Friends – Boston Leadership Team
Imari K. Paris Jeffries – Executive Director
Imari Paris Jeffries has a long professional history of national service and nonprofit leadership as well as a strong commitment to children and families. Prior to joining Friends of the Children – Boston, Imari served as the Director of Programs and Partnerships for the Massachusetts Service Alliance managing investment and distribution of over $8 million annually. His service experience began in the US Armed Services during the First Gulf War and continued upon his return as a Teacher and AmeriCorps Program Director at Jumpstart and the BELL Foundation. He served as Chair of the African American Federation of Greater Boston and as a member of the Development Leadership Network and the Boston Pan African Forum. Imari holds a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies and History and a Master of Arts in Education and American Studies from the University of Massachusetts. Imari was selected as a LEAD Boston Fellow in 2003 and he currently serves as a board member for Elizabeth Peabody House, Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and Mass Mentoring Partnership.
Rebekka S. Olsen –Deputy Director
Rebekka is dedicated to supporting young people to reach their full potential and overcome any obstacles that stand in their way. Prior to joining Friends of the Children-Boston, Rebekka was Director of Public and Private Partnerships at Thompson Island Outward Bound, serving Boston Public Schools and students. She has worked as an outdoor trip leader, preschool teacher and English teacher and spent several years living and working in Brazil, where she first traveled as Rotary Fellow in 1996. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and of Boston Women in Nonprofits. She holds a Masters degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Sociology from Earlham College.
Joe M. Braitsch II –Development and Operations Director
Beginning with two years of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA*Member, Joe has dedicated his career to supporting vulnerable populations and meeting community needs through service. Prior to joining Friends-Boston, Joe designed and implemented Boston’s Urban Youth Leadership Corps AmeriCorps Program to reduce violent crime by teaching young people peaceful approaches to conflict resolution, engaging neighborhoods in community service projects and developing a next generation of professional youth workers. He also worked as an AmeriCorps Program Officer with the Massachusetts Service Alliance, supporting 22 grantees with grant management and implementing programmatic and fiscal best practices. Joe holds a Masters of Regional Planning from Cornell University, Bachelors of Arts Economics and in Anthropology from Ithaca College. He serves on Mayor Menino’s ONEin3 Advisory Council.
Julie Sayles –Director of Programs
Julie is committed to promoting strength and resiliency in children to advance their academic success and healthy development. Prior to joining Friends of the Children-Boston, Julie served as Program Director for Student Support with Boston Connects, a program designed to nurture the strengths of elementary school children and alleviate non-academic barriers to learning. Working closely with schools and community agencies, she focused on developing and strengthening partnerships to bring increased access of Boston’s rich resources to students and families of the Boston Public Schools. She has also worked as Student Support Coordinator in a Catholic K-8 school, an After-School and Summer Program Director, and a social worker in the NYC foster care system. Julie holds a Masters Degree in Social Work and Education from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
|
