MSA's Board of Directors

Our board of directors is MSA's governing body, responsible for adopting sound and ethical guidance and financial management policies.

Louise Keogh Weed
Chair
Louise has her BA in Women's Studies from Tufts University and her Masters in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Harvard School of Public Health. She has worked in health care delivery systems, focusing on Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in local Boston-area health care systems. Most recently, she worked at Codman Square Health Center as the Director of Medical Management and Improvement. Louise is currently an instructor at Harvard School of Public Health.
Janelle Fouche
Vice Chair
Janelle is a fifth-year PhD student in Education Policy & Program Evaluation at Harvard University. She is a Malcolm Wiener Ph.D. Scholar in Poverty and Justice in Harvard’s Inequality & Social Policy Program and a Partnering in Education Research (PIER) Fellow at the Center for Education Policy Research. Her research interests lie at the intersection of the carceral system and education policy, as she believes the two are inextricably linked to issues of race, inequality, and opportunity. Janelle has served as a volunteer tutor in prisons and juvenile detention centers, as well as a STEM and ACT/SAT tutor with the Leaders through Education, Action and Hope (LEAH) Project. She holds a B.S. in Economics and a B.S in Management Science (with a concentration in Finance) from MIT. In her spare time, she likes to play with her German Shepherd, 2 Chains. Janelle also enjoys virtual workouts and game nights with her gal pals.
Charla Hixson, LICSW
Secretary
Following a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of New Hampshire, Charla completed an AmeriCorps service year in Aspen, Colorado, inspiring a commitment to service learning. She went on to lead an AmeriCorps team the following year, eventually returning to the Social Work profession to complete a Master’s degree from the University of Tennessee. Charla directed an AmeriCorps program in Worcester, MA through the Worcester Community Action Council (WCAC). She has worked for WCAC for the past 19 years, serving in management and senior roles within community action and antipoverty work. Charla is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and believes in bringing clinical skills to non-clinical settings and macro practice. She lives in Lancaster, MA with her husband and two children.
Joe Oliveira
Treasurer
Joe has his BA in Accounting and a Masters in Accounting/Finance from the University of Connecticut. Joe is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts and Connecticut since 2004. He has worked in public accounting since 2000 and has focused on tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and families, trusts, and small businesses. Joe is currently a Senior Tax manager at MP CPAs in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Anne Ostberg
Anne has worked for AmeriCorps for 16 years in various positions and offices, including Concord, New Hampshire; Hartford, Connecticut; and Washington, DC. She currently serves as a Senior Portfolio Manager in AmeriCorps’ Northeast Regional Office, where she and her team of Portfolio Managers oversee AmeriCorps grants in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Anne’s work experience also includes nine years with the Pegasus Foundation, a private-independent foundation committed to environmental protection and public education preceded by various state and local government jobs in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Anne currently lives in Concord, New Hampshire with her husband, AmeriCorps VISTA Alumnus Peter Bender.
Ayanna Crawford
Ayanna is the owner/ President of AC Consulting and Media Services specializing in communications and marketing skills, public relations, and social media management for nonprofits in Western MA. She is also the Chief of Staff for State Rep. Orlando Ramos. Ayanna is a proud Springfield College AmeriCorps Alum. She created “It’s your turn take the mic,” an enrichment program for 5–18-year-old girls in Greater Springfield. She is the founder of Women in the Business club of Western Mass and currently on the board of Parent Villages, American Red Cross, Behavioral Health Network, Woman in Network. Ayanna is currently writing a book on public speaking tips for young girls. She has a B.A. in psychology from Westfield State University and an M.Ed. from Springfield College. She is the proud mother of two children.
Candace Burns
Candace is the Director for Workforce Development at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute where she oversees an initiative designed to assist the current and future workforce achieve academic and career success by increasing access and reducing barriers to college, career readiness, and skill development opportunities. Candace has been a leader in developing long-term partnerships with local, state, and national organizations committed to delivering career development services to underrepresented youth and adults interested in science and health care careers. She has held similar roles at Mass General Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Raised in Dorchester, Candace holds a B.S. in Marketing and Communications from Babson College and a M.S. in Management from Lesley University. She serves on several boards and committees including Youth Enrichment Services, Fenway High School and the Boston Healthcare Careers Consortium.
Cecilio Orta
Cecilio Orta is an AmeriCorps alumnus and military veteran who currently works as a Field Operations Supervisor with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. He has worked in the field of public health for over 15 years and has a passion for improving equitable access to health services. His military experience includes service in the United States Army and the Air National Guard. He’s also served with Citizen Action AmeriCorps at Hands On Network, nka Points of Light, where he supported national school revitalization projects and with AmeriCorps VISTA at Western New York AmeriCorps, nka The Service Collaborative of WNY, where he focused on volunteer recruitment and training. Cecilio holds a MPH from American Military University and is also a certified Community Health Worker. He also serves as a Corporator for Music Worcester where he sits on the programming committee to help shape the organization’s yearly performance schedule.
Grace Lichaa
Grace values service because it is an opportunity for service members to gain new experiences and learn more about organizations and services they may not have through other means. She was in health and wellness education at Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston until January 2022. In her spare time she likes cooking, spending time with her kids, and playing board games.
James Lin
James Lin is an Associate Partner at New Profit, Inc - a national venture philanthropy organization created by and for social entrepreneurs. At New Profit, James sits on the Portfolio Performance and Support team where he works to advance New Profit’s deal practice and learning and improvement work. James formerly served as an Executive Director at Peer Health Exchange, a national nonprofit focused on health equity for systemically underserved young people of color across the country. James began his career as an AmeriCorps member where his passion for service and social impact work began.
Kristen McKinnon
Kristen serves as the Assistant Director of the Office of Student and Family Support at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and mental health counseling from Suffolk University, and a Bachelors degree in psychology from Providence College. Kristen has spent the last 20+ years developing and implementing youth programs that support academic achievement, promote healthy behaviors, and improve social behavior and civic engagement.
Lindsay Bennett-Jacobs
Lindsay Bennett-Jacobs has been the director of RSVP of the Pioneer Valley, an AmeriCorps Seniors program sponsored by Community Action Pioneer Valley, since 2011. RSVP of the Pioneer Valley’s 400+ volunteers focus on food security, helping seniors to age in place, and capacity building for nonprofits. An AmeriCorps and VISTA alum, Lindsay has been part of the National Service community for more than 15 years. She has a B.A. from Smith College and an M.Div from Vanderbilt University. She lives in Holyoke, MA with her family.
Midori Morikawa
Midori Morikawa currently serves as the Head of Corporate Citizenship at State Street, where she oversees $25 million in grant-making strategy, execution, and operations, as well as initiatives to ensure State Street employees are engaged through volunteering in communities around the world where State Street has presence. Previously, she was the Deputy Chief of Economic Development at the City of Boston, where she oversaw programs and policies to spur inclusive economic growth especially post pandemic. Midori also developed the City’s Tuition Free Community College initiative in which Boston residents can attend colleges free of charge – the program has served over 800 students since its inception. Before joining the city government, Midori worked at ABCD., Inc., and YWCA Boston. A native of Japan, she grew up in Malaysia and Indonesia before coming to the U.S. to attend Clark University and Brandeis University for her undergraduate and graduate studies.
Osin Ghimire
Youth Seat
Coming from a Nepalese immigrant family background, Osin is a passionate advocate for service and equity especially in regard to education and opportunities. As she wraps up her AmeriCorps service year as a College Advising Corps member at the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science, she has guided 320+ underrepresented students through the college & financial aid application processes, fostering a college-going culture. Osin is currently pursuing a Master's in Clinical Social Work and is a part of the Tri-Alpha Association at Boston University. She continues to make a positive impact on marginalized communities in hopes of empowering the next generation. Osin is excited to continue this work as a new member of the MSA board in the Youth Seat position.
Ralph Hogan
Ralph Hogan is the Assistant Director of Grants at Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) where he is responsible for the grant and strategic concept development. He has dedicated his career to improving education opportunity and access, a passion stemming from his time serving with AmeriCorps and Teach For America. Prior to his grants work at MWCC, Ralph served as the project director for two college access programs supporting hundreds of students prepare for post-secondary education. Ralph attended Fitchburg State University as a first-generation college student, earning a B.A. in history and later a M.S. in applied communication. In 2023, Ralph earned a doctorate of education from Northeastern University.
Simone Lawrence
Simone is the Senior Assistant Director at College Advising Corps at Boston University. Prior to this role, she was a Partnerships Manager at uAspire Boston, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting students find an affordable path to and through college. In this role, she worked with uAspire's external affairs team to create and improve systems that will effectively support partner schools, communities and cities. Simone served as an AmeriCorps member with the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship at uAspire Springfield and later worked as a Senior College Affordability Advisor at the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Simone is an alumna of Smith College, where she obtained her B.A. in American Studies and Spanish.
Susie Flug-Silva
Susie Flug-Silva is Director of the Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program at Brandeis, which welcomes selected AmeriCorps Alumni from across the country and Brandeis students as lifelong Segal Fellows each year. She came to Brandeis from the Massachusetts Service Alliance, where she managed the Commonwealth Corps for five years. Susie brings over 20 years of experience in the civic engagement, service learning, community partnerships, and education policy worlds. Prior to MSA, Susie served as the Youth Services Planner for Cambridge’s Department of Human Service Programs and a Family Engagement Consultant for the National College Advising Corps at Brown. Susie managed community partnerships and service learning at Simmons College and Phillips Academy and fostered civic engagement at the national level at Idealist.org/COOL. She received an A.M. in Urban Education Policy from Brown, A.B. from Harvard, and a Nonprofit Management and Leadership Certificate from BU. She and her family live in the Greater Boston area.
Tyissha Jones-Horner
Tyissha Jones-Horner is a Boston native who has worked over 20 years in the nonprofit and government sectors. Currently, she serves as the Administrative Director of Volunteer programs for the City of Boston’s Age Strong Commission which engages people 55 and over in impact driven service; two of which are Americorps Senior programs. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family, traveling and exploring everything technology related.