Who we are
ABCD is part of the Community Action Network, created with the passage of the Economic Opportunity Act, which was signed into law in 1964. The Act was a sweeping plan to improve the lives of all Americans, regardless of their circumstances. As a community action agency, ABCD has a tripartite board structure consisting of members from the local private sector, public sector, and low-income community who are democratically selected by a local ABCD Advisory Board of their peers. Leaders from each of these groups collaborate on developing responses to local needs for our most underserved and at-risk neighbors.
Board Officers
Candice Caines-Francis, CPA
ABCD Board Chair, Representing State Representative Aaron Michlewitz
Sean K. Daughtry
Vice Chair, Representing State Representative Christopher Worrell
Marie Greig
Vice Chair
James A. Owens, Jr.
Vice Chair, Roxbury/North Dorchester
Yvonne Jones
Vice Chair, Dorchester
Patricia Washington
ABCD Board Treasurer, Representing Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Julia Hardy Cofield, Esq.
Clerk, Representing Senator Michael Rush
Sharon Scott-Chandler, Esq.
President and CEO
Joyce Dennis
Representing Senator Nick Collins
Jose Umana
Parker Hill/Fenway
Neighborhood Sector
Marie Greig
Vice Chair
James A. Owens, Jr.
Vice Chair, Roxbury/North Dorchester
Yvonne Jones
Vice Chair, Dorchester
Calvin Conyers
Urban College of Boston
Rita Covan-Reid
East Boston
Awaiting Designee
East Boston
Matilda Drayton
Parker Hill/Fenway
Kathleen R. Flynn
South Boston
Connie Forbes
Roxbury/North Dorchester
Teri Groome
North End/West End
Dareline Jackson
South End
Mary Keith
Roxbury/North Dorchester
Lincoln Larmond
Mattapan
Mary Manuel
South End
Patricia McShane
Allston-Brighton
Marlena Nania
South Boston
Sarita Owens
Dorchester
Erga Pierrette
Mystic Valley
Michelle Sanchez, EdD
Dorchester
John Tobin, Esq.
Charlestown
Jose Umana
Parker Hill/Fenway
Judith Ward
Jamaica Plain
Thomas Webb
Jamaica Plain
Klarisha Williams
Head Start
Private Sector
Patricia Washington
ABCD Board Treasurer, Representing Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
Pastor Willie Bodrick, II
Representing BMA TenPoint
Jamie Brenner Gutner
Representing La Alianza Hispana
Samuel DePina, EdD
Representing Boston Public Schools
Eileen Dern, RN
Representing MelroseWakefield Healthcare
Cokiena Fuller
Representing Boston NAACP
Kyle Pardo
Representing Associated Industries of MA
Rhonda Pieroni
Representing Hearth, Inc.
Ziquelle Smalls
Representing Greater Boston Labor Council – AFL-CIO
Michael Sweeney
Representing Operation ABLE
Public Sector
Candice Caines-Francis, CPA
ABCD Board Chair, Representing State Representative Aaron Michlewitz
Sean K. Daughtry
Vice Chair, Representing State Representative Christopher Worrell
Julia Hardy Cofield, Esq.
Clerk, Representing Senator Michael Rush
Dianna Bronchuk
Representing Councilor Enrique Pepén
Alejandro Camarena
Representing Rep. Kevin G. Honan
Mary Chin
Representing Boston City Councilor-at-Large Erin J. Murphy
Joyce Dennis
Representing Senator Nick Collins
Marcela Lopez-Romero
Representing State Rep. Adrian Madaro
Rodline Louijeune, Esq.
Representing Boston City Councilor-at-Large Ruthzee Louijeune
John P. McGahan
Representing Boston City Councilor John Fitzgerald
Linda Monteiro
Representing State Rep. Liz Miranda
Griselda Polanco
Representing Boston City Councilor at-Large Julia Mejia
Carmen Rondash
Representing Senator Lydia Edwards
Mercy Robinson
Representing Boston City Councilor-at-Large Henry Santana
Lynnette Sumpter
Representing State Rep. Chynah Tyler
Angela Williams-Mitchell
Representing Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson
Sharon Scott-Chandler, Esq.
President and CEO
Anne M. Corbin-Fennell
Chief Operating Officer
Flossy Calderón
Vice President of Head Start & Children’s Services
Ronald G. Marlow
Vice President of Workforce Development and Alternative Education
Christina Sieber
Vice President for Planning and Institutional Advancement
Jennifer Williams
General Counsel
Josh Young, II
Vice President of Field Operations and Legislative Affairs
2000 – Don Law
President, Live Nation New England
2000 – John L. Harrington
Chairman, Yawkey Foundation
2000 – Edward M. Kennedy
U.S. Senator
2009 – Robert M. Coard
ABCD President/CEO (1968 – 2009)
2011 – Bob Ryan
Boston Globe Sports Columnist
2011 – Melnea Cass
Civil Rights Leader
2011 – Melvin Herbert (Mel) King
Community leader & change agent
2012 – Sargent Shriver
Founder, Peace Corps & Head Start Social justice innovator
2014 – Hubie Jones
Social justice advocate, entrepreneur
2014 – Sarah-Ann Shaw
Community Activist & Journalist, WBZ-TV
2015 – Lewis C. Eisenberg
Partner, Cosgrove, Eisenberg and Kiley
2015 – Dr. Jean McGuire
Executive Director, METCO
2015 – John Sasso
President, Advanced Strategies
2016 – Gloria L. Fox
State Representative
2016 – James T. Brett
President and CEO, The New England Council
2017 – Byron Rushing
State Representative
2017 – Edward J. Markey
U.S. Senator
2018 – Glenn “Doc” Rivers
Championship NBA Coach
2022 – John J. Drew
ABCD President/CEO (2009 - 2022)