Josephine was the Executive Director of Citizens for Affordable Housing in Newton Development Organization (CAN-DO). CAN-DO is a community-based nonprofit housing development organization with a mission to create and manage affordable housing in the City of Newton. She was one of the organizing members in 1994 and served as its president until 1999 when she took on the role of executive director until her retirement in 2017. She recently resumed her role as President and Executive Director of the organization. Her community activities include serving as a member of the Community Benefits Committee and the Board of Advisors of Newton Wellesley Hospital. Josephine also serves on both the Newton Fair Housing Committee and the Newton Housing Partnership. She serves as one of the co-chairs of U-CHAN and is on the Mission and Social Commission of the Eliot Church of Newton. Josephine is a lawyer and serves as Vice-President of the Lawyers Committee and as co-treasurer of the Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association as well as the co-chairperson of the Massachusetts Bar Association Civil Rights and Social Justice Council. She also is a Special Advisor to the American Bar Association Commission on Housing and Poverty.

Almost 40 years ago, she and her family were beneficiaries of a special financial program that allowed them to move to Newton. Her interest in affordable housing for people of all income levels is very personal to her.

Marcia was a member of the Board of Alderman (City Council) from 2000-2016 in a leadership position for 14 of those years. As chair of the Zoning & Planning Committee, she worked with the Planning Department and the Board of Aldermen to create the Mixed-Use 4 district which had as a primary goal to “Expand the diversity of housing options available in the City” This is the zoning district which enabled the development of 28 Austin Street and the Trio in Newtonville.

She is a member of the League of Women Voters of Newton and Massachusetts Board of Directors. A recently retired, human resources professional who worked in the bio-pharmaceutical industry focusing on organizational & leadership development. She is an active member of the Pathway to Possible (P2P) Best Buddies Program, with her pen pal Faith.

Chris moved to Newton in 2014 with his wife Kalimah and son Elias. Chris grew up in the Grove Hall section of Dorchester, and received his primary and secondary education in Weston through the M.E.T.C.O program. The 35-minute bus ride from Dorchester to Weston enabled Chris to witness first-hand the contrast in quality of life and inconsistent access to resources.

As parents, Chris and Kalimah discovered the need to find a comprehensive special education program, and Newton Public Schools emerged as a good option. Chris and Kalimah were fortunate to quickly find an affordable living solution in Newton, and successfully transitioned into the community.

Chris was introduced to CAN-DO by Josephine McNeil through the Newton Community of Black Residents. Chris’ interest in affordable housing extends from his understanding of the relationship between housing and quality of life.

As part of a larger picture, Chris believes climate change will be a catalyst for a domestic migration trend that will put significant pressures on many communities if investments aren’t made to accommodate exponential growth driven from displacement.

In terms of his professional background, Chris began his career working in Sales/Business Development for technology companies. After working in the Financial Technology industry, Chris became attracted to the Risk Management side of the business and transitioned to a role in Fraud Investigations in 2010.

Chris enjoys photography, spending time in nature, learning new topics and traveling with his family.

Bob is a Vice President of Commercial Lending at Village Bank in Newton, MA, having spent the previous 30 years in Commercial Banking in the Greater Merrimack Valley. His financing activities have included projects for transitional living centers, housing for victims of domestic abuse as well as affordable housing projects in the Great Merrimack Valley. Community services included past Board Memberships of the Lowell Transitional Living Center, a shelter for homeless single adults in the Merrimack Valley; Girls Inc., an after-school program providing educational programs for girls and most recently as the Treasurer of Lucy’s Love Bus, an organization providing integrative therapies for children with cancer. Bob and his spouse Patti Quigley currently live in Wellesley, MA.

Samantha has been a resident of Newton since December of 2009. She first moved to Newton with her two older sons by way of The Second Step shelter. Samantha was introduced to CAN-DO and Josephine McNeil when she moved into her first apartment in Newton at the Kayla Rosenberg House. Within 2 years, Samantha and her two sons were able to mobilize their Section 8 voucher and move into private housing. Samantha has always kept in contact with CAN-DO and Josephine McNeil, and her family currently lives in a property owned by CAN-DO. Over the course of the last 12 years in Newton, Samantha has married and grown her family with two younger children. After years of focusing on her education, Samantha is now a registered nurse who has worked in geriatrics for the last decade. Her interests are hiking, reading with her kids, finding new ways to give back to her community, and furthering her education. Samantha’s personal experiences navigating the housing system will help CAN-DO develop processes and services that enable low-income Newton residents to thrive as members of the Newton community.