Boston Rising staff members bring a variety of backgrounds and experience to the organization. All Boston Rising staff members share a passion for clearing the way for the Rising Class.
Damon Cox
Director, Capital & Evaluation
Damon thrives in a creative start-up environment. He has over a decade of experience in marketing and communications in the media industry with extensive strategic consulting experience to nonprofit organizations. Past positions include VP of Marketing and Promotion at Universal, one of the largest media companies in the world, and VP of Marketing & Creative Development at CDE. Damon is passionate about building entrepreneurial opportunity and clearing the way for the next Rising Class. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of North Florida.
Tiziana Dearing
Chief Executive Officer
Tiziana Dearing is an accomplished leader in the business, nonprofit, and academic sectors. She has deep experience in the field of social justice and has dedicated herself, through her career, to clearing a path for the Rising Class. Most recently, Tiziana served President of Catholic Charities, Boston, and was formerly the Executive Director of the Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Harvard University. She has over a decade of experience consulting to both nonprofit organizations and Fortune 500 companies.
Tiziana is active in her community, serving on the Board of Directors of the Harvard Cooperative Society, on the Advisory Board of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, on the selection committee for the Quadir Prize, and as a trustee of the Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation. She holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.
Maryanne Healey
Specialist, Accounts Processing
Maryanne Healey manages all accounting operations for Boston Rising. She has over fifteen years of experience supporting office operations and executive leadership at Copley Real Estate Advisors and Meredith & Grew.
Imari Paris Jeffries
Partner, Community Co-Investment
Imari Paris Jeffries has a history of driving performance and results for nonprofits as well as a deep commitment to the Boston community. Imari served as the first full-time Executive Director of Friends of the Children-Boston. He has held leadership positions at the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the BELL Foundation, and Jumpstart. Imari began his career of service in the U.S. Armed Services during the First Gulf War.
Imari has served on the boards of the African American Federation of Greater Boston, the Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership, The Elizabeth Peabody House and Save the Harbor, Save the Bay. He holds a Masters in Education and American Studies as well as a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts.
Paul Johnson
Partner, Online
Paul Johnson is an entrepreneur who has founded start-ups in the non-profit, academic and health care sectors. He has led strategic innovation over the past 15 years at industry leading companies including Phase Forward (now Oracle), ChoiceStream and AT&T. As Partner for Online, Paul combines his deep technical expertise with his passion for social justice to create software and social interactions that support the Rising Class. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University.
Allison Kroner
Senior Associate for Fundraising and Communications
Allison works as the Senior Associate for Fundraising and Communications. A Cambridge native, she comes to Boston Rising with a passion for community building and civic engagement as well as a deep commitment to Boston’s Rising Class. Allison worked previously as the Assistant to the President at Catholic Charities, Boston. She held several volunteer positions during her college career, most recently with the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Campus YMCA. Allison holds a Bachelor of Arts from Washington University in St. Louis.
Brittany Parker
Manager, Co-Investment Operations
Brittany Parker works as the Partners’ Assistant, supporting Boston Rising’s executive team and working closely with the Executive Assistant to the CEO. Brittany is passionate about volunteerism and giving back to her community. She has held a variety of volunteer positions and most recently served as a Community Health Advocate for Health Leads (formerly Project HEALTH) and as a Research Assistant in Harvard University’s Lab for Developmental Studies. Brittany holds her Bachelor of Arts from Boston University.
Talia Rivera
Director, Connectivity & Learning
With over a decade of experience mobilizing residents and community- and faith-based organizations, Talia specializes in youth violence, gang interventions and street work in the City of Boston. She is co-founder of Villages Without Walls, and has served as a Community Organizer for the Eos Foundation, as Network Coordinator for the Black Ministerial Alliance, as Violence Intervention Mediator at the Boston Ten Point Coalition, and as a Street Worker for the City of Boston.
Helen Rosenfeld
Interim Development Director
Helen Rosenfeld has spent her career dedicated to non-profit management work and helping to grow organizations that focus on education and small business development, both domestically and abroad. She has served in senior management roles with a variety of non-profits in the Boston area.
She has worked with the Boston Public Schools, supporting the Department of Extended Learning Time, Afterschool and Services (DELTAS). She also served as the Executive Director of Friends of Young Achievers (FOYA), building support for the Young Achievers Science and Mathematics Pilot School, one of Boston’s most acclaimed pilot schools as well as the Executive Director with NFTE New England (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship), employing entrepreneurship education as a means to lead at-risk youth on a path to economic self-sufficiency.
She serves as an Overseer with the Boston Children’s Museum and is a Board Member of Friends of Seva Mandir, an organization supporting rural development in India. Helen holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge.
Alice Stein
Director, Digital Strategy and Partnerships
As Boston Rising’s Director for Digital Strategy and Partnerships, Alice brings more than a decade of private sector marketing and online business strategy experience to our team. Alice was most recently the Director of Marketing for Randstad and served in similar roles at Oriental Unlimited Inc. and Lending Tree. Alice is actively involved in the Boston community and serves on the board of the American Marketing Association Boston Chapter. She holds an MS in Communications Management and BS in Biology from Simmons College.
Chrismaldi Vasquez
Director, Capacity & Assessment
With over a decade of experience working in Boston’s neighborhoods, Chrismaldi is a passionate community organizer. She has a national reputation for her leadership in youth organizing campaigns including one that defeated a plan for a K-Mart in Jackson Square and one that sought to end sexual harassment on Boston’s streets and in its public schools. She also led a successful effort for a new civics curriculum in the Boston Public Schools. Chrismaldi joins Boston Rising from the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley; she began her career at the Hyde Square Task Force where she rose from a youth organizer to Manager of Organizing and Policy Initiatives. Chrismaldi graduated from Bentley University with a B.S. in Economics and Finance. She minored in International Studies.
