Evelyn Abayaah
Evelyn Abayaah is a founding member of the Wa Area Development Association (WADA) a non-profit that raises money to fund the education of unprivileged high school kids in the north-eastern part of Ghana. She is a Program Manager at the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors. She holds a B.S. in Health Education from the UMass Lowell and a B.A. in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. She is currently finishing her M.S. in Health Management and Policy from the University of Massachusetts Lowell

Michael B. Alexander
Michael Alexander is the ninth President of Lasell College, a post which he assumed on July 1, 2007. Prior to joining Lasell College, he was the Managing Partner and Founder of Echo Bridge Entertainment, LLC. He has demonstrated his commitment serves on the Board of Trustees for the Foundation for Minority Interests in Media and the National Urban League, and also as a member of the Leadership Council of the Center for Business and Government at Harvard University’ Kennedy School. While President of WWOR-TV in New York, his team initiated the A+ for Kids public service campaign, a commitment to youth that was noted by an Emmy Award and also as the 12th Point of Light by the first Bush Administration.

John Barros
John Barros is the Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, an organization formed in 1984 by residents of the Dudley Street area of Roxbury/Dorchester to revive their neighborhood. At 17, Mr. Barros was the first youth to sit on the Board of Directors of DSNI. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1996 and then returned to his neighborhood to sit as Vice President of DSNI. He was hired as Executive Director in 2000. In 2000, Mr. Barros was awarded the ABCD Community Award; in 2005, he was selected as a finalist for the national Leadership in a Changing World awards program; and in 2007, his commitment to the Boston community was honored with a Barr Foundation Fellowship.

Bren Bataclan
In the summer of 2003, Bren began his street art installation entitled, “The Smile Boston Project.” The project involves leaving his cartoon inspired acrylic paintings for people to take for “free” all over Boston (park benches, train stations, hospitals, etc.) Attached to each painting is a note saying, “This painting is yours if you promise to smile at random people more often.” His goals are to bring art to people who typically do not visit art galleries and museums, to give paintings to folks who may not be able to afford original artwork, and to see smiles around the globe.  See Bren's work at www.bataclan.com.

Aya Caldwell
Aya Caldwell is the Global Health Associate at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology’s (CIMIT) Global Health Initiative (GHI). Ms. Caldwell implements evaluations, coordinates programs, and conducts research to further the goals of GHI's mission. Ms. Caldwell also served as a Maternal Child Health Consultant to the International Organization of Migration (IOM). She graduated from Dartmouth College in Anthropology and Asian Middle Eastern Studies, completing her Anthropology thesis work in Guatemala City, Guatemala analyzing theories of development using a women's cooperative as a case study.

Jennifer Coliflores
Jennifer Coliflores is a 2000 alumn and current co-executive director of the Massachusetts Youth Leadership Foundation. She was first selected to represent Ursuline Academy and has been involved in the organization ever since. She is a 2006 graduate of Colby College and currently attends Roger Williams University School of Law. Before attending law school, Jennifer worked for the office of Governor Mitt Romney, U.S. Senator Susan Collins, and the Massachusetts Hospital Association.

Emerson College Slam Team and Gringo Choir
The Gringo Choir came together completely by accident when the four members, Carlos Williams, Maxwell R. Kessler, Steve Subrizi, and Carrie Rudzinski, won a collegiate poetry slam at Boston University. That win sent them to the 2008 College National Poetry Slam, where they made it to semi-finals as a rookie team and Carrie won Best Female Poet. Since then, they have continued performing shows as individuals and as a group. They returned to College Nationals in 2009 (with two new members and Steve acting as their coach) to make it to Finals and for Carlos to take home Best Male Poet. In the near future, they hope to tour the nation, performing as a multi-media, theatrical poetry troupe.  Learn more about slam poetry in Boston at http://www.myspace.com/bostonpoetryslam

Giles Li
Giles Li is a spoken word performer based in Boston. He is the founder of th Boston Progress Arts Collective, a community of API* artists that aims to create a supportive space and outlet for personal growth, creative expression, and artistic exploration, as well as use art as an active means for mobilization and education within our communities locally, nationally, and beyond. He also serves as the Coordinator of the Arts & Enrichment Program at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, the largest Asian American-serving service agency in the area. Most recently, he appears in the book The Snake Dance of Asian American Activism: Community, Vision, and Power. Recent projects include the leading role in the independent short film The Humberville Poetry Slam, currently screening at film festivals nationwide.  You can find a schedule of Giles' upcoming performances at http://www.myspace.com/gilesli

Jim Laughlin
Jim Laughlin serves as Director of Communications at Life is good, Inc and is a board member of the Life is good Kids Foundation. Based in Boston, MA , Life is good® spreads a fresh outlook on life with its colorful collection of apparel and its optimistic cultural hero with the huge smile, Jake. During Laughlin’s tenure as Director of Charitable Festivals from 2005-2007, Life is good Festivals raised major awareness and more than $3 million for select children’s charities. Prior to joining Life is good®, Mr. Laughlin served as a Senior Consultant for Linkage, Inc., and he was also an award-winning teacher at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and at the UMass Amherst . He holds degrees in Political Science, English, and Creative Writing from UMass-Amherst.

Chef Jayson McCarter
At the age of 10, Chef Jayson began working at his family’s small resort style Inn. At age 17 he was the assistant chef at a small local restaurant. At the age of 18, he began training to be a cook in the US NAVY. After graduating at the head of the class, Chef Jayson was offered a position at the White House. Chef Jayson later entered the field of healthcare as the Director of Dining Services for a large retirement community. In total, he’s had seven years of healthcare experience, manufactured ice cream, ran seasonal businesses, partnered in his own restaurant, and now teaches. But what he teaches is not all just about cooking; it’s about drive and motivation. And who we make meals for is about compassion and heart.

Stephanie Nguyen
Stephanie Nguyen has served many roles within MYLF, from her first experience in '00 as a delegate, representing Norwood High, to her most recent role since July '07, as Co-Executive Director. She studied at Dartmouth before transferring to Emmanuel, receiving a full scholarship. While an undergraduate, Stephanie was a HBS SVMP ‘05 alumni, '06 Startingbloc fellow, and Institute for Social Innovation winner. She currently works at MFS Investments, as an Associate in consumer cyclicals. Prior to MFS, Stephanie was a Global Growth Associate at Putnam and has held internships at Citigroup Smith Barney, Riverside Partners, and Capstone Partners. She is an advocate for child literacy and active in youth civic affairs, having participated in Power Lunch program and was a DPCS fellow at Camp Starfish.

Kaitlin O’Malley
Kaitlin O'Malley is a MYLF alumnae and this year's Conference Chair. After attending the conference in 2000, she was inspired to start working as a suicide prevention hotline volunteer with The Samaritans. Based on her outstanding community involvement in high school, Kaitlin was selected as one of twenty incoming freshmen to participate in the four-year Shaw Leadership Program at Boston College where she later became Program Coordinator. She graduated in 2006 with a Marketing major and Faith, Peace, and Justice minor. She currently works as a Consulting Program Manager at Forrester Research. She has since returned to volunteering at the Samaritans and is constantly reminded of the positive impact that MassSTAR has had in her life.

Tracy O’Malley
Tracy O'Malley attended MassSTAR in 2003, later becoming a grant winner and founding a swim team at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club. A 2009 graduate of Georgetown University, she double majored in Marketing and International Business and received the IMAX Marketing Scholar award. While at Georgetown, Tracy acted as the Vice President of Human Relations for Hilltop Consultants, a student group which provides consulting services to non profits in the DC area. She will be working at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Federal Consulting practice.

Pamela Pelizzari
Pamela hails from Chicago and majored in Applied Math-Biology and Community Health at Brown University. Pamela Pelizzari is involved in with the Merasi School, a community-driven arts and literacy classroom designed to create avenues of artistic and social empowerment for the marginalized Merasi (musicians) of Jaisalmer District, Rajasthan, India. When not directing development for our desert classroom, Pamela works for the Harvard Initiative for Global Health in Cambridge, MA.

Catherine Pisacane
Catherine Pisacane is the founder and executive director Project Smile, a non-profit organization which donates new and previously owned stuffed animals, coloring books/crayons, small toys and children's reading books for police officers, fire fighters and paramedics to give to children. Ms. Pisacane holds a B.A. in English from Hunter College and an M.A. in criminal justice from Anna Maria College. She was acknowledged for her service work by being named to the Worcester Business Journal’s “Top 40 Under 40” list of rising stars 2005, by the Boston Celtics as a “Hero Among Us” in 2006, and, in 2007, was a recipient of the Massachusetts
Commission on the Status of Women Unsung Heroine Award.

Matt Raffol
Matt Raffol is a 2003 MassSTAR alum and past Massachusetts Youth Leadership Grant Winner. A Natick native, Matt recently graduated from Boston College with a major in economics and psychology. This fall, Matt will be working at the Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Chicago, IL doing social work.

Christine Scafidi
Christine Scafidi is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Lasell College in Newton, MA. Christine Scafidi has spent the last ten years between college admission, public high school guidance and mental health counseling. Christine has worked at Suffolk University, Holliston High School, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Westborough High School. She has also worked for the Laurel Hill Inn, a residential treatment center for women with eating disorders. When not working in a counseling setting, Christine enjoys photography and travel.

Shelby Semmes
As Corporate Fellowship Coordinator, Shelby supports the Earthwatch Institute’s involvement in the HSBC Climate Partnership, a five-year program on climate change to inspire action by individuals, businesses and governments. As an organization, Earthwatch's mission is to engage people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Beginning Fall 2009, Shelby will begin a Master's degree in Forestry at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and hopes to further pursue the inter-relationship between forests and climate change.

Andrew Stinger
Andrew Stinger represented East Longmeadow High School in 2000. While attending Columbia University as an undergrad, he became involved in a number of service initiatives, including Dance Marathon, Project HEALTH's Ujima Village Program and the Philanthropy Chair role in the NY Phi Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. He currently resides in California, where he works at Google as a member of the Retail Media Partnerships Team. Nine years after MassSTAR taught Andrew to 'think globally and act locally,' Andrew joined a team of Bay Area doctors in the field in Ethiopia in April 2009. Though a tech industry professional, Andrew provided logistical, medical, social and emotional support to his team and to the over 700 individuals they served via mobile health clinics, home visits, support groups and HIV outreach.  He thinks every individual associated with MassSTAR is outstanding, and hopes you'll find him on Facebook if you want to get in touch.

Alia Whitney-Johnson
Alia Whitney-Johnson recently graduated from MIT, where she received her B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Her greatest passion lies in her work with young women in Sri Lanka who have survived sexual abuse. She founded the Emerge Bead Program to enable Sri Lankan teenage mothers who had survived rape to become jewelry designers through a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes personal discovery, mentorship, and business knowledge, while simultaneously generating savings for their futures. As the program grew, she went on to form Emerge Global, Inc. (www.emergeglobal.org), a nonprofit that aims to empower young women who have survived abuse to rediscover and celebrate their personal beauty, develop their selfsufficiency,and become leaders within their own communities.

Amanda Zarle
Amanda Zarle serves as the Executive Director for SmallCanBeBig.org and the head of strategy at Boathouse Group, Inc. She splits her time between roles. As the Executive Director, Amanda manages the day to day operations of the newly launched online micro-charity. At Boathouse she is responsible for developing the advertising strategy and executing any consumer research for clients. Prior to Boathouse, Amanda worked as a strategy consultant for Monitor and The Cambridge Group. She lives in Wellesley with her husband and 2 kids and serves on a local Board of Directors for Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project. Amanda received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.