About the Commission Members

Shantel Alix Fernandez is the Community Engagement Manager for the North Shore CDC, where she oversees several programs, including the family success and financial literacy programs, and ESL, citizenship, and first-time homebuyer classes. Prior to her time in this role Ms. Fernandez was the AmeriCorps LISC Family Stability Coordinator for the CDC and the Activities Director for Care One. A certified financial counselor, Ms. Fernandez earned her degree in advanced computer technology from Salem State University. She serves on the board of the Salem Food Pantry and Project Out and is a co-founder of Massachusetts Trans Women in Leadership.

Rosa Alvarado is a legislative aide to State Representative Paul Tucker. Prior to that, Rosa was a case manager for the young parent support program at Children, Friends & Family Services, a social worker at Brooksby Village, and a case manager for the Malden YMCA. A licensed social worker, Ms. Alvarado is a board member of North Shore Community Action Programs and has served on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force at LEAP for Education and on the Diversity Advisory Group for the Justice Resource Institute. She earned both her Bachelor and master’s degrees in social work from Salem State University.

Kenzie Chin is Coordinator of Educator Preparation for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where, among other work, she is leading a redesign of the educator approval process to intentionally incorporate anti-racist frameworks into educator approval systems and to increase the diversity of the Commonwealth’s educator workforce. She is also co-lead of DESE’s DEI Professional Development Subcommittee. A teacher by training herself, Ms. Chin holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Boston University and a Master’s degree in General and Special Education for Grades 1-6 from the Bank Street College of Education.

Tara Dhanraj Roden currently works as a program associated for jail decarceration with the Vera Institute of Justice where she develops and leads community and site-based efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal legal system. Prior to this she was a policy analyst with the Council of State Government’s Justice Center and a senior associate for justice reform at the National League of Cities. Originally from Maryland, Ms. Roden had previously worked for the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention as a program manager. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in sociology from Towson University.

Nicole McLaughlin is the Executive Director at Plummer Youth Promise here in Salem where she has helped grow the reputation and scope of services for this 160-year old youth service organization. Prior to being the Executive Director, Ms. McLaughlin was the development director at Plummer, a nonprofit attorney at Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, and a staff attorney for the National Abortion Rights Action League. Ms. McLaughlin earned her Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law.

Paola Miranda is a foundation fellow at the Hyams Foundation in Boston, which works to increase economic, racial, and social justice and power within low-income communities in Boston and Chelsea. Previous to that Attorney Miranda was the Director of Homelessness Prevention Programs for City Mission in Boston, an immigration attorney for the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts, a housing case manager at Lazarus House in Lawrence, and a legal advocate for HAWC here in Salem. Attorney Miranda earned her Master of Law degree from Boston University School of Law and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Salem State University.

Alexandra Ramos is a special education paraprofessional at Salem Academy Charter School and prior to that was a program assistant at the Cotting School in Lexington and co-lead for a Pre-K classroom at the Shirat Hayam Center for Early Eduction in Swampscott. Before entering the educational field, Ms. Ramos worked in mental health services, as an intensive case manager for Eliot Community Human Services and a therapeutic mentor for at-risk youth at JRI in Lynn. Ms. Ramos is pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Salem State University and holds an Associate’s degree from North Shore Community College.

Alphonse Wright co-chairs the Salem Human Rights Coalition and works as an independent consultant specializing in accessibility and inclusion strategy for public and private clients. In his consulting work he has worked with the U.S. Department of Labor and the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Prior to his consulting, Mr. Wright was an operations associate for O’Connor Professional Group’s Behavior Health Navigation and an administrative coordinator at Arbour Hospitals in Jamaica Plain.