Board of Directors

A Volunteer Board Committed to the Watertown Community

WCF’s Board of Directors reads and reviews grant proposals, assists with WCF events and communications, and acts as informal advisors.

BOARD OFFICERS

Lauren Coughlin Unsworth

Lauren Unsworth is the Office Manager and Senior Executive Assistant at Bessemer Venture Partners in Cambridge. She is the Co-President of the J.R. Lowell School PTO and Vice President of Nuova Associazione San Donato, a local organization committed to maintaining connections between Italian immigrants and their homeland of San Donato, V.C., Italy. Lauren is also on the annual Watertown Unity Breakfast Planning Committee. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Assumption College and Master’s degree from Regis College. Lauren is a lifelong resident of Watertown where she resides with her husband and two sons who attend Watertown Public Schools.

Mary Ann Mulligan

Mary Ann Mulligan is a partner and co-owner of the Boston-based lobbying firm, Governmental Strategies, Inc with over 30 years of experience providing lobbying, public policy and legislative consulting services to her clients spanning the spectrum of health care, human services, homelessness prevention and affordable housing. For over a decade, Mary Ann and her family have joined forces with their neighbors to co-host an annual neighborhood block party with funds raised for the Watertown food pantries. She has lived in Watertown for 25 years with her husband and their two college-aged children who attended Watertown Public Schools from kindergarten through high school.

Heather Leary

Heather Leary is the Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Executive Director at the Boston Bar Association, a voluntary membership organization of over 13,000 lawyers, law students and judges that come together for professional development, advocacy, and service. A lawyer by training, Heather earned her J.D. at Indiana University School of Law. She moved to Watertown in 2010 with her husband who owns his own contracting business and their two school age boys who attend the Watertown Public Schools.

Felicia Sullivan

Felicia Sullivan is an attorney, working for a healthcare organization specializing in labor and employment law. She is also a former prosecutor and attorney for the state. Felicia leads the Watertown Unity Breakfast, is on the Leadership Circle for Watertown Community for Black Lives, is on the Cunniff Elementary School Diversity Council, and is on the board of advisors for the Sarita and Claire Wright Lucas Foundation dedicated to recruiting Black women prosecutors. A proud UT Austin grad, Felicia lives in Watertown with her two young children.

Emily Barclay

Emily Barclay is a reference specialist with Isaacson, Miller, an executive search firm, where she supports search teams in the evaluation of candidates for leadership roles in mission driven organizations including universities, foundations, cultural institutions, and academic medical centers. She previously worked for over 20 years in academic healthcare and formerly served as vice president of Human Resources at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. A longtime resident of Watertown, both of her children attended elementary school in Watertown.

Tony Paolillo

Tony Paolillo is the Director of Tax for Tripadvisor. He holds a Master’s in Business Management from Northeastern University. A resident of Watertown for 38 years, Tony is a longtime board member and Treasurer of the Watertown Boys and Girls Club, a former member of the Watertown School Committee and Chairman for 12 years, and former president of the Lowell PTO and the Town wide PTU. Tony has served on numerous Town Committees and boards including the Town Board Assessors and is a member of the Church Council for the Watertown Catholic Collaborative.

BOARD MEMBERS

Albrik Avanessian

Albrik Avanessian has been an Engineer and a Project Manager in High Tech for 30 years. In 1995 he and his wife chose to live in Watertown for its ethnic & racial diversity and never looked back. Albrik takes great pride in his involvement with Watertown Youth Soccer where he continues to coach. He joined Watertown Community Foundation in 2017 to be an active citizen in fostering a resilient community.

Ninos Hanna

Ninos Hanna is a strategic communications professional with experience in developing creative content that engages and inspires. He currently works at Liberty Mutual as a Communications Manager. Ninos also serves on various boards, including the Watertown Cable Access Corporation and the Assyrian American Association of Massachusetts. Ninos earned his Bachelor of Arts from Clark University and has three Master’s degrees from Suffolk University (MBA), Boston College (Political Science), and Syracuse University (Communications & Public Relations). A resident of Watertown since 2008, Ninos lives in town with his wife, three children, and their Golden Retriever.

Eileen Hsü-Balzer

Eileen Hsü-Balzer is a long time Watertown resident with deep ties and commitment to the community, including as a current board member of the Watertown Boys and Girls Club and Springwell, a 24 year tenure as a Watertown School Committee member, Co-founder and past-Producer of the Summer Concert Series and more. A Harvard grad, Eileen lives in Watertown and is the proud mother of two Watertown Public Schools graduates, and the grandmother of two.

BOARD MEMBERS

Jen Nicholson

Jen Nicholson is the Events Coordinator for the historic Commander’s Mansion in Watertown. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Human Resources from Boston College and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Regis College, along with a decade of experience as an elementary educator. A past president of the Cunniff PTO for three terms, Jen currently serves on a number of volunteer boards, including Watertown Cable Access, Watertown Boys & Girls Club and Watertown SEPAC. Jen and her husband are both K-12 graduates of Watertown Public Schools and their two children attend Cunniff Elementary.

Leah Pennino

Leah Pennino is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at YouthBuild USA, the headquarters for over 280 YouthBuild programs around the world. In YouthBuild, young people between the ages of 16 to 24 who are out of school and out of work pursue their education, prepare for future careers, and grow into community leaders. Leah brings 25 years of marketing and communications experience with a diverse background in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. She previously held positions at Suffolk Construction, The Princeton Review, Lois Paul & Partners, and GBH-TV, where she oversaw publicity for the Emmy Award-winning series This Old House and 11 other national TV brands. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a graduate certificate in public relations from Emerson College. A resident of Watertown for 20 years, Leah lives with her husband and two children who attend Watertown Public Schools.

Lora Sabin

Lora Sabin is an Associate Professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health, where she teaches in master’s degree and doctoral courses, directs a certificate on program management, and conducts applied research on infectious diseases, maternal health, and child survival in low-resource settings. She is a former Board member of the Watertown Children’s Theatre, Watertown Youth Soccer, and Palfrey Pre-school. Lora has lived in Watertown since 1994 with her husband, Jon Hecht, and has four children who attended the public schools in Watertown.

BOARD MEMBERS

Bob Shay

Bob Shay is the former Director of Electronic Banking at BayBank and Bank of Boston. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees of First Parish Church of Watertown, a member of the Executive Committee Boston SCORES, and serves on the boards of the Marshall Home Foundation and the Woodson Foundation. He is a former member of the board of the Arsenal Center for the Arts, and past Chairman of the Watertown School Committee, America SCORES New England, and the Parish Committee of First Parish Church.

David Siegel

David Siegel is a Professor of Law at New England Law | Boston, where he teaches criminal justice-related courses and directs the Center for Law and Social Responsibility, which develops opportunities for public interest legal work by students and faculty. He co-chaired the Hosmer and Middle School Site Councils and was a citizen member of the Watertown Charter Review Commission. Both his children attended Watertown’s public schools from kindergarten through graduation at the Watertown High School.

Donna Tuccinardi

Donna Tuccinardi is the Assistant Accountant for the Town of Belmont. As the past president and vice president of the Lowell School PTO and currently the events coordinator for Watertown Youth Baseball, member of the Watertown High School PTSO and Friends of Watertown Baseball she has been and continues to be involved in many town organizations. Donna holds a BA from Boston College and an MBA from Bentley University. Originally from Belmont, Donna lives in Watertown with her husband and their two boys.

Select photos courtesy of Kataram Studios.