Staff

Jennifer brings over 20 years of experience in the fields of public health and social work with specialties in program development and implementation, community engagement, racial health equity, and executive leadership. As Executive Director of the Children’s Trust, she leads Massachusetts’ primary family support and child abuse and neglect prevention agency. Previously, she served as the Chief People and Equity Officer and Executive Director, Massachusetts at Health Leads.

Jennifer honed her clinical and program development skills at the Young Parents Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, a specialty primary care clinic dedicated to teen parents. She also worked in the emergency departments of Boston Children’s Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, providing psychiatric and social crisis intervention.

Jennifer has served as board president for the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy, Vice President for Membership and Diversity with the National Association of Social Workers, Massachusetts Chapter, and currently serves on the board of Vital CxNs, a Boston based non-profit community health systems change organization. She graduated from Portland State University with a BS in sociology and Boston University with an MSW in Clinical Social Work and MPH in Policy and Management. When not at work, Jennifer is probably with her two teenage children or slowly walking their geriatric rescue dog.

As the Chief Financial Officer, Shandra oversees the finance team and manages the Children’s Trust budget of approximately $24M, covering state, federal, and trust spending.

Shandra joined the Children’s Trust in 2023 and brings over 16 years of experience in state budget and fiscal management, having previously held several roles within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Her background also includes experience in retail banking and investments.

Shandra holds a master’s degree from Suffolk University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska – where she is originally from. In addition to her professional work, Shandra is proud to have been elected Board Treasurer at two non-profits and hopes to do so again in the future, when her children are a bit older.

As Chief Operating Officer, Emily oversees human resources, information technology, facilities, board governance, and internal operating procedures that support agency functioning and programmatic execution. In addition, she provides strategic direction and leadership to execute agency-wide goals.

Joining the Children’s Trust in 2023, Emily brings vast knowledge and experience in building community-based, wrap-around support services for children, youth, and families in both the public and private sectors. Emily’s leadership in public school districts resulted in the creation of more equitable environments by addressing barriers, prioritizing parent voices, creating partnerships, and leveraging resources. A background in public board service, data analysis and advocacy round out the value she adds to the Children’s Trust team.

Emily earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rhode Island College. She currently lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two sports-loving children.

As the Chief External Affairs Officer, Patrick leads the organization’s communications, government affairs, external partnerships, and development. He’s focused on raising visibility of the Children’s Trust’s mission to address the root causes of child abuse and neglect, advancing key policy priorities that change systems to support families, and overseeing the organization’s fundraising strategy.

Patrick is well known for his leadership at mission-driven organizations focused on equity, education, and public health. Most recently, he served as CEO of Life After Hate, a national nonprofit helping people leave violent extremist groups and build productive lives. Previously, Patrick served as Chief Communications and Strategy Officer for the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, where he led national campaigns to elevate teacher preparation and STEM education. He was also CEO of the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN), where he helped drive education policy reforms and build a statewide advocacy network. He has also served as the communications director for U.S. Rep. John Olver (MA-1) and was on the leadership team for the High Meadows Graduate School of Education, built in collaboration with MIT. He has served as an advisor for Jobs for the Future, Fitchburg State University, UMASS Memorial Health, Crane Paper, New England College of Finance, and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

He began his career on Capitol Hill and has advised presidential administrations, governors, education commissioners, nonprofit CEOs, and foundation leaders on how to communicate complex issues with clarity and purpose. He is also the author of several publications and blog posts about education, public policy, nonprofit strategy, and leadership.

Patrick earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and completed the Non-Profit Leaders Executive Education Program at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He received his doctorate from the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, focusing his award-winning academic research on the value of a learn-from-failure mindset. He lives in Worcester, MA, with his wife, Dr. Jennifer Riccards, and their two children.

Sarita joined the Children’s Trust in 1997 and in 2019 assumed the position of Deputy Director of Programs, overseeing all Children’s Trust programs.

Sarita served as the Director of Home Visiting for 22 years, leading the Healthy Families Massachusetts Implementation Team (HFMIT). Under Sarita’s leadership, Healthy Families Massachusetts (HFM) has twice successfully completed Healthy Families America accreditation and has been the subject of a longstanding randomized trial evaluation that has demonstrated the positive impacts of HFM in the short and long-term.

In addition to experience as a home visitor and NCAST rater in Hawai’i Healthy Start, she holds the degrees of Bachelor of Arts in History from Kansas State University and Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, as well as a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Boston University Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Sarita is a proud mother and grandmother and lives in Somerville with her husband and their hedgehogs.

As Director of Prevention, Tammy leads our statewide child sexual abuse prevention (CSAP) work. She currently oversees all CSAP programming, technical assistance and support to funded programs, data collection, statewide relationships to support CSAP programs, and content development for the Safe Kids Thrive website.

Prior to joining the CSAP team, Tammy worked with the Healthy Families Massachusetts (HFM) program as a Program Specialist and Resource Specialist for over 15 years, providing training, technical assistance, and quality assurance to HFM staff. With over 20 years in the field, she has experience teaching and managing early childhood programs, early childhood home visiting, and home visiting program development. Additionally, she has extensive experience training professionals in early childhood developmental screening, curriculum use, reflective supervisory skills development, communication approaches when working with families, Strengthening Families Protective Factors, and child sexual abuse prevention programming.

Tammy received a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education & child development from the University of Maine at Farmington and a master’s degree in child & family studies with a focus on public policy and advocacy from Tufts University.

As the Director of Training Content, Meg oversees all initial and ongoing professional development for the family support workforce across the Commonwealth.

During her tenure with the Children’s Trust, Meg has developed partnerships to strengthen and advance home visiting at the state and national levels. For seven years, Meg coordinated the Healthy Families Massachusetts training program. Prior to joining the Children’s Trust, Meg directed early literacy programs for young children and worked as a preschool teacher.

Meg received her master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and has extensive experience in early education, adult learning and integration, and instructional design.

As Director of Marketing and Events, Liz leads the Marketing and Communications Team, raising awareness about the organization’s mission and programs. She plays a key role in shaping marketing strategies and managing events that connect the community with child abuse and neglect prevention efforts.

Liz joined the Children’s Trust in 2019 with a background in development communications, project management, and event planning. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Rhode Island. Outside of work, Liz enjoys life on the South Shore with her husband and their three energetic boys.

As the Director of Home Visiting, Steven leads the Healthy Families Massachusetts Implementation Team (HFMIT) who provide support and technical assistance to the statewide network of Healthy Families Massachusetts (HFM) programs serving first-time young parents. Aside from ensuring the evidence-based HFM programs are implemented with fidelity, he regularly collaborates with local non-profits, state agencies, and universities on private, state, and federally funded initiatives and program enhancements.

Steven joined the Children’s Trust in 2007 as a HFM Program Specialist having previously worked in the areas of elementary and higher education, specialized foster care, juvenile justice, and workforce development.

Steven holds a Bachelor of Political Science from Salem State University and a Master of Urban Affairs from Boston University. He is certified by the National Alliance of Children’s Trust & Prevention Funds to provide trainings on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework.

As Director of Training Services, Alli co-leads the Children’s Trust’s Training Institute, supporting the family support workforce across Massachusetts. Alli’s team is focused on equipping those who work with families and children every day with the skills and knowledge they need to support and strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Since joining the organization in 2018 as a student intern, Alli has played a key role in the Abusive Head Trauma Prevention and Healthy Families Massachusetts training programs, helping to expand their reach and impact.

Alli earned her MSW in Macro Practice with a focus on Children, Youth, and Families from Boston University, building on five years of experience as an early childhood educator. She holds a bachelor’s degree in French and Studio Art from Vassar College, where she developed her passion for supporting children’s growth and well-being.

Outside of work, Alli enjoys discovering Boston’s best playgrounds and bakeries with her young son.

As the Children’s Trust’s first Employee Experience Manager, Wil leads efforts to build a workplace culture where colleagues feel safe, supported, and free to bring their complete selves to work. With more than 20 years of HR experience across multiple industries, Wil focuses on employee well-being, healthy working relationships, and practices that promote safety and service.

Before entering the HR field, Wil worked as a Public Information Researcher, analyzing Suffolk County Registry of Deeds records to uncover predatory lending practices by home improvement contractors. Their research revealed how high-interest loans were leading to foreclosures in Boston’s communities of color. These findings helped drive public awareness and regulation of the industry, protecting vulnerable homeowners from exploitation.