Our People

Charlene Allen brings 35 years of progressive and extensive Human Resources experience as a HR and Board executive, and as a consultant to for-profit and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves as a Board Member for Market Street Trust Company, a New York State private trust company. In this capacity she is also a member of the Compensation and Audit & Risk Management Committees. From 2011 to 2015 she served on the Board of Directors for CDM Smith, a billion dollar, global engineering, construction, and operations firm. Charlene was the first HR executive to be appointed to CDM Smiths Board. Since April of 2016, she has served on the Board of Overseers for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) – Angell Memorial Animal Hospital.

Laura is responsible for cultivating continued engagement among program graduates and within their communities. With seven years of experience in international community development, Laura believes strongly in the power of local networks to impact positive and long-lasting change. Prior to joining Interise, Laura led the fundraising and operational efforts of Better Future International, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization serving orphaned and vulnerable children and their families in Tanzania, Haiti and Dominican Republic. She is a founder of Better Future’s Tanzania program and led its start up on site for nearly two years. Laura holds a B.A. in French and a B.A. in Dance from Hamilton College, and a M.A. in International Affairs from The New School.

As the Program Associate for Research and Evaluation, Arnav works with the full Interise network to make sure Interise is able to collect data for the continual improvement of the StreetWise ‘MBA’™ and to measure its impact on small businesses. He is assisting in the integration of more qualitative data and methods into Interise research. Arnav is originally from the Boston area and graduated from the University of Chicago with Bachelor's degrees in sociology and economics.

As Development Manager, Jess supports all of Interise’s fundraising efforts and helps to build the Interise brand. Prior to joining Interise, Jess worked at SCS Noonan Scholars, a Boston-based nonprofit that supports high-achieving students at selective schools across the country. Jess holds a B.A. in Sociology from Dartmouth College.

In the spring of 2016, Elizabeth was welcomed by Interise representing the South Coast region as Program Manager. With her new role, she hopes to connect with all facets of community building: city government, media outlets, networking agencies and small businesses. Today, she is utilizing her past connections and partnerships within the area to help build the impact Interise has in the region by increasing the capacity and growth of the cornerstone of any thriving community: small businesses. Elizabeth came to the South Coast from NY starting her professional journey in the non-profit realm. She has worked in the museum/cultural field bringing her love of wildlife, collections, history and education to children, families and adults with a major of Museum Education at Syracuse University. After moving to Mattapoisett and the hidden gem of the South Coast, her journey extended to partnering with community organizations in the New Bedford region while working for the New Bedford Chamber, New Bedford Preservation Society and the Rotch Jones Duff House & Garden Museum.

As Program Manager of Partnerships, Katie manages the relationships, systems, and services needed to ensure quality program execution, participant retention, and partnership renewal. Katie also works to identify and qualify new license or partnership opportunities. Prior to joining Interise, Katie held positions at the Flatbush Avenue BID and Church Avenue BID as Deputy Executive Director, and at the Jamaica Center BID as Director of Economic Development. Katie has a passion for participating in collaborative community and economic development initiatives that work to develop and protect healthy urban ecosystems and achieve vibrant local economies. Katie holds a B.A. in Community Planning from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and a M.S. in Environmental Planning and Sustainability Management from The New School.

As Marketing and Communications Manager, Craig is responsible for four functional areas: general marketing; communications and branding; publications and the website; media relations and social media. Prior to joining Interise, Craig served for five years at Interise alum, City Feed and Supply, where he led in marketing and operational roles. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Roxbury Community College and Emerson College. He also served as the Marketing and Sales Manager at Otter Creek Brewing. His overseas experience includes an undergraduate study at the University of Bologna, and teaching at American University Alumni in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Craig holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Vermont and a Master of Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing from Emerson College.

As Program Manager for Partnerships, Tanisha manages the relationships, systems and services needed to ensure quality program execution, participant retention, and partnership renewal. Tanisha previously worked for BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) where she oversaw program and partnership operations, directed a youth development program for high school students and managed an organization-wide learning management system. She holds a B.S. from Northeastern University in Organizational Communications.

Aliesha supports Interise's contract with the SBA's Emerging Leaders Initiate, by ensuring organizational effectiveness, and improving processes in order to reach operational efficiency. With 5 years of community development and public health experience, Aliesha is a strong advocate of fostering relationships with local communities to bring about change. Prior to joining Interise, Aliesha worked for Partners In Health in Haiti as a Development Associate focusing on relationship management, communications, and fundraising efforts. She is a graduate of Northeastern University where she received a BA in Political Science and International Affairs with a minor in Latino, Latin American, and Caribbean Studies.

Jenn was born and raised in New Jersey and graduated from The College of New Jersey with her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Anthropology. After college, Jenn served as an Americorps member with City Year Boston at a school in Roxbury. Jenn has grown up going to the Jersey Shore and still enjoys spending parts of her summer there, she is also passionate about pop culture and her two family dogs. At Interise, Jenn supports the logistics for program operations across 60 locations, ensuring effective collaboration and communication.

Taelyr Roberts is the program manager for national programs at Interise supporting the Emerging Leaders initiative with a focus on data analysis and relationship building. As a Babson College alumna originally from Dallas, Texas, Taelyr has had a keen eye for entrepreneurship most of her life. She brings 6 years of entrepreneurial programming experience working for organizations such as Americorps VISTA and Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. She is passionate about access ad opportunity for systemically disadvantaged populations and has a strong belief that for businesses as well as people there is always room to grow.

Gorvens' role is to capture each monetary or non-monetary transactions on time that lead to accurate financial statements for budget, planning and operations essential to the good health and function of Interise at its programs, partnerships, and departmental levels.

Lyndsay hails from sunny Colorado and moved to Boston to continue pursuing a life of leadership in the service of others. As a Program Manager, she serves Boston's neighborhoods and the Greater Boston area, and is responsible for building awareness of our StreetWise ‘MBA’™ program via recruitment, community building, and maintaining relationships with clients. She previously served as a Senior Regional Admissions staff member for City Year, Inc. after having served as a City Year Boston AmeriCorps member in Mattapan. Prior to her career with City Year, Lyndsay served as an AmeriCorps member with the National Civilian Community Corps as a Wildland Firefighter in the mountains of Arizona. She graduated in 2010 from Regis University in Denver with a B.A. and maintains the ideal of Cura Personalis in all of her professional and personal endeavors.