Board and Staff

Staff

Erin Freeborn, Executive Director

Yael Yaaloz, Program Director

Yael is the Program Director at C4RJ. She completed her studies in Conflict Resolution and Coexistence as well as a Non-Profit MBA at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. She is passionate about the principles of restorative practice and hopes to use her past experience in leadership and peacebuilding to uplift the work of restorative justice. Yael became familiar with C4RJ in 2018, planned to participate in the training during the Spring of 2020 and instead joined our team. She loves being outside, gardening, and adventuring.

Amanda Ruiz, Deputy Director of Programs and Operations

Amanda Ruiz (she/they) is C4RJ's Deputy Director of Programs and Operations. Amanda is from Lynn, MA and has been passionate about serving communities her whole life. In 2019, she received her BA in Crime & Justice Studies and Spanish from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. At UMD, she was part of the Inside-Out program which brought together students and the incarcerated community taking a college seminar and circle processes. From there she served at the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair and administrative roles in the Community Engagement Bureau and Chelsea District Court. She can often be found with her best fur-friend Cassie taking adventures or in a quiet place enjoying a nice book or movie. 

Susan Archer, Director of Development

Before joining C4RJ, Susan was the Program Coordinator at Prep@Pingree, an innovative year-round academic and cultural enrichment program that prepares middle school students for high school and beyond. She also served as Director of Development at LifeScene Family & Children’s Service, a nonprofit on the north shore of Boston that provides programs and services to strengthen the lifeskills of families.

Susan is a skilled communications professional and problem solver.  She has over 25 years of experience delivering creative solutions for television networks, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. Nothing drives her more than helping organizations connect to possibilities. 

Susan is a graduate of Boston University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her free time, Susan can be found reading the newspaper, knitting, or taking long walks in the woods.

Kyrk Morris, Case Manager

Kyrk Morris is C4RJ’s first case manager on staff. Kyrk, a native of Cambridge, MA, has had over 20 years of experience implementing Restorative Justice Practices. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in the Administration of Justice from Howard University, a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice from Suffolk University, and an Advanced Graduate Degree in Educational Leadership & School Administration from Cambridge College.

His previous experiences as a juvenile probation intern, a bailiff, child abuse victim advocate, special educator, counselor, and Restorative Justice trainer have developed his understanding of how powerful Restorative Justice practices can be. Kyrk has seen lives changed, including his own through Restorative Justice.

In his spare time Kyrk continues to mentor and coach youth flag football and basketball. He enjoys playing basketball, skiing, camping and traveling with his wife and two children.

Danielle Kennedy, Development and Communications Associate

Danielle is the Development and Communications Associate. Before coming to C4RJ, Danielle was a freelance writer and editor for several years, serving a wide range of clients in the non-profit world, small business, and academia. When she discovered C4RJ and learned about restorative justice, she knew this was the path forward. A linguistics and psychology major, she has always been passionate about language, the written word, and how humans relate to one another, so bringing these skills to grant work at C4RJ was a natural fit. In her free time, you can find her exploring the outdoors or exploring indoors with a good book or culinary adventure.

Board

Thomas Black, Treasurer

Tom is a consultant and investor with years of experience in banking and real estate, including at First National Bank of Boston and Pacific Realty. He founded Easton Investment Company to invest in and help grow start-up companies. A graduate of Harvard College, Tom served in the Navy for 5 years. Tom has also served on several educational nonprofit boards as well as on town committees in Lincoln and Maynard, where he lives.

Sarah Caputo, Secretary

Sarah is a nonprofit fundraising consultant who has worked for two decades to improve the capacity of educational and nonprofit organizations. She has done work for organizations ranging from Stanford University to Buckingham Brown & Nichols School and Common Impact. Most recently she worked for five years with Bridge Boston Charter School, a public charter school in Roxbury focused on serving the highest need student populations in Boston. Sarah’s engagement with C4RJ began with a consulting engagement where she developed a deep appreciation for C4RJ’s role in the criminal justice process. Sarah received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from Harvard University. She and her husband Tom live in Belmont with their twin daughters.

Matt Hillard, Vice President

Matt speaks the language of program implementation and evaluation. He is an effective analyst and communicator who has experience assessing and implementing social sector interventions. In addition to serving as Chair of the Governance Committee at C4RJ, Matt works as a measurement, evaluation, and learning consultant with a firm called Project Evident. Prior to joining Project Evident, Matt was an analyst at Abt Associates where he specialized in analyses and primary data collection of extended learning time interventions in K-12 education. He earned an MPP from the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy and a BA in Economics from Bowdoin College.

Laura Sabia, Member

Laura is a Law Clerk at the Massachusetts Appeals Court. In the fall of 2024, she will join McDermott Will & Emery LLP as an associate in the Boston office’s litigation practice group.  She recently graduated from New York University’s School of Law where she focused her studies on international human rights and environmental law. She was the Editor-In-Chief of the NYU Environmental Law Journal. She has contributed to several projects using international environmental and human rights legal frameworks to support the work of Caribbean stakeholders as they combat climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. Laura’s graduate studies in interfaith conflict transformation at the Boston University School of Theology and her work with the Cambridge Negotiation Institute (CNI) inspired her interest in alternative dispute resolution as a human-centered alternative to litigation. She is passionate about methodological and cultural reform within the broader legal industry. Laura has earned a J.D. from the New York University School of Law, an M.Div from Boston University and a B.A. in English and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Tufts University. She lives in Arlington, MA with her husband and three pet rabbits. 

Dusty Hecker, Member

Dusty is a retired trial lawyer and now mediator and arbitrator who is excited about the opportunity to help C4RJ expand its footprint in Massachusetts.  He has three decades of experience as an arbitrator, deciding a wide range of business disputes, including matters involving high tech businesses, franchises, healthcare businesses, real estate transactions, financings, intellectual property, restaurants, even a large airplane for a professional sports team. He serves as a mediator to help resolve disputes outside of court.

Danielle Drummond, Member

Danielle Drummond has been committed to fighting issues of social justice in the fields of education, community development and criminal justice for over 15 years. A native Bostonian, she has worked in senior managerial positions at nonprofits across the Commonwealth as well as in city and state government. She served as the Deputy Chief of Community Engagement for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office under Rachael Rollins. Currently she serves as the Vice President of Social Equity for Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) and attends Tufts University where she is receiving her mid-career Masters in Public Policy. Her work is centered in the core belief that lasting change takes policy adjustments as well as deep restorative healing work. 

Danielle has made a point to work in communities in a way that honors their knowledge, resources and resilience, working with individuals and organizations to create community based solutions. She is often called on in her community to do trainings in healing informed practices, racial bias and cultural responsive practice, and positive youth development. As the mother of a young son, she understands the importance of positive adults in the lives of young people and has mentored many young women and men in the community. 

Chief Michael Sallese, Member

Chief Michael Sallese is the Chief of Police for the Stow Police Department.  He has over 25 years of law enforcement experience and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Salem State.  In addition to his position on this board, he also is the Mass Chiefs’ School Safety Committee. Chief Sallese has always been an active community member and prides himself on his open door policy for not only his department but other department heads and community members.  Throughout his extensive career in law enforcement, he has always been an advocate for restorative justice processes and has been an active partner with C4RJ for many years. Through his previous work with C4RJ, he understands the power of the process for everyone involved and looks forward to using that understanding to explain the importance of restorative justice to other Chiefs and members of the law enforcement community.

John Fossett, Member

John, a resident of Concord since 1979 and a retired banker with substantial experience in commercial lending, joined the C4RJ Board of Directors in June 2022. He retired in 2011 after a 40-year career in banking, culminating with his position at Middlesex Savings Bank, having joined the Bank in 1984 to spearhead the formation of the Bank’s commercial banking enterprise. During his time at Middlesex, he served at various times on the Bank’s executive, strategic planning, asset/liability, compensation, and other key committees. In 1977 he was named Senior Commercial Banking Officer. Prior to Middlesex, he served in earlier roles at Bank of New England and Hartford National Bank and Trust Company.

He is a graduate of Norwich University, having earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1970, at which time he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army (Air Defense Artillery Branch). Subsequently, he was awarded a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Connecticut in May 1977. Present and past community associations include the Concord Business Partnership, the Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE), Norwich University Alumni Association, Concord Recreation Commission, Emerson Hospital/Corporator. He was the Founder and Past Program Director of Concord- Carlisle Community Connections, a mentoring program for students at Concord-Carlisle High School now in its eleventh year. He is a past President of the Concord Chamber of Commerce.

Carol Fernandez, Member

Carol is a retired criminal defense attorney, graduating from the University of Arizona College of Law. She specialized in the juvenile courts, representing adolescents in both delinquency and family law matters. It was there that she saw how court involvement dramatically affected a child’s life, and strongly believes that restorative justice provides a more meaningful way to deal with first time offenders by not only keeping them out of the courts but teaching them about the ways their actions have affected their victims. Carol has three grown children and resides in Newton with her husband Roberto.

Pete Funkhouser, Member

Pete grew up in Concord, MA. He left to attend Princeton and the Harvard Business School, and then to travel the world for his career in the packaging business. His final position before retiring was Senior Vice President, International Operations at Sealed Air Corporation (the maker of bubble wrap). Pete retired to his hometown because he knew there would be plenty of non-profit work there to keep him busy.

Pete has been active on Concord’s Finance Committee, the Louisa May Alcott House board, the League of Women Voters, and Jehrico Road. He also spearheaded the construction of the Beede Community Swim and Fitness Center, which was donated to the Town at no cost. Pete is married to Kate Stout and has three grown daughters.

Bopha Malone, Member

Bopha Malone is a Vice President at Enterprise Bank. She has sat on numerous boards including Lesley University, Middlesex Community College, and Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Lowell. Bopha was a former candidate for the Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House. She lives with her husband and two children in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Mark Robinson, President

Mark Robinson is Co-Founder and Manager of Little Something Foods, LLC an ice cream novelty manufacturer and marketer to grocery stores nationwide of Mad Minis--bite-sized, ice cream cookie sandwiches made with no artificial ingredients which are only 60 calories each. Mark has spent his career in various leadership roles in small to middle market manufacturing companies. Outside of work, Mark has spent considerable time serving on not- for-profit boards including the Smaller Business Association of New England (SBANE) and the Tenacre Country Day School. Mark is married to Clare Robinson and they have two grown sons. Mark and Clare reside in Wellesley.

Kate Taylor, Member

Kate is Senior Executive Producer of Children’s Programming Emeritus at WGBH/Boston, where she spent many years developing and producing curriculum-based, public television series for children.  Currently she is an Executive and Life Coach and Media Consultant and volunteer in non-profit leadership. She is currently a trustee at the Huntington Theater Company, and serves on the Board of Directors of 826. She served many years on the Wheelock College Board of Trustees and is an Honorary Trustee of the Boston Children’s Museum.  She is on the Dean’s Council of Wheelock College of Education at Boston University and the Simmons University Council. She came to C4RJ as a volunteer and is currently a Case Coordinator in Suffolk County. Kate received a B.A. and M.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband, Ben, live in Brookline and  have three adult children and three grandchildren.

John Cratsley, Board Advisor

John Cratsley retired in September 2011 after 34 years as a judge in the District and Superior Courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He currently teaches at Boston College and Harvard Law Schools and is a mediator/arbitrator with JAMS, an international dispute resolution organization. He and his wife Holly live in Concord, and their two sons are graduates of Concord-Carlisle High School. After 9 years serving on the C4RJ board, he is now serving as one of the first members of our Board Advisory Committee.

David Wilson, Board Advisor

Dave Wilson is a founding partner of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP, a boutique labor & employment and litigation law firm located in downtown Boston. Dave has spent nearly three decades defending and advising employers on employment matters including wrongful termination, sexual harassment, workplace violence, privacy, discrimination, noncompetition agreements, defamation, and wage and hour disputes. In 2015, Dave was recognized by his peers as Lawyer of the Year 2015 by Best Lawyers in America for his work in Litigation – Labor and Employment. He is a soccer enthusiast, past president of Acton–Boxborough Youth Soccer, and current president of the Friends of the Lower Fields. Dave and his family currently reside in Littleton. After 9 years serving on the C4RJ board, he is now serving as one of the first members of our Board Advisory Committee.