Meet The Raising Multicultural Kids Executive Board
Denise Barbosa Lane – Co-Founder/Executive Director – Denise began her career in management, with a BS from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in Management with a double concentration in Finance and Marketing. Denise also has an MBA from the Simmons School of Management. Denise has over 20 years of banking experience which culminated in the office of the CIO as a Strategic Business Consultant. Denise also served as a consultant for a medical software company on sales and service related matters. Denise manages the sales, contracts and implementation of all of RMK’s programing. She serves as Program Director for our school-based programs overseeing 20-25 part-time employees and interns. She is proud of her Cape Verdean descent and has three multicultural students attending Easton Public Schools.
Kelly Ann Lamb, M.A. – Co-Founder/President – Kelly began her career as a scientist studying Epigenetics, where she specialized in experimental design. In 2009, Kelly co-founded Ethnicity & Disease Community Empowerment Center working to address the healthcare gap in BIPOC and immigrant communities, designing patient education programs, clinical trials to improve patient outcomes, and cultural competency trainings for healthcare professionals. In 2012, she began working on resource access issues in the foster care system, eventually becoming an advocate and serving as Vice President of Massachusetts Alliance For Families. Kelly helped design and advocate for the Behavioral Health Partners Program, utilizing the skills and knowledge of experienced foster parents to help foster parents struggling to meet their child’s behavioral health needs. She also consults for the Department of Children and Families working to address systemic issues experienced by Foster Parents that ultimately harm the children in their care. In 2019, she co-founded RMK after her daughter experienced multiple racial incidents in Kindergarten. Kelly is responsible for resource and program development, custom designing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs for schools and other non-profits. Kelly’s amazing experience in advocacy and program development and design in multiple sectors has been a wonderful asset to the organization. Kelly has three multiracial students in Easton Public School.
Maria Monteiro – Vice President – Maria is a Senior Integration Analyst on the Interface Engineering Team at Boston Medical Center. She has a Bachelors in Biology with a Pre-Med concentration from Manhattanville College. Maria has been a member of RMK since inception and she has one multicultural student in Easton Public Schools.
Angela Clark – Treasurer – Angela is President of Diversity and Inclusion at Robinhood Investments. In her current role, she develops, manages and helps set the direction for DE&I processes across the enterprise, creating a culture of inclusion. Prior to joining Robinhood, Angela received her Bachelor of Arts from Boston College in 1996 and a Master of Science degree from Boston College in 1998. She also holds the FINRA Principal Series 7 and 63 licenses.
Jacqueline (Jackie) Grant – Secretary – Jackie has a BS in Business Management from Bentley University. She is a Client Accounting Manager at a law firm in Boston, where she has worked for 23 years. She has been a member of RMK since June 2020. Jackie and her husband have two multicultural students attending Easton Public Schools.
Leadership
Kendreia Perry – Program Director – Kendreia Perry is an experienced professional, facilitator, challenge-solver and leader in tailored solutions. She is passionate about program development, community building, and positively impacting the lives of others. Kendreia brings over 17 years of experience working with various communities and school districts throughout Plymouth & Bristol counties, most notably in the cities of Taunton, Brockton, N. Dighton, and Somerset, where she has specialized in supporting underserved & disadvantaged populations as well as forming and nurturing community partnerships. Experienced in community and school outreach programs, including program design from concept to execution, that meet or exceed organizational goals and objectives and lead to successful outcomes. Strong organizational abilities with proven success managing and coordinating multiple programs, projects and initiatives. Kendreia is also committed to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.
Justine Medina – Curriculum Director – Justine has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Manhattanville College, a Master’s degree from Mercy College in Elementary Education and Teaching and a CAGS from American International College. She began her career in social work and transitioned to education in September of 2004 as a teacher in the Bronx for the New York City Public Schools. In 2007 Justine returned to her hometown of New Bedford, MA, where she initiated a district wide Parent Teacher Home Visit Project, bringing teachers and families together and giving teachers a stronger understanding of the students and families they serve. Justine taught for 8 years before moving into the role as Assistant Principal. As a leader she continued to grow and was asked to lead Carlos Pacheco Elementary School as the Principal in 2017. While Principal she served as a member of the New Bedford Public Schools’ Diversity and Equity Team. After leading Carlos Pacheco from 2017-2021, Justine became a search consultant with Carney Sandoe and Associates’s DEI practice. Justine is currently the Dean of Teaching, Learning, and Culture at Our Sisters’ School, an all girls, tuition free, independent middle school. In September, she will be teaching ESL at Elizabeth Carter Brooks Elementary School in New Bedford School District. She is a certified personal trainer and passionate about health and wellness. Justine enjoys spending time with her two children, Noah and Karlee.
Lauren Robinson – Instructional Strategy – Lauren spent 13 years as an educator and supported students who have a variety of needs and backgrounds, including Autism, ADD/ADHD and Dyslexia. She has M.A. in Special Education/Moderate Disabilities and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction served as the Director of Special Education for Pre K-12 for for a charter school in Boston for 3 years. She also is a parent of a child with special needs and utilizes her lived experiences to support other parents through the special education process. Lauren is a Curriculum Specialist for RMK and owns Mind Motives Consulting where she helps families navigate the special education system.
Amie Dossantos – Littlest Inclusive Learners Curriculum Leader – Amie has a BA in Child Psychology & double Master’s Degrees in Elementary & Special Education. She worked as a Child Developmental Specialist for Thom Boston Metro Early Intervention for 4 years. During that time, she founded a Library Story Hour at the Boston Public Library in Mattapan & served as a Play Activity Leader for Horizons for Homeless Children. She currently works for Randolph Public Schools as a Kindergarten teacher. Over the last 12 years she has also taught K, 2nd & 3rd grade special education. She has served on the Language Assessment Team for English Language Learners & currently serves on the Instructional Leadership Team. She has been a union representative & member of the Principal Advisory Council. Amie was a panelist at Bristol County Community College’s Social Justice Forum: Race & Education. She served as an Inspired Fellow for Massachusetts DESE, focusing on the recruitment, support and retention of BIPOC educators. She is a mentor for youth through Taunton Area School to Career. Amie is the Educational Director for T.R.U.E Diversity. In this role, she has secured and created DEIB resources for students of all ages as well as families. She also develops the curriculum for their summer enrichment program. Amie’s most important role is being a mother to her beautiful daughter. Each day she strives to make the future better for her daughter & all children.
Adam Garner – Grant Writer – Adam graduated from Dean College in May 2021 with a B.A. in English. Growing up in a multicultural family, Adam has a great enthusiasm for learning about other cultures. This aligns perfectly with RMK’s mission and work. He is currently taking courses to learn Chinese. Adam’s passion for helping people and organizations tell compelling stories has helped RMK receive several grants from multiple local Cultural Councils and foundations.
Vanessa Fossouo – Partnership Coordinator – Vanessa has a BS in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and a Doctorate in Pharmacy from Northeastern University. She is a Clinical Pharmacist Specialist at the VA Boston Healthcare System in Brockton. Vanessa has been a member of RMK since inception and has served on the board. She currently serves as RMK’s representative on Easton’s Wings of Hope board, a grassroots non-profit working to prevent youth substance use through education, awareness, and policy change.
Theresa Moore – DEIA Consultant Theresa is the President/Founder of T-Time Productions. T-Time develops and produces unique and diverse programming/content for various media platforms including television, film, online, mobile, tablets and gaming consoles. T-Time is currently publishing a digital curricula library focused on providing more diverse and inclusive demographic representations and learning styles in the educational resources/materials used in schools, classrooms and other educational environments across the country.
In addition to educational publishing, T-Time provides professional development services for teachers, schools, school districts, non-profits and other organizations with a focus on culturally relevant, inclusive and equitable pedagogies, practices, policies and curricula.
Moore is also a Visiting Professor of Diversity & Inclusion at Providence College, teaching in their MBA, Masters of Urban Education, Global Studies and School of Continuing Education programs and providing pedagogical and curricula training, coaching and support in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for the college’s faculty.
Community Education Leadership Team
Angela Clark – Angela Clark is a Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at Robinhood Investments. In her current role, she develops, manages and helps set the direction for Diversity and Inclusion processes across the enterprise, creating a culture of inclusion. Prior to joining Robinhood, Angela received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston College in 1996 and a Master of Science degree from Boston College in 1998. She also holds the FINRA Principal Series 7 and 63 licenses. Angela has three children and a fantastic husband. She spends her free time playing basketball with her children, as well as watching the Celtics and HGTV.
Dawn Weeks Perry – Dawn Perry, Esq., is the Vice President of Business and Deputy General Counsel for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Her responsibilities include oversight of lawyers and legal staff in connection with business transactions, financial investments, corporate records administration, intellectual property portfolio management, regulatory compliance (i.e., data utilization, marketing and advertising), and offering legal advice to various business units and senior executives within Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Dawn supports her community as a member to few boards, such as the Massachusetts Board of Registration and Pharmacy, Boston Arts Academy Foundation Boards, and Bridgewater State University’s Ricciardi College of Business Advisory Board Member. A graduate of University of Massachusetts at Amherst, she received her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University School of Law and a Master of Business of Administration from Sawyer Business School – Suffolk University School of Business. Dawn, her husband Sedrick and two daughters reside in Easton MA.