MassFamilies Board of Directors
Please check the MassFamilies Calendar for scheduled board meetings.
Officers
Rania Kelly,
Co-Chair

I have been fortunate to have completed educational experiences that support my advocacy work such as graduating from the LEND fellowship from The Shriver Center’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities, INP’s certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Tufts University, the Commonwealth Seminar’s six-week program on legislative and state budget process for community leaders, certified Charting the LifeCourse Ambassador, and certified Community Access Monitor from the Massachusetts Office on Disability.
Keila Torres,
Co-Chair

Mi nombre es Keila Torres. Actualmente resido en el oeste de Massachusetts. He sido defensora de la educación especial durante más de doce años, enfocado en el autismo, I / DD y otras áreas. Estudié Cultura y lenguaje de Sordos en Holyoke Community College y luego amplié mis estudios a Asociado en Artes con una concentración en Educación Infantil. Recientemente me uní a MassFamilies como coordinadora de alcance para familias de habla hispana. Quiero ayudar a las familias a encontrar su voz en su comunidad y abogar por cambios que las hagan inclusivas en los servicios y el apoyo para sus seres queridos con discapacidades. Tengo la fortuna de contar con el apoyo de mi esposo, mis dos hijos y mi hija, quienes tienen múltiples (dis)capacidades. En mi tiempo libre, me gusta pasar tiempo con mi familia, escuchar música, leer y ver películas de superhéroes con ellos.
Priscilla Bessa,
Clerk

Being an immigrant, living far from my support network in a country with language and culture different from mine, added to all the needs of a newly diagnosed child, were major challenges that we would face. This is how I started my journey as a parent advocate: learning to navigate the health and education system, seeking services and supports to provide a good quality of life for my daughter with a disability and to our family.
The need to connect with other families experiencing a similar reality encouraged me to found a support group for atypical Portuguese-speaking families living in Massachusetts. Our group, now called SuperParents, currently has nearly 250 families. Our mission is to provide opportunities for families to connect by sharing experiences and resources that will help to improve the quality of life of our loved ones with disabilities. We also promote social and recreational events for our families to interact and include the kids in community activities. We believe that awareness, acceptance, and inclusion are the keys for a better world where the differences are respected. Watching this group growing, friendships starting, people helping each other, families having a sense of belonging, nourishes my heart with a feeling of gratitude. My initial wish of offering the best for my daughter was extended for a bigger wish of wanting that for all kids with disabilities and their families, because they all deserve to have a better life.
Atypical motherhood changed me as a human being and changed the direction of my life. Everyday I dedicate my time in learning new things to help not just my daughter, but many other kids with disabilities and their families. I have attended to leadership trainings and disability related courses so I could improve my skills and develop a career in the human service field. In 2017, I graduated from Massfamilies metro region family leadership series. The same year I also completed the PCTI training for parent advocate at the Federation for Children with special needs. In 2020, my youngest child was diagnosed with Autism by the age of 2.
The next year I joined MassFamilies as a volunteer Portuguese outreach coordinator and also became a Charting the Life Course Ambassador. Recently I received a certificate as a Community interpreter and started LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related disorders) fellowship at Umass/Shriver Center. Finally, this year I had the opportunity to offer the first Family Leadership Series in Portuguese with the support of Lauri Medeiros.”
“Sou mãe de três filhos incríveis e únicos. Dois deles são neurodivergentes. Somos do Brasil e moramos em Northborough. Eu tenho formação em Letras e costumava ser professora bilíngue (inglês/português) por 8 anos. Nossas vidas mudaram completamente depois que minha segunda filha foi diagnosticada com um raro transtorno genético do neurodesenvolvimento. Suas múltiplas deficiências e complexidades médicas foram a principal razão pela qual nossa família se mudou para os EUA em 2016.
Ser imigrante, viver longe da minha rede de apoio em um país com idioma e cultura diferentes dos meus, somados a todas as necessidades de uma criança recém-diagnosticada, eram grandes desafios que enfrentaríamos. Foi assim que comecei minha jornada como mãe advogada: aprendendo a navegar pelo sistema de saúde e educação, buscando serviços e apoios para fornecer uma boa qualidade de vida para minha filha com deficiência e para nossa família.
A necessidade de me conectar com outras famílias que experimentam uma realidade semelhante me encorajou a fundar um grupo de apoio para famílias atípicas de língua portuguesa que vivem em Massachusetts. Nosso grupo, agora chamado de SuperParents, atualmente tem quase 250 famílias. Nossa missão é oferecer oportunidades para as famílias se conectarem compartilhando experiências e recursos que ajudarão a melhorar a qualidade de vida de nossos entes queridos com deficiência. Também promovemos eventos sociais e recreativos para que nossas famílias interajam e incluam as crianças em atividades comunitárias. Acreditamos que a conscientização, a aceitação e a inclusão são as chaves para um mundo melhor, onde as diferenças são respeitadas. Ver este grupo crescendo, amizades começando, pessoas se ajudando, famílias com um senso de pertencimento, nutre meu coração com um sentimento de gratidão. Meu desejo inicial de oferecer o melhor para minha filha foi estendido para um desejo maior de querer isso para todas as crianças com deficiência e suas famílias, porque todas elas merecem ter uma vida melhor.
A maternidade atípica me mudou como ser humano e mudou a direção da minha vida. Todos os dias dedico meu tempo aprendendo coisas novas para ajudar não apenas minha filha, mas muitas outras crianças com deficiência e suas famílias. Participei de treinamentos de liderança e cursos relacionados à deficiência para que eu pudesse melhorar minhas habilidades e desenvolver uma carreira no campo do serviços humanos. Em 2017, me formei na série de liderança familiar da região metropolitana pelo Massfamilies. No mesmo ano, também completei o treinamento PCTI para país advogados na Federação para Crianças com Necessidades Especiais. Em 2020, meu filho mais novo foi diagnosticado com autismo aos 2 anos de idade. No ano seguinte, entrei para a Massfamilies como coordenadora voluntária de divulgação na língua portuguesa e também me tornei embaixadora do Charting the Life Course. Recentemente, recebi um certificado como intérprete comunitário e comecei a participar do programa LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related disorders) no Umass/Shriver Center. Finalmente, este ano tive a oportunidade de oferecer a primeira Série de Liderança Familiar em português com o apoio de Lauri Medeiros."
Lauri Medeiros,
Treasurer
Board Members
Ann Berube,
Central

Sue Crosby
West

As a licensed social worker, I enjoy helping caregivers recognize their unique strengths, and discover ways to use them to help advocate for their families. I am always inspired by the spirit, resilience, and determination of parents and caregivers. I look forward to every opportunity to support and learn from them.
Loida Love Dominguez,
Northeast

Paloma Fernandes,
Southeast

Jaya Pandey,
Central

She has a master’s in Chemistry and has worked as a high school teacher in India. Jaya lived in Singapore before moving to the United States.
She works as a Business Analyst in a finance firm. She has multiple interests and is passionate about writing, cooking, music, traveling and connecting people to one another . She writes about various issues on her two blogs and for various organizations . In 2015 she became a part of the 100SareePact and since then she has used Sarees as a medium to talk about social causes, disability and life as an immigrant woman and a Special Needs child’s mother. She is very involved in the Indian community in MA and has been working on raising awareness about special needs and Autism.
From personal experience and her own journey she has made it a mission to help Indian moms with Special Needs Children. She truly understands how isolated, confused and overwhelmed a mother can feel when her child gets diagnosed.
She founded “Desi Moms Network” a Global Community that connects Indian Moms with Special Needs Children to encourage them to be each other’s combined strength, support and resource.
Her blogs are MomLovesAnand.Blogspot.com and
Jayapandey.blogspot.com
Amy Peters
Southeast

Lisa Sims,
Metro

My son and I are both Charting the LifeCourse Ambassadors. I want to make sure Black American families like ours have access to Supported Decision making. I want my son and I to continue strengthening our Family and outreach to the Black American Community. When I go to trainings usually, I’m the only Black person there, I am hoping I can change that.
I think my life experience as a single mother, Black American, a person struggling with disabilities, and a mother raising a Black Autistic adult will bring a perspective and voice that is often missing in the conversation.
I hope that I can help bring a voice to the table that usually isn’t there. That I can share the struggles that families like mine are having. I also enjoy telling my families story and I believe I would be a compelling advocate for pushing legislation and making change.
I believe telling your story is how to win hearts and minds to change policy and the system. I want the system to work for families like ours.