Sylvia Ruiz  | 

Sylvia Ruiz joined Roca in 2014 is currently the Director of Human Resources & Talent Management. Sylvia is originally from Puerto Rico but relocated to the Boston area 40 years ago. Sylvia has over 26 years of Human Resources expertise in total rewards, talent management and compliance. She has previously worked at MSPCC and the Harvard/Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.  Sylvia is bilingual in English and Spanish, owns two cats and enjoys listening to music and reading books in her free time.

Francesca Zakharia  | 

Kathi Reinstein  | 

Kathi Reinstein is Roca’s Vice President of Government Relations for New England. Kathi joined Roca in 2020 with an extensive background in communications, advocacy work, and strategic government and public affairs. She continues this extensive work with government agencies, trade organizations and elected and appointed officials.

Most recently, Reinstein served as the Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Massachusetts State Treasury. Prior to that, she led the national, state, and local government relations strategy for the Boston Beer Company (brewers of Sam Adams, Angry Orchard, Twisted Tea, and Truly). Kathi Reinstein is a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She honorably served for 15 years and was the youngest woman to serve in House Leadership as the Second Assistant Majority Leader. During her legislative tenure, Reinstein also served in various leadership positions, led many legislative initiatives, and was the recipient of several awards.

Kathi holds a Public Leadership Credential from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She also holds an MA in Political Communication from Emerson College and a BS in Public Relations and Organizational Communication from Suffolk University. She was also an adjunct professor at both Emerson College and Suffolk University. Reinstein currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and serves on the Advisory Committee for the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business’s Women in Leadership Certificate Program. She also recently served as a Commissioner on the City of Revere’s Commission on Human Rights.

Carolyn O’Keefe  | 

Carolyn brings strong experience in development, communications, community service and a longstanding passion for the city of Baltimore.  Prior Roca, Carolyn served as Director of Corporate Partnerships for the Maryland Marketing Partnership at the Maryland Department of Commerce.

Her career began in community marketing for the Bank of Boston, then in New York as national public relations director for consumer goods clients. Returning to her hometown, Carolyn served as vice president for GKV Advertising/PR; assistant to Commissioner Frazier for the Baltimore Police Department, supporting community outreach and 33 PAL centers; and vice president for PinnacleCare. Philanthropic work has included board and direct service for Big Brother/Big Sister, Maryland Art Place, Johns Hopkins Evergreen Museum & Library, the “I love city life” campaign and the Maryland Judicial Nominating Committee.

Carolyn received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and is a proud graduate of Western High School, Baltimore.

Patty Wilkinson  | 

Patricia (Patty) Wilkinson is the Vice President of Human Resources. She joined Roca in 2018 as the Director of Human Resources and Talent Management.

As a true HR generalist, Patty has developed extensive knowledge in all areas of Human Resources Administration across the non-profit and for profit industries, previously serving as a Director of Human Resources with YouthBuild USA and Director of Stores with Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries.

In her past, Patty has held leadership positions in Human Resources, Social Enterprises, and Retail Management and Operations. She has first-hand experience and expertise with creating HR processes, full cycle recruitment, benefits administration, performance management and system implementations to improve communication and streamline the customer experience for a global environment.

Patty holds a Master of Jurisprudence from Tulane Law School, bachelor’s degree in biology from Clark University, and holds a SHRM-SCP certification.

James Timpson  | 

For over 20 years, JT has developed extensive expertise and leadership in violence intervention initiatives. JT previously helped drive the successful expansion of Roca Baltimore as a founding Director and has now joined the Roca Impact Institute as Managing Director of Community Violence Initiatives. He serves as a subject matter expert on building community partnerships, safety and risk mitigation, understanding brain science, trauma, and behavior change interventions. In his role, JT oversees and scales the Roca Impact Institute’s training and coaching initiatives with Community Violence Intervention programs across the country, cultivates strategic partnerships, and fosters national visibility for Rewire CBT as an individual behavior and systems change strategy. 

JT’s passion and expertise extend well beyond his work at Roca. He currently serves as a committee member for the Baltimore Mayor’s Cabinet for Boys and Young Men of Color. JT also serves as an advisor on both the Johns Hopkins Innovation Fund, and the Accountability Board Selection Committee for Johns Hopkins University. He is a two-time panelist on gun violence for the Amnesty International Annual General Meeting, and in 2021 he was awarded Hometown Hero for Gun Violence by Amnesty International. 

Carl Miranda  | 

Carl Miranda is the Director of Roca, Boston. As a Salvadoran immigrant who spent his formative years in South Central Los Angeles in the 1980’s, and as a professional who has worked for many years in urban environments in front-line and management capacities, he understands the kind of struggles that young adults face in urban environments with poverty, trauma, and challenging relationships with law enforcements.

Carl brings 10 years of nonprofit experience working with state agencies such as DYS, DMH, and DCF in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Before joining Roca, Carl was the Center for Human Development’s Western Regional Program Director & Contract Manager for Adolescent Re-entry Services where he oversaw the administration of community and clinical services for 200+ youth re-entering western Massachusetts from lock-up facilities.

Carl holds a BA from UC Berkley in Ethnic Studies and Rhetoric, a Masters in American Studies from NYU, Masters in African American Studies from Yale, and is ABD at Yale University. His graduate research focuses on Juvenile Justice Reform and the school to prison pipeline.

Allie Livezey Maynard  | 

Allie Livezey Maynard is Roca’s Vice President of Communications and Grant Development. Allie joined Roca in 2013 with a background in nonprofit fundraising, event management, and strategic planning for youth-focused organizations. Allie leads Roca’s institutional fundraising and provides strategic assistance with outcomes-based contracting, evaluation and reporting, strategic planning, program development, and external affairs. Allie holds an M.B.A. from Simmons College and a B.A. from Boston College. She has also studied social justice, international human rights law, and economic development in Central America and Ireland.

Anisha Chablani-Medley  | 

Anisha Chablani started her career at Roca as a youth worker in 2000 and began running Roca’s programming in 2002. Previously, as Roca’s Chief Programming Officer, Anisha oversaw Roca’s staff training functions and was responsible for creating and implementing Roca’s performance-based management system. In 2021, Anisha joined the Roca Impact Institute as Senior Advisor of Program Design, Training & Equity. In her current role, Anisha leads the planning, development, and implementation of Rewire, Roca’s CBT curriculum which she authored in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital, across our client portfolio. She also manages the Roca Impact Institute’s facilitator team. 

Anisha has over 15 years of direct service experience, working with high-risk young adults, and over 8 years of program and organizational management experience. She holds a B.A. from Boston College, and a master’s degree in Education from Lesley University. 

Joseph A. Furnari, II  | 

Joseph (Joe) Furnari is the Director for Roca Chelsea. Prior to Roca, Joe had 28 years of broad-based experience in the Criminal Justice System. Specifically in the Corrections field, starting as a Corrections Officer and lastly as a Special Sheriff/Superintendent. Currently as the Roca Chelsea Director, Joe oversees the Chelsea and Lynn sites, including Transitional Employment and Workforce Development, Pre-Vocational and Education Programs, and the Central American Youth Initiative.

As the Director of Chelsea and our satellite site in Lynn, Joe works with community partners, law enforcement personnel, local organizations, city officials and school districts to promote Roca and gain support for the mission. Joe is dedicated to the work, believing that his work provides an opportunity to not only provide much needed services to our participants but also affect change in their lives and the community as a whole. Joe earned his M.S., Human Services/Criminal Justice from Springfield College and a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Salem State College.