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
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. 
VICE PRESIDENT & TREASURER
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. 
CLERK
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.
DIRECTORS
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 Managing Director at Morgan Stanley’s Private Wealth Management division. 
Osman Amin, Hingham Institution of Savings - Osman is responsible for growing
existing and cultivating new relationships for personal and business customers in the Greater Boston Area. Prior to becoming Branch Manager, Osman began his career at Hingham as a Client Service Representative and then an Assistant Branch Manager. Before joining the Bank in 2016, Osman was employed at Massachusetts Convention Center Authority as an accountant. Osman holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Bentley University. 
Hope Blanchette, Mass Design Group - is a member of the Advocacy team at MASS
Design Group, a non-profit multidisciplinary architecture firm on Chandler Street in the South End. She is originally from New Hampshire, but has been a Boston resident since 2005. While she has lived in the South End for a few years, she is now a resident in Jamaica Plain. Prior to joining MASS, Hope was a Home and Property Manager for a family in Downtown Crossing and has held various roles in architecture firms around the city. She graduated from Northeastern University in 2011 with a Master of Architecture degree, which gave her a great understanding of how architecture and design can make a powerful impact on the world and our lives. In addition to her interest in design, Hope also loves live music, art, photography, event planning, and interior design. Susan Cervenak - Appleton Street, moved to the South End in Fall of 2019 from
Westborough, MA where she and her husband raised their son. Susan is the Director of North American Business Development for an Ireland based technology company that specializes in the design on power conversion products. She enjoys cooking, reading, travel and long walks. 
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. 
Katherine Donahue - Warren Avenue, is a top-producing REALTOR® and Team
Principal of Donahue + Greene at Compass, where she leverages her lifelong knowledge of Boston and the MetroWest suburbs to act as both advisor and advocate for her clients. In addition to her professional experience, Katherine has a deep passion for giving back to her community. She has volunteered with several nonprofits over the years, including her current role serving as Social Events Committee Chair with The Junior League of Boston. She is passionate about the Ellis’s mission to build relationships among neighbors and is excited to grow awareness about the association among the next generation of residents and local businesses. 
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. 
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 Donnelly and Co. 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”.
Kristi Keefe - Boston Center for the Arts
Patricia D. Keenan - Patti is Vice President of Advancement, Community and Equity at Ellis Early Learning. She joined the Ellis Early Learning team in June, 2020 after 9 years raising funds for Facing History and Ourselves. She has over 35 years experiencing building annual/ individual giving programs and increasing nonprofit board diversity. Patti and her husband, Matt, live in Sharon and have 3 grown children. She enjoys spending time outdoors, reading and travel.
Jayne McLaughlin - Tremont Street, graduated from Boston University in 1985. After
graduation, she followed her passion, focusing on wildlife conservation and public policy. She received her M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College in 2000, studying the impact of toxins in polar bears in relation to the multilateral international conservation treaty. She remained in Hanover, NH to raise her family. During that time she served on a number of non-profit boards, often catering fundraising events for up to 160 people. After 27 years in Hanover, she has recently returned to Boston and moved to the South End. 
Kevin Mulcahy - St. Charles Street, is a published author on trends in the workplace
and an educator. His board experience ranges from small business advisory to supporting the arts (Boston Irish Film Festival) and promoting opportunity and protection for immigrants (Rian Immigrant Center of Boston). He and his wife, Diane relocated from Ireland to the South End in 2006. “Always room for one more at the table” is his guiding philosophy for broadening the membership of ‘the Ellis’. 
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.
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.
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
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.
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.
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