Local leaders lend their expertise in support of the Y and its mission

Gloucester , MA – The Cape Ann YMCA is pleased to announce new volunteer board members. These new members bring a diverse range of perspectives and skill sets and are actively engaged with the Y, understanding its core pillars of impact. The new members join a long list of committed leaders who are dedicated to advancing the Y’s mission in support of strengthening the Cape Ann community through programming and initiatives focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. 

Executive Director Erina McWilliam-Lopez said, “Each new member offers a genuine passion for purpose and an incredible breadth of experience that will be crucial in moving our Y’s mission forward. We have more than 11,000 members, a wide variety of programs and classes, a thriving child care program, and a new senior affordable housing project being built downtown. I am excited to welcome these new board members and I look forward to working with them and our current board members to advance our Y’s mission while fostering more partnerships as we continue to be a critical resource to the community.”  

New Cape Ann YMCA Board Members:

Heather Carnevale

Heather Carnevale is an independent Orton-Gillingham tutor dedicated to helping students progress through their challenges, building their skills in spelling and reading. Prior to tutoring, Heather worked for 13 years as a Montessori elementary teacher. She enjoyed creating a beautiful environment where community building was an important part of her work with students, families, and colleagues. Heather has a Bachelor of Science degree in Athletic Training and a Masters in Education both from Endicott College. 

David Martz

David is a long-time resident of the North Shore, born and raised in Manchester. David’s affiliation with the Y began with swim lessons at the Cabot Street YMCA in Beverly and has continued ever since. In 2017, Cape Ann Enterprises, a software company where David is Managing Director, partnered with Merrimack College and the Merrimack Valley YMCA to develop Active Science for Kids. With funding from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, Active Science was a tablet-based early learning program in which children at YMCA’s after-school programs used pedometers and accelerometers to capture their steps, calories, and heart rate activity and turn it into data. The children then used their own activity data to solve structured math and science problems. 

Joan O’Connor

Joan has lived in the Magnolia neighborhood of Gloucester for over 30 years. Officially retired, Joan enjoys part-time employment and volunteering at Essex County Greenbelt. Over the years, Joan has been a member of different YWCA organizations across the Commonwealth. She taught fitness classes at the Greater Beverly Y  for 10 years. 

Cris Peterson

Cris is an investor and entrepreneur. He is the founder and managing partner of Novati, providing management consulting and leadership development for early stage organizations. He has served as CIO for international corporations and consulted to enterprises navigating significant change. He co-founded Cardinal Group, a software development company and has taught graduate level computer science courses at Harvard University. Cris works with Tiger 21 in Boston as a chair, and serves on the board for Cape Ann Animal Aid. He holds degrees in Computer Science and Economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. 

Courtney Schoon

Courtney is an Innovation and Impact Specialist at Verizon. With over 15 years of experience in impact program design, development, and implementation, she specializes in operationalizing new programs and enabling existing impact programs to scale sustainably. Previously, Courtney worked at the MIT Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, Echoing Green (an award-winning international social change organization), and with numerous community development organizations. Courtney holds a business degree from Texas A&M University and has completed Executive Education training in organizational management from Columbia Business School. 

Bob Simmons

Bob’s passion for both social and physical wellness has been brought to fruition in campuses promoting Whole Student Wellness at Harvard University, UMass Amherst, MIT, Muhlenberg College, Colby College, Vanderbilt University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Tennessee. Bob is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Architecture. Bob has developed a national reputation and expertise in successfully building community on campuses and is a sought-after speaker on projects that focus on all aspects of gathering. He has designed over 2,000 Urban housing units ranging from subsidized housing to privately-funded micro-unit and mixed-use developments.

Len Williamson
Len joins the board with a decade of experience in education and youth development work. Len’s career began with playing pro basketball overseas and coaching local youth teams. He currently serves as Program Director at BUILD Boston, an entrepreneurship education organization. Prior to BUILD, he worked at the Pingree School as the Dean of Students for six years while coaching basketball. He facilitates professional development courses for educators in school districts across the state through the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth with a diverse group of educators from around the country to deliver social justice curriculum for high schoolers at the annual NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference. He earned a B.A. in Sociology from Amherst College and an M.Ed. in K-12 Learning & Instruction from Northeastern University.

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About the Y
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The Ipswich Family YMCA is part of the YMCA of the North Shore association of seven YMCA locations. For more than 150 years, the YMCA of the North Shore has been strengthening the foundations of community for the more than 50,000 members it serves in 24 cities and towns. YMCA of the North Shore is the 19th largest YMCA nationwide. We nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support our neighbors; regardless of age, race, ethnicity or socio-economic background. Visit http://www.northshoreymca.org.