Deep Dives

In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with Rick Weissbourd, Faculty Director of Human Development and Psychology at Harvard Graduate School of Education. The director of the Making Caring Common Project, Rick’s work focuses on children's moral development, on vulnerability and resilience in childhood, and on how to encourage and prioritize caring, compassion, and companionship among children in and out of school.

Making Caring Common is ​​a national effort to make moral and social development priorities in child-raising and to provide strategies to schools and parents for promoting caring, a commitment to justice and other key moral, emotional and social capacities. As part of the Making Caring Common project, Rick leads Turning the Tide, a national effort to reform college admissions that has engaged almost 200 college admissions offices in promoting ethical engagement, reducing damaging achievement pressure in high school and increasing equity and access for economically disadvantaged students. Rick is a founder of several interventions for children, including ReadBoston and WriteBoston, citywide literacy initiatives led by Mayor Menino. He has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, CNN, The New Republic, NPR, and Psychology Today. He is the author of two books including The Parents We Mean to Be: How Well-Intentioned Adults Undermine Children's Moral and Emotional Development.

We talk to Rick about perceptions of caring, achievement, and happiness for children and adults, the need for emphasizing care in our lives, and much more about his work with Making Caring Common. If you would like to learn more about Rick’s work and about the Making Caring Common Project, check out the links below.

Rick Weissbourd Biography

The Making Caring Common Project Website

Making Caring Common on Twitter

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In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with Francis Goulliart and Lorena Lorenzet, two local food entrepreneurs who helped create Local Lunchbox, an innovative new program borne out of the pandemic that provides free, fresh, locally-prepared food for families. Francis is the CEO of Stock Pot Malden, and Lorena is a celebrated local chef and owner of the Farm Girl Food Truck. 

Local Lunchbox was created in June 2020 in Chelsea, Massachusetts to help address the overwhelming food insecurity facing this community during the height of the pandemic. Since then, in partnership with Stock Pot Malden and the YMCA, Local Lunchbox has expanded to more than half a dozen communities across Massachusetts and created more than 50 food service jobs, many of which have gone to people who had been collecting meals for their families through the program. As the program grew from hundreds to thousands of meals per week, an offshoot called “Retail Lunchbox” was created, in which the free meals are served directly out of popular local restaurants. As of August 2021, Local Lunchbox has served over two million meals to children and teenagers across Massachusetts.

We talk to Francis and Lorena about their backgrounds, the origins and growth of Local Lunchbox, and the potential for this model to be replicated and scaled around the country. If you would like to learn more about Local Lunchbox, check out the resources below:

• Local Lunchbox Website
• Local Lunchbox in the News

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In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with Aaron Feuer, Co-Founder and CEO of Panorama Education. A fast-growing, ed-tech company based out of Boston, Aaron works with school districts across the country to help make education better for kids, and to include students in the process of assessing and improving the way schools work.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Aaron’s work with Panorama was born out of his experiences as a student advocate while attending public schools in Southern California. His advocacy work helped to push legislation in California that uplifted student voices, and during his junior year at Yale University, he created Panorama. Since its founding in 2012, Aaron has worked with school districts across the country, including Boston Public Schools, San Bernardino Unified School District, and many more, providing college- and career-readiness tools, school climate surveys, and social-emotional learning assessments. With more than 13 million students across the country, Aaron has expanded Panorama to serve school districts across all 50 states.

We talk with Aaron about his experiences as a student organizer and what led him to finding Panorama, the role Panorama plays in supporting school districts and students across the country, how Panorama is effectively used in supporting student outcomes, its role in understanding student data, and more. If you would like to learn more about Aaron Feuer and Panorama, please check out the links below:

• Aaron Feuer Twitter
• Connect with Aaron Feuer
• Panorama Education Website
• Panorama Education and Boston Public Schools
• Panorama Education Success Stories

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In our fifth installment of our special series, “Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston”, Jill talks with John Barros. The Chief of Economic Development for former Mayor Marty Walsh, Barros previously ran for Mayor of Boston in 2013.

John Barros joined Mayor Walsh’s administration in 2014 to establish the new Economic Development cabinet and lead the department for seven years. Before working for the Walsh administration, he served as Executive Director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and also served on the Boston School Committee. A lifelong resident of Roxbury and Dorchester, he attended Dartmouth College and Tufts University. He currently resides in Dorchester with his wife and four children.

We talk with John Barros about his background growing up in Boston, his time leading the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative and serving on the Boston School Committee, the initiatives he led as Chief of Economic Development, and how he will draw from his experience to help Boston thrive as we recover from the pandemic. If you would like to learn more about John Barros’s campaign, please check out the resources below.

Resources:

• John Barros’s Campaign Website
• Meet John Barros 
• John Barros’s Twitter
• John Barros’s Campaign Stances
• Ways to Engage with John Barros’s Campaign

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In the fourth episode of our special series, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston, Jill talks with Dr. Jon Santiago, State Representative for the 9th District of Suffolk County. An attending physician in the Boston Medical Center’s emergency room, he has served as a State Representative since being elected in 2018.

Raised in Boston after his family immigrated from Puerto Rico, Rep. Santiago went on to volunteer for the Peace Corps, serve as a Fullbright Scholar in Paris, and attend Yale Medical School. Following medical school, Rep. Santiago returned to Boston to work at Boston Medical Center, where he is an attending physician in the Emergency Department. In 2018, he ran against a 35-year incumbent for the 9th Suffolk District and was sworn in as state representative in 2019. In addition to his work as a state representative and physician, Rep. Santiago is also a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and has been deployed overseas. He lives in the South End with his wife.

We talk with Rep. Santiago about his experience as an immigrant growing up in Boston, how his medical background impacts his work as a public servant, his vision for improving Boston’s neighborhoods, and more. If you would like to learn more about Jon Santiago’s campaign, please check out the resources below.

Resources:

• Jon Santiago’s Campaign Website
• Meet Jon Santiago 
• Jon Santiago’s Twitter
• Jon Santiago’s Campaign Stances
• Ways to Engage with Jon Santiago’s Campaign

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In our third episode of our special series, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston, Jill talks with Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell. A lifelong resident of Boston who represents District 4, Andrea has served on the council since being elected in 2015.

Raised in Roxbury and the South End, Councilor Campbell graduated from Boston Public Schools and Boston Latin School, going on to attend Princeton University and UCLA Law School. Following law school, Councilor Campbell worked as a lawyer, serving as deputy legal counsel for Governor Deval Patrick as well as spending time in the private sector. In 2015, she successfully ran against a 32-year incumbent to represent District 4 on the City Council, and in 2018, she became the first Black woman to serve as the City Council President. She and her family live in Mattapan.

We talk with Councilor Campbell about her journey, her experiences growing up in Boston, her work as a city councilor, her vision for an equitable Boston, and more. If you would like to learn more about Andrea Campbell’s campaign, please check out the resources below.

Resources:

• Andrea Campbell’s Campaign Website
• Meet Andrea Campbell
• Andrea Campbell’s Twitter
• Andrea Campbell’s Campaign Stances
• Ways to Engage with Andrea Campbell’s Campaign

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We are excited to release our special podcast series on the Boston mayoral election, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston. 

2021 is an important year for Bostonians -- we will recover from Covid-19, and we will elect a new mayor. This is a historic election. For the first time in history, Boston will have a mayor who is a person of color. With six candidates and an open seat following Mayor Walsh’s departure to Washington D.C., there’s a lot to cover, and we’ll be diving in over the next six weeks with each of the candidates about everything from education, to economic development, to racial justice, to their favorite coffee shops and restaurants in Boston, and more.

In the second episode of our special series, ‘Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston’, Jill talks with City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George, a lifelong resident of Dorchester and former Boston Public Schools teacher.

Born and raised in Dorchester as the daughter of immigrants, Councilor Essaibi George graduated from Boston Public Schools and the O'Bryant School of Math and Science. After teaching for 13 years at East Boston High School, she successfully ran for an at-large seat on the Boston City Council. Councilor Essaibi George has served on the City Council since 2015 and currently serves as Chair of the Committee on Education and of the Committee on Homelessness, Mental Health, and Recovery. She currently lives in Dorchester with her husband and 4 children.

We talk with Councilor Essaibi George about her background growing up in Boston, her career as an educator and small business owner, her vision and plans for leading Boston out of the pandemic, and more. If you would like to learn more about Councilor Essaibi George’s campaign, please check out the links below.

Resources:

• Annissa Essaibi George Campaign Website
• Annissa Essaibi George’s Twitter
• Meet Annissa Essaibi George
• Annissa Essaibi George’s Campaign Stances
• Ways to Engage with Annissa Essaibi George’s Campaign

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We are excited to release our special podcast series on the Boston mayoral election, Catalysts for Change: The Race for Boston. 

2021 is an important year for Bostonians -- we will recover from Covid-19, and we will elect a new mayor. This is a historic election. For the first time in history, Boston will have a mayor who is a person of color. With six candidates and an open seat following Mayor Walsh’s departure to Washington D.C., there’s a lot to cover, and we’ll be diving in over the next six weeks with each of the candidates about everything from education, to economic development, to racial justice, to their favorite coffee shops and restaurants in Boston, and more.

In this first episode, we are joined by Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, who has served as an at-large member of the council since being elected in 2013. Michelle Wu previously worked at City Hall for Mayor Tom Menino and his chief of staff, Mitch Weiss, and on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2012 senate campaign. She graduated from Harvard Law School and currently lives in Roslindale with her husband and two kids.

We talk with Councilor Wu about her background and journey to Boston, her work as a Boston City Councilor, her plans for Boston schools, her vision on environmental justice, the tea shop she used to run, and more. If you would like to learn more about Michelle Wu’s campaign, please check out the resources below. 

Resources:

• Michelle Wu for Mayor Campaign Website
• Meet Michelle Wu
• Michelle Wu’s Twitter
• Michelle Wu’s Campaign Stances
• Ways to Engage with Michelle Wu’s Campaign

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In this episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks with District Attorney Rachael Rollins of Suffolk County. Since 2019, DA Rollins has been the chief law enforcement officer for Boston, Winthrop, Chelsea, and Revere. She is the first woman ever elected as District Attorney in Suffolk County and the first woman of color ever elected District Attorney in Massachusetts.

A lifelong resident of Boston and Cambridge, DA Rollins previously served on the Judicial Nominating Commission and as general counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, nominated by former Governor Deval Patrick. Since taking office as District Attorney in 2019, DA Rollins has implemented policies aimed at reducing the prosecution of misdemeanors that are tied to mental health issues, substance use disorders, food and housing insecurities, and immigration status. She created the Discharge Integrity Team to help investigate officer-involved shootings and allegations of excessive force, as well as the Integrity Review Bureau (IRB) that looks not only at post-conviction claims of innocence, but also reviews unconstitutional, unethical, and unjust convictions, as well as sentencing disparities.

We talk with DA Rollins about her background growing up in Boston and what inspired her to go into law, her innovative use of data and analytics to bring transparency and accountability to the District Attorney’s Office, and the ways in which she uses her office to drive policies aimed at creating a more just and equitable legal system.

If you would like to read more about Rachael Rollins and her work as Suffolk County District Attorney, please check out the links below.

Meet District Attorney Rachael Rollins

Rachael Rollins Biography

Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office Website

Rachael Rollins’s Twitter

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In today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, Jill talks to Lee Pelton, current President of Emerson College, who will soon become the CEO of The Boston Foundation. Starting officially at The Boston Foundation on June 1st, Dr. Pelton has an extensive background in higher education and a deep passion for service.

Throughout his career, Dr. Pelton has worked to address social justice issues. A common theme in his lectures, speeches and writing has been to ask us “to share our talents and resources with those who have not had the good fortune to participate in the bounty of life.” Pelton grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where he graduated from Wichita State University. He left Kansas to earn a Ph.D. in 19th century English and American Literature and Languages at Harvard University. After teaching at Harvard, he served as Dean of the College at Colgate University and Dartmouth College and then served for 13 years as the president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He has spent the past 10 years at Emerson College, where his leadership has been called “transformational”. In addition to his work at Emerson, Lee is involved with a number of non-profit organizations and supports their work with his informed take on racial equity.

We talk to Lee about his journey leading him to Emerson College, his vision and aspirations for his role with The Boston Foundation, the current state of Boston and the important issues facing its residents. 

If you would like to read more about Dr. Pelton’s work, check out the resources below.

• Lee Pelton Biography
• Lee Pelton and The Boston Foundation
• Lee Pelton’s Letter to Students in June 2020 on Racial Injustice
• Lee Pelton’s Twitter
• The Boston Foundation’s Website

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