Communities That Care Coalition
Promoting health, well-being, and equity among young people in Franklin County and the North Quabbin
Eden-Reneé Hayes, Ph.D. (aka Dr. E) is a DEI strategist, educator, speaker, and executive coach. As the CEO of Pluralism Solutions, she leads a consulting firm committed to guiding companies from unconscious obstacles around DEI to realistic movement. She has partnered with organizations on cultural competency, retention, and inclusion efforts for nearly 15 years.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/15/nx-s1-5892482/cdc-director-erica-schwartz-senate-confirmation-hearing
CDC director nominee Erica Schwartz faced questions in Senate hearing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erica_Schwartz
Erica G. Schwartz is a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps who was Deputy Surgeon General from January 2019 to April 2021. Prior to this, she served in several positions with the U.S. Coast Guard, including as their Chief Medical Officer during 2015–2019, and before that as Chief of Health Services and Chief of Preventive Medicine at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, becoming its principal expert on flu pandemics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Djed_Spence
Diop Tehuti Djed-Hotep Spence (born 9 August 2000) is an English professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the England national team.
Vocalist/Multi-instrumentalist Kevin Sharpe began his musical career at the age of seven singing gospel in his church choir. By age eleven he was playing drums for that same choir and eventually became one of the primary drummers for the Church of God in Christ in the region. Later in college he studied classical percussion, arranging and choral conducting. The Springfield, Massachusetts native also studied voice with Dr. Horace Clarence Boyer and improvisation with Yusef Lateef. Since graduating with degrees in Music Education and Jazz Performance he has worked across many genres with diverse artists such as Jazz musicians Archie Shepp, Charles Greenlee and John Blake, R&B and Soul artists Meli’sa Morgan and Betty Harris, Gospel artists The Soul Stirrers, Fred Hammond, The Harlem Gospel Choir among others.
Naire Poole is fresh off of her performances as Hermia in Shakespeare & Company’s mainstage production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet in Shakespeare & Company’s Northeast Regional Tour. Select credits include: Theater: The Performer ‘hollow roots’ with WAM Theatre, ‘Margaret/the Sexton Much Ado About Nothing, Elizabeth Darcy The Wickams: Christmas at Pemberley, Hamlet Hamlet, three hang, Macy The Cake, Antigone Antigone, Dave Moss Glengarry Glenross, Francine/Lena Clybourne Park. Bella For the People’s Good. Film: Andrea (Lead) Wet Things, Hermia (Lead) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Veterinarian (supporting) George. She has a hunger for exploring work of challenging societal structures. When she isn’t tackling work that explores the complexity of interpersonal expansion through her performances, she is directing and teaching, ablaze to adjust theatrical structures into inclusive, healing, and transcendent spaces.
Nicole M. Young-Martin President (she/her) is a writer, performer, producer, and educator with over 25 years of experience as a practicing artist and over 15 years of working in higher education and the nonprofit sector. Nicole joined our board in January of 2022. Having attended WAM productions in the past, Nicole is very excited to take on this new role with WAM Theatre. Nicole serves as the producer and host of the podcast and virtual platform, Black Writers Read and teaches literature, developmental writing, arts management, and theatre for Bard Microcollege Holyoke, Springfield Technical Community College, and UMass Amherst
Today, it’s my extreme pleasure to introduce you to celebrity stylist LaToya Murray-Berry. The stylish star stylist who has been working her craft for the past six years, took some time to chat with Gigi+Nini Style and counts Amber Rose, Dirty Money, Puff Daddy, Jim Jones, Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Beenie Man, Beverly Johnson, Kim Alexis, Jeremiah, Diggy Simmons (and new Atlantic artist) Hamilton Park as some of her clients.
The Dorchester, Massachusetts native shared, “Growing up, I went to private school, outer city high schools and graduated from Virginia State University with a B.S. in Psychology. My art teacher in sixth grade gave me my intro to designing. He would get me the Boston Herald and save the Filine’s ad and would have me trace the body figure and I began from there. Not to mention, growing up with an English mother, I understood quality and learnt how to handle my clothes with care.”
began playing drums in his local church band at the early age of 4. This fortuitously melodic schooling nurtured an undeniable affinity to the piano and organ, the very seat that he began to occupy, by ear, at age 14. Mr. King is an alumni of Lincoln Park High School and the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory. He was selected to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute and The Ravinia Jazz Scholars program on merit scholarships. Michael has performed with Bobby Watson, Kevin Eubanks, Dave Liebeman, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Joel Frahm, Rufus Reid, & Antonio Hart, among others. Currently you can catch Mr. King touring internationally with: The Mike King Trio, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robin Eubanks, Marquis Hill, Theo Croker, Soul Understated, Melissa Aldana, & Marcus Printup.
About
Cheryl L. West’s plays include, FANNIE: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou
Hamer, Last Stop on Market Street, Shout Sister Shout, Akeelah and the Bee,
Pullman Porter Blues, and Jar the Floor. Her plays have been produced in
England, off-Broadway, on Broadway (Play On!) and in numerous regional
theaters around the country, including Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, Old Globe, The
Goodman, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Minneapolis Children’s Theatre,
Seattle Children’s Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare
Festival, Indiana Rep, Asolo Rep, Merrimack, Arkansas Rep, St. Louis Black
Rep, Bay Street Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Cleveland Play House, South
Coast Rep, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, and Off‐Broadway’s Manhattan
Theatre Club and Second Stage. She has written TV and film projects at Disney,
Paramount, MTV Films, Showtime, TNT, HBO, CBS, BET and is the Webby-
nominated writer for the original web series Diary of a Single Mom. Ms. West is
currently preparing a revival of Broadway-bound Jar the Floor, and working on
commissions for Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Minneapolis Children’s Theater,
the Goodman Theatre and Seattle Rep.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Howard
Timothy Matthew Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Nicknamed the “Secretary of Defense“, Howard is regarded as one of the greatest American players of all time.[4][5][6]
Howard began his career with the North Jersey Imperials, before making a move to the MetroStars. He was signed by English club Manchester United in 2003, replacing Fabian Barthez as the team’s first-choice keeper. In his second season at the club, Howard competed for the first-choice spot with Roy Carroll. Howard enjoyed relative success with the club, as they won the 2003 FA Community Shield, the 2003–04 FA Cup and the 2005–06 League Cup. He was listed on the PFA Team of the Year for the 2003–04 season.[7]