwide. 

DOREEN FADUS

Doreen Fadus has been a dynamic leader with over 30 years of progressively responsible human service and health care management experience.  Doreen has worked for the past 24 years with the homeless population in employment, education and healthcare program.  In her current position as Executive Director of Community Health at Mercy Medical Center, Doreen is responsible for the Health Care for the Homeless program, Vietnamese Health Project, Community Benefits and Mass Health Community Outreach.  Community involvement has been demonstrated by her participation in many diverse boards and groups including Friends of the Homeless board, Dress for Success, founder and Past President, PVTA Advisory Board member, Catholic Charities Board of Trustees, Regional Employment Board and MCDI Board.  Other distinctions include her participation in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts Institute of Community Health Leaders and the UCLA Health Care Executive Program.

JILL GRIFFIN   

Jill Griffin is an Emergency Physician at OnCall Urgent Care in Northampton, Massachusetts and Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts.  As an Emergency Physician at an inner city hospital she works primarily with poor and disenfranchised minority patients. At OnCall Urgent Care the majority of her time is spent at the Healthy Living Program providing substance abuse intervention to approximately 600 people in Western Massachusetts addicted to Heroin, Opioids, Cocaine, and other substances. 

Jill is a founding member of Help for Haiti Now, a non-profit working on community health issues in Haiti.   She has volunteered as a medical educator in Ecuador and Mexico and has travelled extensively through South East Asia.  

HILDY GROSSMAN   

I am the President and Founder of a 501 C (3) non-profit organization, Upstage Lung Cancer,   www.upstagelungcancer.org.  Following my diagnosis of lung cancer 6 years ago, I created an organization whose mission is to raise awareness and funds for lung cancer research.  We use music to accomplish this mission in every event we produce.
Most people don’t know that lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer of women and men-more than breast, ovarian, uterine and colon cancer combined.  My own lung cancer was found by accident, which afforded me the opportunity to be in a small group of 15% who survive for 5 years.  Our motto is that “Survival should not be by accident!”
I am a PhD psychologist in private practice, in the Boston area. I received my PhD at Northwestern University in Chicago and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard Medical School.  I am also a musician and have a jazz group called The Follen Angels www.follenangels.com (I completed graduate studies in vocal performance at Longy School of Music—on Follen Street in Cambridge. That’s how we got our name.) We perform in Boston, New York and Washington, DC. 
Upstage Lung Cancer weaves together my life interests, expertise and experiences. 
On a more personal note, I am married with 4 children and 8 grandchildren.
I love international travel. This has been a very rich experience for me and the members of my Board of Directors to work with 2 outstanding Fellows, Marcelle Domingues and Joana Jeker dos Anjos, and to be involved in this international, reciprocal  project with Brazil. 

JULIE KUMBLE 

Julie is the Director of Grants and Programs at the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, a philanthropic foundation that advances social change to create economic and social equality for women and girls.  At the foundation, she is responsible for grant making and strategic initiatives, including the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI), a training program that prepares women to advance their public and political skills, and ultimately run for elected office.
Julie’s background is in community organizing and coalition building, particularly around issues affecting youth and women. Prior to her position at the Women’s Fund, she was a coalition coordinator, development director, and private consultant, raising over $3 million for area nonprofit organizations. She is a strong believer in initiatives that involve residents in community solutions. Julie holds a BA in philosophy and Spanish and a MEd in organizational development.  She is fluent in Spanish and has traveled widely throughout Central and South America.

POLLY MACPHERSON    

Polly Macpherson manages REACH for Community Health, the health education and health promotion department of North Adams Regional Hospital, a division of Northern Berkshire Healthcare, Inc. She holds a Master's Degree and has 40+ years of experience in health and human service organizations in diverse settings such as early childhood and elementary education, child protective services, hospice, primary care medical education and arts education collaborations with public schools.
She has served in a variety of roles including program development, management and evaluation, board development, and volunteer recruitment and training.  She was VP for Institutional Advancement at the University of Connecticut  Medical School where she lead a team responsible for fundraising, public relations, communications, marketing and community relations.  She taught a semester course, "Fundraising for the Arts" at the University of Hartford, Hart School of Music, for several years.
Most recently, (2005) she created the REACH for Breast Health Program at North Adams Regional  Hospital (Massachusetts) with ongoing grant support from the  Susan G. Komen Foundation. This individualized patient navigation and support program serves women facing breast cancer from diagnosis through treatment and beyond to recovery. The program is also a leader in area efforts related to personal breast health education and advocacy for early detection cancer screenings.
Polly is an active volunteer at her church and a Senior Docent at the local fine arts museum, giving interpretative gallery talks to visitors. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have two married children and two grandchildren. She and her husband enjoy their "retirement" home in a small college town in western Massachusetts with their dogs and cat and where together they enjoy hiking in the nearby woods, reading,  music, theater, wine tastings and auditing classes with other alums.  

LISA MONTUORI TRIMBLE     

I have served since 2004 as Director of Health Promotion and Community Outreach at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a public hospital system serving six low income, ethnically and linguistically diverse cities north and west of Boston, Massachusetts (MA).  In this role, I work with my team to develop programs and strategies to improve access to care, prevent disease and promote health, and empower patients and community members to better manage their chronic conditions. Our past and current efforts have included our Breast Health Initiative to improve system-wide mammography screening rates and diagnostic care, a Tobacco Treatment program to engage patients with complex medical and mental health conditions in smoking cessation, patient navigation programs to compassionately guide patients through cancer screening and diagnostic care, and the Volunteer Health Advisor Program which engages a diverse volunteer network in delivering health education and screening services to our immigrant communities. I have also been very active in promoting the role of community health workers (CHWs) at CHA and in MA, and worked with the MA Community Health Worker Policy Committee towards successful passage of a CHW certification bill in the Massachusetts legislature.
Prior to my work at CHA, I held positions in epidemiology research, nursing education and management, and clinical nursing in community health, mental health, and oncology and palliative care.  I am active in promoting sustainable farming and gardening practices, environmental stewardship, and animal welfare, as well as ministry work in my church, including building interfaith relationships, and addressing the spiritual dimensions of health and illness. 

WENDY MOTA KASONGO

Wendy Mota Kasongo has held various positions in both the state government and non-profit sector. Wendy is currently the Coordinator for Cultural Diversity and Accessibility for the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV). Prior to her role as program coordinator for CCADV, Wendy has experience as social worker for the State of Massachusetts, as a domestic violence advocate, as well as a volunteer English as a Second Language (ESL) adult instructor. As part of her role at CCADV, Wendy coordinates programs and projects that relate to cultural specific services for victims of domestic violence who are non-English speaking immigrants and Limited English Proficient (LEP) persons. As a program coordinator, Wendy also addresses language and communication barriers within CCADV’s member programs and helps increase community capacity to provide culturally and linguistically specific resources to victims of domestic violence.
Wendy enjoys, yoga, spending time with her husband & family and volunteer teaching as an ESL instructor.

BETSY NEISNER

Betsy is the executive director of Cancer Connection, a nonprofit cancer support center that provides a haven for some 1,100 active participants living with cancer and their loved ones where they can learn how to navigate the complicated cancer journey through education, peer support, complementary therapies and creative programs to strengthen body and spirit.
Betsy has lived with ovarian cancer for the past ten years, and all of her female relatives on her mother’s side have had breast cancer. She has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to community service, having served on the Board of Directors of the Ovarian Cancer Survivors Coalition for the past ten years; founded a suicide prevention center in Rhode Island; worked in mental health administration and human rights; spent 25 years as a lawyer and mediator; volunteered in a hospice for people with terminal illness; advocated on behalf of cancer patients before the Massachusetts Legislature on the drug shortage crisis; and developed a state-funded program to expedite permanency for children in foster care.  She has also served as a consumer reviewer on ovarian cancer research panels for the Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Research Program. In 2011, she was named selected by Massachusetts General Hospital as one of 100 individuals and groups “whose diligence and discoveries, philanthropy and passion have helped advance the fight against cancer.”

SHONDA PETTIFORD            

In her professional role, Shonda serves as the chief communications officer for Commonwealth Honors College, a program for academically talented students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  She builds the brand of the honors college through strategic communications, marketing, social media, website development, and event publicity.  In 2002, she began her volunteer involvement with the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts, a foundation that promotes economic and social equality for women and girls.  Since then, she has sat on nearly every board committee, including grantmaking, governance, development, and the executive committee, and recently completed a three-year term as president of the board of directors.
A product of a women’s college and parent to two daughters, Shonda has a deeply held belief in the value of women’s education and equal opportunities for success.  She aims to advance social justice for women in all areas.  Shonda holds a B.A. from Smith College and an M.S. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

NOEL RALEY

I am currently the President of the Board of Friends of Children, Inc., which is a small independent child advocacy non-profit in the Pioneer Valley.  The bulk of our work focuses on vulnerable children who are experiencing foster care.  Our current programs: provide “best interests of the child” advocacy to the Court during abuse and neglect proceedings; bring the voices of adolescents in the system to the public through photography, writing, and audio interviews; and coordinate a program to distribute backpacks and other essentials to foster kids in the area.  As we move forward, we are developing a program that will wrap community resources around older youth as they prepare to transition out of state care and into independent living.  In addition to this work, I am a group co-facilitator for MotherWoman, an organization that provides support groups for post-partum women; training for professionals and facilitators on issues of post-partum emotional complications; and advocacy on family policy issues statewide.
I have worked in the fields of reproductive rights and health, family law, children’s rights, and international human rights.  I look forward to this opportunity to understand women’s health issues in Brazil, and to think more deeply about the connections between women’s health, family health and stability, and community participation and responsibility in caring for families.

SATU ZOLLER            

As Associate Director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration at UMASS Amherst I manage many aspects of CPPA's academic programs including development of new programs, student affairs, recruitment and placement.  Most recently I have been working on developing international relationships with universities and NGOs.  I received a Master of Public Affairs with a concentration in economic development from the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute at University of Minnesota.   Before that I worked in both the government and nonprofit sectors, including the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Minnesota Planning (a state agency).
 I am proud to have served on the Board of Directors of Tapestry Health for thirteen years and have long been interested in issues affecting women internationally.  I conducted research in graduate school on the role of women in development in rural communities in Peru and for the past fifteen years I have been working with a community based organization in Peru (CECADE) whose mission recognizes the leadership role of women in their communities and the importance of reproductive health in improving their chances for a better education and a better life.  

JULY, 2012 GROUP

JUDITH MEALEY, Mercy Medical Center

I am currently the clinical manager of the Health Care for the Homeless Program at Mercy Medical Center. I have been with this program for 24 years initially as a registered nurse providing health care services to homeless families living in motels. Today I am the clinical manager and oversee a staff of nurses, case managers, and a variety of volunteer and part time physicians, and medical and nursing students. I also provide direct medical care to a variety of homeless patients at several sites.
One of the issues that drew me to this work is the complexity of homeless women’s problems and the ongoing struggle of homeless women to become whole. My early work with homeless families opened my eyes to the struggle of poor single women. The vast majority of homeless women are victims of childhood trauma that often translates into dysfunctional self-destructive behavior patterns that ultimately cause further trauma in adulthood. We strive to develop trusting relationships with women and offer targeted services designed to improve self-esteem and self-care.

LESLIE LAURIE, Tapestry Health

Leslie Tarr Laurie is the Founder and President CEO of Tapestry Health, a community health organization providing care to 10% of local residents. She directs the 120 staff who provide reproductive and sexuality-related health care, and HIV prevention and care services. Tapestry Health is the largest women-run health organization in the region.
In addition to her work leading Tapestry Health, Leslie Laurie has served as President of the Washington DC -based National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, the largest organization of reproductive health services in the US. Ms. Laurie has served on many Boards and Commissions and has testified before the Massachusetts and US Congresses. She has worked internationally in community health in Ghana.

AMY BRITT, Tapestry Health

Amy Britt is an Outreach and Community Services Supervisor at Tapestry Health where she plans HIV and sexually transmitted infection testing events across western Massachusetts, with a focus on engaging youth on college campuses. In addition to outreach, Amy is responsible for the advertising and marketing for the agency. Amy Britt graduated from university with a degree in Biology and Women's Studies from Smith College in 2006. She started with Tapestry as an intern, and has been with Tapestry as a staff member for five years.
Founded as the Family Planning Council of Western Massachusetts in 1973, Tapestry Health remains the only non-profit organization in the region to offer family planning and reproductive health care to often marginalized individuals, such as young people, women living in poverty, recent immigrants, uninsured and under-insured persons, injection drug users, the homeless, and men and women with HIV/AIDS, regardless of their ability to pay.

SHELLEY PARKER, Cancer Connection

Shelley Parker has held various government and corporate attorney positions throughout her professional career, including as a project manager and department head at Merrill Lynch Insurance Group. For the past seven years, she has served on the board of Cancer Connection, a non-profit organization in Northampton, MA, which provides support for cancer survivors and their caregivers. She served as President for three years and helped to: a) develop a strategic plan, b) hire an Executive Director, and c) manage a campaign to raise funds for a new building for the Cancer Connection.
Shelley knows first-hand the important role that cancer support organizations play in the community. In 2000, she was diagnosed with and treated for breast cancer. She found information, support and comfort in program offerings of both Cancer House of Hope in Westfield, MA, and Cancer Connection. More important, programs offered to families and caregivers offered her husband and mother some ways to deal with the fear and helplessness they felt during Shelley’s treatment.

CYNTHIA STANISZEWSKI, Women's Fund

I am finishing my university degree at Mount Holyoke College, where I study politics and complex organizations. My background includes work in business and NGOs, and I have been actively involved in many organizations dealing with the advancement of women – in education, in equal wages, in access to healthcare, and in leadership and public service. I was involved in the U.S. Department of State (Hillary Clinton’s) first “Women in Public Service” meeting.
Professionally, I see myself continuing to work in service of others because I have witnessed the positive impact a mission driven organization creates in the lives of those it serves. As I move forward, I hope to share my experience and invite others to envision themselves in a place where possibility creates a new reality for them as well. Everyday there is an opportunity to change who you are, if you miss it, you may lose a chance to become the best version of yourself.