Meet Our Team

Adalberto Jaimes is a Manager of Economic Opportunity at JVS with over 10 years of financial education and coaching experience. He has developed and delivered financial education programming for the FES Foundation in Bogotá, Colombia, ACCION USA and Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners (NTFP) in New York, the Harvard University Employees Credit Union and JVS in Boston.

Adalberto is passionate about creating economic mobility for individuals and families. He has inspired hundreds of individuals to develop effective budgeting techniques, reduce debt, and achieve long term financial goals.

Alejandra Ruiz joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Career Navigator with the Access to Recovery and Healthcare teams in September of 2020, after working at JVS for four years. Alejandra acts as a liaison for a variety of MassHire programs as well as with several community-based organization in the greater Boston area. She plans, organizes, and facilitates educational courses and workshops at the career center. She recently graduated from Emerson College and earned her Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Theatre and Performance. As an immigrant from Barranquilla, Colombia, Alejandra is passionate about aiding and uplifting people in marginalized communities and helping them reach their full potential.

Bellie Hacker is the Operations Manager at MassHire Downtown Boston. In this role, Bellie oversees the daily operations of the busy Downtown Boston Career Center and works to build strong relationships with staff and customers. In addition to her operational responsibilities, Bellie is also responsible for managing all external communications across our digital platforms, including social media sites, and the MHDB website. She skillfully manages the design and content of the website, and efficiently executes bulk email campaigns.

Her passion for art and graphic design has made her a dynamic digital marketer, who is able to effectively communicate visual ideas and concepts in a compelling and impactful way. Bellie’s commitment to promoting services and advancing job seekers’ careers is evident in her innovative marketing strategies, which leverage her expertise in graphic design and photography to create eye-catching marketing materials.

Prior to her current role, Bellie worked as a freelance graphic designer, corporate trainer, and is an experienced public speaker. Her diverse skill set and breadth of experience make her a valuable asset to our team at MassHire Downtown Boston.

Carlene Roberts joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Resource Center Program Associate in February of 2022. Carlene is responsible for overseeing the customer experience in the Career Resource Center computer lab. While in the computer lab, Carlene assists customers with job search related activities, such as help with resumes, job applications, unemployment documents, signing up for webinars, zoom meeting or interviews, and general questions regarding MassHire Downtown Boston programs.

Prior to joining MHDB, Carlene had a career in public health for almost two decades. Carlene is a good listener often compared to a butterfly, that is a social butterfly. She is committed to helping job seekers reach their potential career goals.

Carolyn  Shoemaker is a Career Navigator who assists jobseekers with their job search process.  Her focus is with our program in partnership with CJP for individuals experiencing financial distress.  Carolyn  has more than eight years’ experience in Career Centers in the Metro Boston area, as well as in outplacement services, as a Workshop Facilitator and Career Advisor. She is a Certified Professional Resume Writer. Prior to her work in career services, Carolyn has worked as a trainer, a group facilitator and as a business consultant to a wide array of businesses and nonprofit organizations. She has a Bachelor Degree from Allegheny College and a Master of Health Services Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Catherine Snedeker joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Career Navigator in June 2022. In this role she meets with clients for one-on-one coaching sessions, assessing their career needs, directing them to our services, workshops, and trainings. Catherine finds working with her new team to be very satisfying, she is passionate about working with job seekers helping them get back on track to achieve their career goals.

Catherine is the former director of the Allston-Brighton Resource Center, a community-based center for job seekers operated by the City of Boston. Catherine earned her BA from Harvard University Extension School and is currently completing her MA at Boston College Woods School in Leadership and Administration, as well as a professional certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Claire DiCosimo is the Business Services Associate for the employer engagement team. She started her role in February of 2022, where she helps employers from multiple industries find their ideal candidate. From individualized services to mass marketing, Claire delivers resources to businesses across the Greater Boston Area giving them unique opportunities to promote themselves to jobseekers.

Claire is a graduate of Boston University with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and prior to working at MassHire Downtown Boston she was a house manager. Transitioning to this role allowed her to take her talent for assisting others to a larger scale.

Dale Norman joined JVS in August of 2021 as a Career Navigator. She is working in a partnership initiative ‘Ready for Success’ with Jewish Family Service (JFS) of MetroWest, and supporting clients enrolled in the ‘Jewish Re-Employment Program (JREP).  A career switcher, Dale trained as a Fellow at Northeastern Employer Engagement and Career Design, and then worked with the university’s diverse student and alumni population. Dale has worked for 25+ years in Jewish education, administration, and journalism. She holds a Master’s degree in Judaic Studies from Hebrew College, a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Education from Framingham State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Boston University. Dale is passionate about working collaboratively with clients as they realize their highest career potential.

Doreen Treacy joined our career center as VP of Career Services in November 2014. She is responsible for setting our vision and leading our career center, ensuring high-quality customer services to job seekers and cutting-edge workforce development practices to Boston area employers. Thankfully she has a talented and dedicated team of professionals to deliver on this big endeavor. A recognized social innovator and thought leader, she brings over 20 years of professional experience and a passion for creating economic pathways for Massachusetts’ residents to her role at MassHire Downtown Boston. She is convinced that creating collaborative partnerships is the only way to turn safety nets into trampolines. She holds a BA from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and a Masters of Divinity from Boston University.

Fernando Alvarez joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Bilingual Career Navigator on the RESEA team in July 2022. As a Career Navigator, Fernando supports a diverse group of job seekers through educational workshops and individual coaching to help them achieve their career goals. Prior to his work at JVS MassHire Downtown Boston, Fernando worked as a Wage & Hour Investigator at the Mass Attorney General’s Fair Labor Division.

Recently Fernando has been promoted to the position of Senior Career Navigator on the RESEA team. In his new role, Fernando will work alongside Tiffany Lo to build a highly effective team that can help RESEA clients access all the services that our JVS and career center have to offer.

Fernando earned a Bachelor’s Degree in English Instruction from the Institute of Higher Education in Paraguay and his Master in Creative Writing from Salamanca University in Spain.

Gail Burton joined MassHire Downtown Boston in October 2022 as a Career Navigator working within the Access to Recovery program.  In this role, she facilitates and co-designs workshops which empower newly returning citizens and individuals recovering from substance use disorder to re-enter the workplace with skill and dignity. Prior to joining MassHire she taught developmental English and U.S. History through the lens of social justice in the Adult Diploma Pathway program. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Harvard University and graduated with her master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Drama, Politics and Civic Engagement.

She has studied and currently trains popular educators in the pedagogy of the oppressed of Paulo Freire and is the director of the Center for theater and pedagogy of the oppressed. She is a 2022 recipient of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) New Works New England Award and 2023 Rhode Island State Council of the Arts (RISCA) Make Art grant in support of her play Truth: A biofictional choreopoem based on the lives and experiences of 19th century black female resistors.

Josh Whiting is an ATR Career Navigator at MassHire Downtown Boston, with extensive experience in helping job seekers achieve their career goals. Prior to his current role, Josh served as a WIOA Career Navigator and Resource Center Program Associate, gaining valuable skills and expertise in workforce development.

In his current position, Josh utilizes his vast knowledge to assist Access to Recovery clients in classroom settings by leading career and personal development workshops. His focus is on empowering clients with the skills and tools necessary to re-enter the job market or pursue training programs that align with their career goals.

Josh holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Performance from Emerson College. Josh is passionate about helping job seekers and is committed to guiding them towards reaching their full career potential.

Kevin Parham joined Masshire Downtown Boston Career Center as Senior Director of Operations in November 2021. Having spent over eighteen years in workforce development, Kevin brings vast knowledge of the Massachusetts Career Center system to his new role. His responsibilities include management, compliance, and operating functions at the Career Center and to ensure that high quality workforce development and labor exchange services are provided to Boston employers and jobseekers.

Prior to entering workforce development, Kevin held positions in the private sector as Manager of Customer Services and Support at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and as General Manager of call center operations at Verizon Wireless.

Kevin possesses a broad range of personal interests, for he is a professional musician and author of four published books. Also, he is a recipient of the ‘IBM MEANS SERVICE’ award and the ‘YMCA Black Achievers award.

Lauren Bjella joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Career Navigator on the WIOA team in July 2022, after interning at MassHire for four years working in the Career Resource Center and assisting with digital marketing. In her new role as a Career Navigator, Lauren supports job seekers through coaching, teaching workshops, and finding appropriate training programs for clients. By updating or acquiring new skills, the job seekers she helps gain the ability to achieve a successful career in today’s workforce. In addition, she will continue working with the digital marketing team using her writing talents to passionately promote our services.

In May 2022, Lauren graduated from Emerson College, earning her Bachelor’s in Journalism with minors in Nonprofit Communication Management and Dance.

Louis Kaplan is a Financial Empowerment Coach and joined JVS in November 2016. Louis works with clients to improve the financial situations of his clients by increasing their awareness and access to options and resources and helping them design a roadmap to attain their goals. Previous to joining JVS Louis spent 4 years working with low-income seniors as a Nutrition Educator/Outreach Specialist with a Boston area social service organization. Louis made a career change into social services after spending 17 years in the advertising industry. Louis speaks English, Spanish, and French and has experience conducting business in Central and South America. He holds a B.A. from Brandeis University in Latin American Studies.

Maricela Menaker joined the MassHire Downton Boston team in December of 2019 as the Manager of Employer Engagement. However, Maricela joined the JVS team in 2017 as a volunteer, she then became a Post-Employment Career Coach in the Refugee department.   In her current role, Maricela helps develop and strengthen relationships with businesses and supports their workforce needs.  She also leads the planning and execution of job fairs and hiring events.

Meghana Nair joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Career Navigator with the ATR – Access to Recovery program in June of 2022. Meghana worked as an ATR intern for the paths to empowerment class since her junior year of college up until she was offered the job at MASSHIRE Downtown Boston. In this role she helps individuals, recovering from substance use disorder prepare to re-enter the workplace or transition to a new career through a series of career and personal development workshops and trainings, as well as one-on-one coaching. Meghana recently graduated from UMass Amherst with a dual degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Psychology. Meghana hopes to one day attend medical school and work in pediatrics. After her experience at MHDB, she is interested specifically in adolescent addiction medicine.

Melissa Vining joined MassHire Downtown Boston as a Career Navigator in February 2022. As a Career Navigator, Melissa supports a diverse group of job seekers through educational workshops and individual coaching.

In January 2023 Melissa was promoted to Senior Career Navigator. With her extensive background as a professional musician and music teacher, Melissa brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her new role as a webinar expert. Since assuming her new responsibilities, Melissa has made significant improvements to MHDB’s existing webinars and designed several new offerings, resulting in an impressive 20% increase in webinar attendance.

Prior to her work at JVS MassHire Downtown Boston, Melissa worked as an independent musician and music teacher for nearly a decade. Melissa earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa and her Master of Science in Arts Administration from Boston University.

Natasha N. Goss worked in various roles at JVS before transitioning to her role as a Career Navigator at MassHire Downtown Boston. Prior to joining JVS she had a career in education spanning a decade. She provides career guidance and assists with planning and co-facilitating educational courses.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from UMass Boston and and graduated with her master’s degree in May 2021.  Natasha is passionate about helping and serving those in need and enjoys bringing hope and inspiration to others through her spoken and written words, a collection of which is published.

Natasha was recently promoted to a Manager of the Access to Recovery (ATR) team.  In her new role, Natasha will guide her team in providing exceptional customer service to ATR students that attend our workshops and seminars.

Nicole Bassaleh is the WIOA Program Manager at MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center. Nicole works with clients that are job searching or seeking training opportunities. She provides guidance and job search strategies to help clients with their career goals as well as preparing them to present their best selves to organizations of interest. As WIOA Program Manager, Nicole supports clients through the process of identifying employment focused training programs, and through the grant application process. Nicole also facilitates webinars on the topics of job search strategies, personal branding and digital communications. She has worked previously in various marketing communications roles as well as within higher education in student services. She holds a Master’s in Global Marketing Communication from Emerson College. She also holds a Bachelor’s from Wheaton College in International Relations.

Shiu Yip Cheung is our WIOA Career Navigator, Shiu has more than 10 years’ experience working in employment training services. He thrives on helping eligible low-income Boston residents or dislocated workers access the training they need to get back to work on satisfying career paths. He has experience working with culturally, economically and racially diverse clients. Previously, Shiu Yip worked in High School Management and as Principal of a college in Hong Kong. Shiu Yip earned a BA in History & Political Science and a Certificate in Education in Teaching & School Management from the University of Hong Kong which is equivalent to a M. Ed. in the US. Shiu Yip was awarded JVS Super Star in 2013 in recognition of his performance. He speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Susan Buckey joined our Career Center as the Director of Healthcare Initiative in September 2014. She meets with healthcare employers to understand the nuances of their staffing needs, educates job seekers about opportunities in healthcare and helps them market themselves effectively so that they land jobs in that industry. Prior to joining us, Susan inspired and educated audiences of all ages. She helped Boston area residents find pathways into the life science industry via training and networking events, led national outreach campaigns for PBS television programs produced by WGBH/Boston and taught fourth grade. Her focus for much of that time was to spark people’s curiosity – particularly towards careers in science and engineering. In 2014, Susan was selected to participate in the Aspen Institute’s Sector Skills Academy, a professional development series for workforce professionals focusing on increasing opportunities in a particular sector or industry.

Tiffany Lo joined MassHire Downtown Boston Career Center as a Career Navigator in March 2020. She assists job seekers with the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Program (RESEA) to help them maintain their UI benefits, as well as educating them on how move forward advancing their career goals. She also facilitates webinars and performs various services at the Career Center. In April 2022 Tiffany was promoted to a Lead Career Navigator on the RESEA team.

In February 2023 Tiffany was promoted to a new role as a RESEA Manager, in this role Tiffany will build on her previous achievements and work to further enhance the services provided by her team to RESEA clients. With her leadership and guidance, the team will be able to provide a comprehensive suite of services that will help clients access all the resources offered by JVS and the Career Center.

In her previous career Tiffany worked in travel industry, and in an elderly service agency, her focus was customer service.  As a customer service agent and an immigrant to the United States, Tiffany understands the challenges of starting new life in a new place.  Her multi language abilities in Cantonese, Mandarin and English allows her to assist job seekers and UI claimants navigate the unemployment maze.  She graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in Management.

Wendy Gelberg is a Lead Career Navigator who provides one-on-one coaching, writes resumes, and facilitates job search workshops to help job seekers find the shortest distance between now and their next job. She has worked with clients between the ages of 16 and 83 (and, yes, the 83-year-old landed a job!) in a wide range of occupations and industries. She has a particular interest in job search skills for introverts and authored the book, The Successful Introvert: How to Enhance Your Job Search and Advance Your Career. Wendy earned a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, a Master’s Degree in Education from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester. In addition, she is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Employment Interview Professional, MBTI® Certified Facilitator, and Certified International Job and Career Transition Coach.