TCRC Steering Committee
At the heart of TCRC is a shared and democratic leadership model, demonstrated in its steering committee with members from across Tufts’ neighboring communities and Tufts academic departments. TCRC is also supported by a broader participatory and action research community, cultivated since the center’s earliest days in 2005.
Steering Committee Co-Chairs
The following co-chairs work closely with the Director to facilitate and help shape the center’s work
Penn Loh
Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy, Tisch College
Tisch College Community Research Center
Alex Pirie
Immigrant Health Providers, Inc.
Steering Committee Director
Elaine Donnelly
Tufts Representatives
Penn Loh
Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy, Tisch College
Co-Chair, Tisch College Community Research Center
Shirley Mark
Tisch College, Director of Community Partnerships
Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion (ADDI)
Allen Rutberg
Tufts Center for Animals and Public Policy
Sumeeta Srinivasan
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning
Broader TCRC Research Community
TCRC continues to grow its broader community of participatory and action researchers, across Tufts university, communities in Massachusetts, and beyond. Interested in learning more and getting involved? Please reach out to Elaine Donnelly.
Community Representatives
Georgiana Chevry
Coordinator of Internship Programs, Bunker Hill Community College
Georgiana Chevry has a deep understanding of board governance, higher education administration, and non-profit organizations. Her 20+ year career and consulting practice has centered on meeting with diverse stakeholders, leadership groups, and grantees to further organizational goals aligned with empowering first-generation and racially minoritized populations. Through her work, Georgiana has seen first-hand how such intentional organizational goals can bring transformational improvements to workforce development, families, and communities. A few examples of where Georgiana's work has made sustainable impact are: Mayor Menino’s Success Boston, Massachusetts Life Science Internship Challenge, Hack. Diversity Fellows, Adult Basic Education, and Basic Needs Security of college students. Georgiana's work has led her to increasingly focus on the intersection of education, housing, and economics as a path to meaningful policy change. The youngest of two, Georgiana grew up in Medford. She received a bachelor's degree in sociology from Trinity College and master's in higher education administration from Suffolk University.
Lisa Crossman
Executive Director, West Medford Community Center
John Hsieh
Deputy Executive Director, Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS)
John Hsieh is the Deputy Executive Director at the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS). Founded in 1981, CAAS is a federally designated anti-poverty agency serving Somerville and Cambridge, with a mission to help local families and individuals achieve financial security while working to eliminate the root causes of economic injustice. John brings deep experience in all facets of nonprofit strategy, programming, operations, and governance, developed over 15+ years in senior management positions across the human service, free and open source software, domestic violence, and arts sectors. In addition to his not-for-profit career, John has experience in government affairs, management consulting, and start-ups. He holds graduate degrees in business and community economic development.
Alicia Hunt
Director of Planning, Development and Sustainability, City of Medford
Alicia is the Director of Planning, Development and Sustainability for the City of Medford. She has been with the City since 2010, where she started as the Energy Efficiency Coordinator and then the Energy & Environment Director. As a Medford resident and parent, she is involved with many community groups both as a member and volunteer. Alicia works frequently with environmental and civically minded organizations throughout the city and enjoys connecting people and groups to each other and the city in order to strengthen community throughout Medford.
Alexandra Oliver-Dávila
Executive Director, Sociedad Latina
Alexandra Oliver-Dávila, Executive Director, has been serving at Sociedad Latina since 1999. During her 20+ year tenure, she has transformed Sociedad Latina into a cutting-edge, data-driven, creative youth development organization. Under her leadership, Sociedad Latina has increased and diversified its budget, expanded board membership, engaged a greater number of youth and families it partners with, and grown youth development program offerings. Alex has served as the Chair of the Boston Public School Committee, a trustee of Emmanuel College, a board member of the Coalition of Schools of Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC), and a committee member of the Greater Boston Latino Network (GBLN). In recognition for her hard work and dedication to the Latine community in Boston, Alex has received a number of honors and recognition over the years. In 2018, she was selected by The Partnership to participate in the Next Generation Executive Leadership Program and was named one of Boston’s “100 Most Influential People of Color” by Get Konnected. She has been honored several times in Boston Magazine's “100 Most Powerful People for Massachusetts’ Latinos”. Alex holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Emmanuel College, and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Tufts University.
Alex Pirie
Co-chair, TCRC; Coordinator, Immigrant Services Provider Group/Health
Alex Pirie is the Coordinator of the Immigrant Service Providers Group/Health in Somerville, MA. Deeply committed to Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR0, he served as a Co-Investigator on “Assessing and Preventing Obesity in New Immigrants” (National Institute for Child Heath and Human Development), a community coordinator on “Assessing and Controlling Occupational Health Risks for Immigrants in Somerville, MA” (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), and was a consultant on a Harvard Catalyst Pilot grant examining the consequences of ICE Raids and law enforcement behavior on immigrant health access in Everett, MA. He has served on the community engagement advisory groups for both the Tufts Clinical Translational Institute and the Harvard Catalyst and currently serves on the Population Health Board Sub-committee at the Cambridge Health Alliance; is a member of the Immigrant Services Unit, Office of Immigrant Affairs, City of Somerville, and participates in alternate weekly meetings, Somerville and Regional, preparing for families and unaccompanied minors arriving from the border. He is the community co-director for the steering committee of the Tisch College Community Research Center and also serves on the steering committee for the Somerville Youth Workers Network, an Asian Data Working Group, and the annual planning committee for The State of Asian Women’s Health conferences.
Ellin Reisner
President, Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership
Ellin Reisner, Ph.D. is President of the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP), an organization of community residents working to improve transportation and air quality for residents and workers in Somerville. She is a founding and continuing community research partner of the Community Assessment of Freeway Exposure and Health (CAFEH) research team. Ellin is also a co-author of the Family Caregiving Handbook: Finding Elder Care Resources in Massachusetts.
Yoyo Yau
Chief Program Officer, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
Yoyo Yau, MA, LMHC, is the Chief Program Officer at the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center and an adjunct professor at Lesley University. Yoyo is a licensed mental health counselor with a background in early intervention, mental health counseling, gambling addiction counseling, and brain injury recovery. She has worked with non-profits, hospital settings, and state agencies to provide assessment, therapy, treatment, and crisis intervention. She has been appointed by the Massachusetts Governor as a member of the Addiction Services Subcommittee of the Gaming Policy Advisory Committee in 2021.