LEADS Massachusetts

Please consider buying a raffle ticket to support the Merrimack Valley YMCA Annual Adelante Scholarship program! Raffle tickets are $100 each and only 300 will be sold. The prize is $5000! Details and tickets: https://lnkd.in/eW4gC6rX The Adelante Program at the Lawrence YMCA helps high-achieving 8th grade students improve their educational opportunities by guiding them through the process of applying to top private and public high schools. Proceeds from the raffle benefit the Adelante Scholarship Fund to provide educational support and scholarship assistance to students attending tuition-based high schools. With your support, we can continue to create these opportunities for Lawrence youth to learn, grow and thrive at the YMCA. Winner will be announced at the Adelante Scholarship celebration on April 10, and you do not need to be present to win.

If you haven’t heard of LEADS Massachusetts , look them up! An amazing organization led by Pam Cohen Hallagan, who invited me to help this year’s project teams launch today. I’m always excited to help people make that often neglected investment of time to get to know each other and decide *how* they’ll work together to be effective and to enjoy the collaboration. This years’s cohort is such an impressive group! They’ll be working on making South Shore a better place and I know they’ll come up with some impactful plans. I had a blast with them in Boston!

Community Health Needs Survey / Encuesta Sobre las Necesidades de Salud de la Comunidad: https://lnkd.in/ezJRfHRP

?? These are our 2025 events ?? Each one is an opportunity to strengthen our community, drive sustainability, and continue transforming our environment. We invite partners, organizations, sponsors and engaged citizens to join us and be part of the change. ?? Save and share to stay updated. We look forward to seeing you! https://lnkd.in/eX_Eg4a8 #GroundworkLawrence #LawrenceMA #FamilyEvents #Nonprofit #CommunityImpact

Last night, I had the opportunity to speak at LEADS Massachusetts Outloud. Rather than share my previous talk, which focused on the imposter syndrome I’ve had to navigate in my personal life and career, I wrote a new one that focused on what it means to be a woman in the world and disrupting a society that pushes me to fight against women seeking acceptance. I don’t know if I’ll ever share the speech publicly, but I am glad I had the opportunity to share even with this cohort about my experience. Thank you to everyone that showed up last night and was supportive. Thank you to all the women I’ve had the pleasure of playing alongside and against for making my time in sports a beautiful experience from the outside noise. PC: John Andrews

Shared my story of resilience yesterday alongside my incredible LEADs family! Sharing moments of my journey was daunting, but the real challenge was speaking out loud about my experiences in front of about 45 people. I have done plenty of presentations and panels on topics like insurance, my business journey, and my children, but I've never delved into what made me resilient. Yesterday, I was a bit shaken and embarrassed by how emotional I got—I'm used to keeping it professional rather than personal. I'm not sure if I'll do it again, but I'm so grateful I faced my fear and made it through. Even if most people didn't quite catch everything through the cracks in my voice, I'm proud of this moment. A huge thank you to my LEADs family, who shared their experiences and inspired me with their stories. A special shoutout to John Andrews, who not only brought me into this incredible family but also encouraged me to share my story. Although I love him and hate him for making me speak in front of everyone, I'm so grateful he gave me this opportunity and supported me the whole way. LEADS Massachusetts Derek Mitchell Felicia Pierce Regina Zaragoza Frey Mike Mitchell Erin Truex

An extraordinary evening with friends and colleagues at LEADS Massachusetts’ LEADS Out Loud event, coordinated by the one and only John Andrews. Thank you for the opportunity to share, to listen, and to continue the wonderful fellowship within this network. It’s a privilege to know you all.

Last night, I had the privilege of producing LEADS Out Loud at the historic Off Cabot space in Beverly. Seeing six courageous LEADS network members share their powerful 10-minute stories was both humbling and inspiring. LEADS Massachusetts Thanks to Doneeca Thurston for helping introduce everyone and to Derek Mitchell and Pam Cohen Hallagan and the whole LEADS team for trusting us with this event. The theme of resilience echoed throughout the evening as speakers vulnerably shared their journeys: Zoila Gomez, a first-generation immigration lawyer, reminded us that "everything is possible" as she recounted her journey from a humble village in the Dominican Republic to establishing her own law practice. Zoila Gomez Felicia Pierce, CEO of North Shore CDC, used the metaphor of bricks to illustrate how communities help us rebuild during our darkest moments: "When I felt like I stopped building, those around me started picking up the bricks of life for me." Felicia Pierce Mike Mitchell shared his experience of repeated loss, demonstrating that "resilience isn't about dodging hardships. It's about embracing the pain, learning from it, and using it as a foundation to build a stronger, more compassionate future." Mike Mitchell Mabelyn Lopez, insurance agency founder, transformed her challenges into wisdom: "I call losses, rejections, and painful people my master's degree. The people who made me feel the worst shaped me into who I am today." Regina Zaragoza Frey, Salem's Director of DEI, offered perspective on overcoming family financial collapse: "Our setbacks don't define us, they refine us. Every hardship carries the seed of growth." Mabelyn Lopez Erin Truex powerfully advocated for body acceptance and inclusion: "I'm a woman with real-world experience that spent years hating my body, and I refuse to be pitted against others to deny theirs." Erin Truex Between stories, attendees connected over local food and drinks, creating a space where vulnerability fostered genuine connection. Producing this event reinforced what makes the LEADS network special – the willingness to share our authentic selves and learn from each other's journeys. Thank you to our brave storytellers and everyone who attended. These are the moments that strengthen our community and remind us of the power of collaborative leadership. #LEADSOutLoud #Resilience #CommunityLeadership #Storytelling #NorthShoreMA

Nearly two weeks ago, we, the founding members and Board of Directors launched a new non-profit - Merrimack Valley Alliance for Racial Equity (MV-ARE). It has been a labor of ??. Thank you all who attended and are invested for all of us to thrive in the Merrimack Valley. We look forward to seeing many of you at our next event in the Spring! Special thanks to LEADS Massachusetts, Northern Essex Community College, and Essex County Community Foundation, and for your guidance, support and donations. We learned from Partners In Democracy how we can work together to maximize participation where everyone is included in our democratic process. For more information about MV-ARE: https://lnkd.in/e3K4H2Mr

?????? Big news for racial equity in the Merrimack Valley! Last night, at Northern Essex Community College, this core group officially launched the Merrimack Valley Racial Equity Alliance—a nonprofit born from the vision, collaboration, and dedication of a LEADS Massachusetts 2.0 project group. What started as an idea has grown into a movement, and now a formal organization committed to systemic change. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this network of leaders who are turning vision into action. The work ahead is big, and we need YOU! If you’re passionate about racial equity and want to be part of lasting change in our communities, consider joining us as a member or supporter. Let’s build a more just and inclusive Merrimack Valley—together. #RacialEquity #SystemicChange #MerrimackValley #LEADSNetwork #CommunityLeadership #EquityInAction