We are excited to welcome two new members to Strategies for Children’s board of directors: Mariela Abreu and Jenise Katalina.
They were approved at our September board meeting, and they began their three-year terms on October 1st.
“We are thrilled to add two new board members who will help expand our organizational vision,” Sally Fuller, the chair of Strategies’ board, says. “Mariela has worked for years to ensure that K-12 educational programs help children thrive. And Jenise has devoted her career to working for organizations that support marginalized communities.”
Abreu, is the chief of staff at OnYourMark Education, a nonprofit organization that provides early literacy tutoring based on the Science of Reading. The organization’s mission is to “to close the literacy gap” and “help all students become strong readers.”
Before joining OnYourMark, Abreu held various roles at UP Education Network: as the director of strategic initiatives, she led several high priority projects, and as director of operations, she managed the operations, family engagement work, student enrollment, and finances for a school with more than 700 students.
Abreu also worked in operations at Achievement First Network, and she taught first grade English as a Second Language for a semester. She is a certified Emotional Intelligence Coach through the Noble Story group, and she is passionate about coaching adults through personal and systemic barriers so that they can achieve their potential and move confidently and unapologetically towards their future.
Abreu earned a bachelor’s degree from Bentley University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Connecticut. She resides in the South Shore region of Massachusetts.
Katalina is a licensed clinical social worker based in Springfield, and she serves as the Co-Executive Director of The Women of Color Health Equity Collective, a nonprofit organization in Western Massachusetts that builds community capacity to address systemic inequities so that women and girls of color can achieve their optimal health and well-being.
Katalina is also the founder of Kindred Healing Counseling Services, a private mental health practice focused on supporting individuals experiencing intergenerational trauma, racial trauma, and perinatal mood disorders by utilizing a liberation approach. Katalina has also worked as the Healthy Families Resource Specialist at the Children’s Trust, a statewide agency focused on stopping child abuse. And she formerly served as the Vice President of Family Services at Square One, a family support and early education and care agency.
Katalina earned a bachelor’s degree from Westfield State University and a master’s degree in social work from Springfield College, and she resides in Western Massachusetts.
Amy O’Leary, Strategies’ executive director, explains that expanding the Board is part of a larger plan.
“In August 2021, our Board of Directors approved a four-year strategic plan, informed by the unique moment facing the early education and care sector as it continued to struggle through the economic and health impacts of COVID-19.
“The strategic plan sharpened our focus on impact and sustainability. We considered the expertise and capacity we would need to support our work, and this included building and strengthening our board of directors. Since then, we’ve added six new members, including Mariela and Jenise, and we are thrilled to have each of them on the Board. We are grateful for their leadership, commitment and passion for young children and families.”