United South End Settlements’ announced the appointment of diversity, equity and inclusion champion and strategist Carmen Duarte as board chair, along with the election of five new board members and leadership appointments as USES celebrates its 130th anniversary. Duarte, who works as VP of diversity, inclusion and social impact at Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions, succeeds outgoing Board Chair Julia Johannsen, who served in the role for more than 10 years.
“On behalf of the entire USES community, I’m proud to welcome Carmen into this role along with all of our new board members and officers,” said USES CEO Jerrell Cox. “Since joining the board in May 2021, Carmen has been a fierce advocate for building connections across our community and supporters. She has the enthusiasm and know-how to help further our economic equity and inclusion efforts and develop even stronger relationships with the corporate community.”
Duarte is an experienced leader across several disciplines including communications, marketing, human resources and change management. Prior to her current role at Intact, she was the company’s VP of marketing and communications, and previously held a similar role at OneBeacon Insurance Group. Duarte additionally serves on the Board of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s Boston Chapter and is a Trustee of the Intact Charitable Trust.
The Board also welcomed five new members for the upcoming year: Silvia Buonamici, Gabriela Cruzado, Aaron Dushku, Michael Mazzello, and Laura Nielsen and made the following officer appointments: former South End Community Health Center clinical social worker Jennifer Coplon has been named Development Committee Chair; Watermill Group Principal Anabelle Skalleberg has been named Finance Committee Chair; Pegasystems Senior Director Bandita Joarder was named Vice Chair and continues in her role as Nominating and Governance Committee Chair.
United South End Settlements offers programs that holistically support families in achieving economic mobility. The nonprofit’s Family Mobility Program helps parents and caregivers develop their own capacity to set and reach their goals, increase their income and assets, and connect with new networks of people through one-on-one coaching. For children and youth, USES provides quality education and enrichment opportunities that foster personal development and social-emotional skills such as perseverance, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
In addition to Early Childhood Education, USES offers club48, an afterschool and out-of-school time program with state-of-the-art STEAM-driven curriculum for youth ages 5-12. Each summer, USES’ overnight camp located in Center Sandwich, NH, Camp Hale, serves boys and girls ages 6-17 with the goal of improving their sense of well-being, leadership, social skills, and awareness of personal potential. USES believes that as families increase their income and assets, become more resilient and connect to a diverse network, they and their children are more likely to develop the necessary skills to disrupt the cycle of poverty.
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