Meet the Board of Directors
OFFICERS
CHAIR
Julie Arnheiter - Appleton Street, moved into the South End one year ago from Sanibel Island, Florida where she and her husband raised their two children. While living in Florida Julie was a volunteer in her local school and fundraised for an environmental non-profit. She is an avid gardener, a reluctant runner and is Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Community Committee.
Julie Arnheiter - Appleton Street, moved into the South End one year ago from Sanibel Island, Florida where she and her husband raised their two children. While living in Florida Julie was a volunteer in her local school and fundraised for an environmental non-profit. She is an avid gardener, a reluctant runner and is Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Community Committee.
PRESIDENT
John Alekna - Tremont Street, grew up in South Boston and has been active in a variety of local business and civic groups over the years. A 1983 graduate of Babson College, he began his current professional career at Merrill Lynch and is currently a Senior Vice President at Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management division. 
TREASURER
John Chambers - Warren Avenue, originally from Kentucky but has been in the South End for almost 30 years. John works with a number of neighborhood civic and non-profit organizations. His passions include college sports (Go Blue!), trivia, and enjoying the many friends he has accumulated during his time in the SE. 
VICE PRESIDENT
Meghan Dichiara - Chandler Street, moved to the South End in 2009. After an earlier career in litigation consulting, Meghan is now a stay at home parent and has been active on the boards of both Childe Hassam and Titus Sparrow Park. Meghan and her husband both enjoy restaurants in the South End, exploring Boston with their kiddos and puppy, and travel in Mexico. 
VICE PRESIDENT
Cathy Phillips - Clarendon Street, first lived in the South End on West Springfield Street in the late 1980’s and, after raising a family on the South Shore, was very excited to return to city life five years ago. Cathy is a program manager for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UMass Boston and has spent much of her career in conference and seminar management. She has served on several non-profit boards and is a currently a member of the Ellis Outreach Committee. Cathy is also interested in enhancing trees and parks in the South End and helping the community to become more age-friendly. 
CLERK
Mark S. Carrig - Carrig Kitchens, LLC, has lived in the South End for more than a decade and is the owner of Carrig Kitchens, LLC, a design & supply company servicing the South End for more than 20 years. Mark was previously very active in maintaining and improving Chester Square Park and is now involved with the Ellis participating in the Fundraising and Membership Committees. He is also a member of the South End Business Alliance & South End Historical Society. Father of two talented daughters and two fabulous grandchildren. DIRECTORS
Ghita Akkar- Highline Development, has been a South End resident for 11 years and lives on Dwight Street with her husband, 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. She is a trained architect and the owner of Highline Development, a real estate development firm based in the South End. She is currently the co-chair of the Development Committee and on the Events Committee for Financial Aid at The Kingsley School in the Back Bay.
Norma Alekna - Tremont Street, is originally from New Hampshire. She moved to Boston where she started her career of 37 years as a perioperative nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital. She and her husband John raised their three children in Dover, MA. In 2013 they moved to the South End. Norma volunteers at Boston Children’s Hospital and currently sits on the Ellis Scholarship Committee. Norma enjoys painting in her free time.
Chris Block - Appleton Street, is originally from Michigan and moved to the South End two years ago. Chris is a practicing anesthesiologist at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and an avid cyclist who commutes to work by bike when he can. He also enjoys cooking, reading, sailing and walking with his wife and their two golden retrievers.
Patty Brennan - Montgomery Street, moved to the South End from New York City in June 2005. She works as an Account Director for The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ. She volunteers with Saint Cecilia Parish and the Animal Rescue League of Boston. She loves animals, being outdoors and leads an active lifestyle.
Carol Caporizzo – Appleton Street, moved to the South End 4 years ago from Weston where she and her husband raised her daughter. In Weston Carol was active in the Women’s Community League Board, including working on yearly scholarship fundraiser. She has assisted in Ellis outreach projects at the Ellis Memorial School and the McKinley School. In her spare time Carol enjoys flower arranging.
Jessica Chen – Community Music Center of Boston, is the Senior Director of Development and External Relations at the Community Music Center of Boston. She received her M.A. in Child Study and Human Development from Tufts University and previously worked at the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras. Outside of CMCB, she is actively involved in the contemporary a cappella community, serving as the Executive Producer for the NE Voices Festival and participating on the Board of Directors at the Contemporary A Cappella Society. She is enjoying being a part of the South End community through CMCB.
Chris Corey - Warren Avenue, moved to the South End 4 years ago after living in Boston’s West End for 4 years. Chris is a graduate of Northeastern University and now works in both the Real Estate and Liquor industries. He is an Asset Manager for his family’s commercial real-estate development business and runs another family business, Blanchards Liquors, in Allston. He has also started a new company focused on acquiring and redeveloping residential properties. Chris is a licensed USCG Captain and enjoys spending his free time boating and golfing on Cape Cod. He also serves on the Ellis Neighborhood Association’s Development, Licensing, and Zoning Committee.
Paul Duffy - Clarendon Street, was born and raised in Boston’s South End and has remained a lifelong resident. He took a role in improving the South End as a real estate developer and subsequently founded O’Ryan, Lopez & Chin, a real estate maintenance company, which he owned and operated from 1986 to 1998. Paul is a Charter Member of the Ellis South End Neighborhood Association as well as other local organizations.
Peter Filonowicz - Warren Avenue, born in Jamaica Plain and raised mostly in Revere. He moved to the South End in 2015. Peter is a Software Development Manager for MFS Investment Management where he has been employed since 1996. He enjoys helping those in the community and is currently a mentor for students at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology. Peter is also a trustee for the D4 condo association as well as a member of the Ellis' Development, Licensing and Zoning committee.
Amel Ghemin, Hingham Institution of Savings, has been an Assistant Branch Manager since October, 2021. Furthermore, she has been in the financial industry/Business Development for 15 + years. With a bachelor's degree in Foreign Languages & Literature, she speaks 5 Languages and soon adding Mandarin to make it 6! She is looking to do another Bachelors in Psychology, her passion is to not only help her customers but also understand them at a deepest level and build relationships within the communities she serves.
Jennifer Girvin - Chandler Street, is originally from upstate New York and has lived in the South End for the last 23 years with husband Ken. She is a residential broker with Keller Williams Realty. Jennifer served on the Ellis Board for 12 years and returns with a renewed interest in keeping the neighborhood a fun and vibrant place to live. Her favorite inspirational quote “what you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”.
Bill Gregor - Appleton Street, is a retired general management consultant with over thirty-five years’ experience consulting to financial services firms on five continents. When not in the South End you can usually find him skiing or sailing. A former Ellis Chair, he has served the Association in many capacities and is currently chair of the Ellis Wine Group and an Ellis Marshal in Boston’s Pride Parade.
Michael Hall - Clarendon Street, has been a South End Resident for the last 28 years and has served on the Ellis Board for many of them, most recently as President and Treasurer. A Certified Public Accountant for the last 34 years, he is currently employed by R. J. Gold & Company, P.C.
Dr. Beth Edwards Harris – Columbus Avenue is an architectural historian and preservationist with a PhD from UCLA. Beth first lived in the South End from 1979-1981, returning permanently in 2015 after 30 years in California where she was serving on the CA State Historic Resource Commission. Beth is currently writing about mid-century modern houses for the Vineyard Gazette, organizing with neighbors to preserve historic buildings on Stanhope Street, and is actively engaged with Rosie’s Place and the Pine Street Inn.
Robin Johnson - Tremont Street, from Guaranteed Rate has been working in the South End as an experienced banker and lender and enjoys working with different community organizations throughout the neighborhood.
Kristi Keefe - Boston Center for the Arts
Patty Keenan - Ellis Early Learning, joined the Ellis Early Learning team in June, 2020. She has over 30 years experiencing building annual/ individual giving programs and increasing board diversity. Patti and her husband, Matt, live in Sharon and have 3 grown children. She enjoys spending time outdoors, reading and travel.
Manish Shah – Appleton Street, has lived in the South End since 2003 and on Appleton Street since 2004. He lives with his wife, his 11-year-old daughter, his 8-year old son (both of whom attend the Eliot School in the North End), and a crazy Bernedoodle named Atticus. He is former director of the eye clinic at the South End Community Health Center and now runs a private optometry practice. Manish is a past member of the Boston Schools Fund advisory board and looks forward to working with the Ellis to support the neighborhood he loves.
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Carol Trust - Chandler Street, has lived in the South End 30 years, about a half mile from where her mother was raised on Columbus Avenue in the early 1900's.' She is the Executive Director of the National Association of Social Workers, the Massachusetts Chapter, and is a Licensed Independent Social Worker.
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Martha Winston - Dartmouth Street, moved to the South End just a year ago after raising two daughters with her husband in Newton. She was an art teacher and has a studio in Waltham.