Management & Administration
Management
- Jonathan L. ManninaExecutive Director
Jonathan L. Mannina
Executive Director
- B.A., Philosophy and Economics (magna cum laude), Georgetown University (1990)
- J.D., Georgetown University Law School (1993)
As Community Legal Aid’s Executive Director, Jonathan leads CLA and is responsible for the organization’s overall programmatic, personnel, administrative, and financial matters. He began his legal services career in 1998 when he was hired by one of CLA’s predecessor organizations, the Legal Assistance Corp. of Central Mass. (LACCM), as a Staff Attorney working on housing and homelessness issues. He later became LACCM’s Litigation Director, supervising and coordinating LACCM’s systemic litigation and litigating cases in both state and federal court. He became LACCM’s Executive Director in 2006 and oversaw the successful, multi-year consolidation of LACCM with two other legal aid organizations, Western Mass. Legal Services and the Massachusetts Justice Project. Jonathan subsequently became the Executive Director of the resulting company, re-named CLA, which has 200 staff and is one of the largest laws firms in Central and Western Massachusetts. Before he was a legal aid attorney, Jonathan worked at Silver Golub & Teitell, a leading plaintiff-side firm in Connecticut, where he litigated employment discrimination, medical malpractice and complex personal injury cases at the trial and appellate levels. He is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and Connecticut, in the U.S. District Courts of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and in the First and Second Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Jonathan is active in the legal community and volunteers his time to many activities. He currently serves as a Hearing Officer for the Board of Bar Overseers. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD); he was initially appointed to the Advisory Board by Governor Deval Patrick in 2008 and then reappointed by Governor Charlie Barker in 2015. He was appointed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) to serve as a Commissioner on the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission from 2014 to 2021 and on the SJC’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services from 2011 to 2017. He was a Trustee of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) from 2012 to 2022. Jonathan served two terms as a member of the Executive Committee of the Worcester County Bar Association (WCBA) and also served one term as the co-chair of the Outreach Subcommittee of the WCBA’s Committee for Anti-Racism and Equality (CARE). He served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance (CMHA) for many years and is the past chair of the City of Worcester’s Community Development Advisory Committee. In 2017, Jonathan received the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Community Service Award for his commitment to the community. He coached youth sports for many years, and in 2020 received the Wayne Nugent Memorial Sportsmanship Award for his years of service as a volunteer coach at the St. Peter’s Parish Youth Basketball League in Worcester, MA.
- Faye B. RachlinDeputy Director
Faye B. Rachlin
Deputy Director
- B.A., Spanish and Political Science (cum laude), Brandeis University (1978)
- M.A., Spanish, Middlebury College (1979)
- J.D. (cum laude), Boston College (1985)
Faye has been a legal aid lawyer for over 35 years, specializing in eviction defense, protection of rent subsidies, and access to homeless shelter programs. Faye has extensive litigation experience, including winning several appeals in the Massachusetts Appeals Court and arguing two cases before the Supreme Judicial Court. In 2002, Faye received the Boston College Law School Judge David Nelson Public Interest Award in honor of her work in public service. In 2008, Faye was honored with the Massachusetts Bar Association’s Legal Services Award, which is given each year to a lawyer who has made a particularly significant or meaningful contribution to the provision of low-income legal services. Faye has served on the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission’s Housing Court subcommittee, the statewide Tenancy Preservation Program Advisory Board, and several Housing Court bench-bar committees. She has conducted numerous trainings on landlord-tenant law, published several articles on tenants’ rights and the effects of criminal conduct in the housing context, and taught civil rights litigation as an adjunct professor at Western New England University School of Law. As Deputy Director, Faye oversees many of the organization’s grants, its internal evaluation process, and the supervisory work of its legal managers. Faye is fluent in Spanish and English. She is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District of Massachusetts.
- Kristen WilliamsChief Operating Officer
Kristen Williams
Chief Operating Officer
- B.A. (cum laude), Williams College (2010)
- J.D., Boston College Law School (2013)
Kristen started at Community Legal Aid, as an AmeriCorps Attorney practicing housing law. In 2015, she began working for CLA as a disability benefits and unemployment benefits attorney, before becoming the Director of CLA’s subsidiary the Central West Justice Center in 2022. Kristen stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer of CLA in the beginning of 2025. Kristen is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District of Massachusetts.
- Kebby LeeExecutive Assistant
Kebby Lee
Executive Assistant
- B.S., Babson College (1989)
- M.B.A., Babson College (1992)
Kebby joined Community Legal Aid in February 2014. She has a long career of working with organizations that provide services to those in need including GFA Federal Credit Union, Girls Inc. and the government funded 21st Century afterschool program for at risk children. She is also an active volunteer in Worcester County. Since 2006, she has mentored children grades Kindergarten through second through the House of Peace and Education in Gardner; and since 2009, she has been a volunteer doula, assisting laboring families non-medically, at Heywood Hospital in Gardner, MA.
Legal Managers
- Marina AbrahamManaging Attorney, Worcester
Marina Abraham
Managing Attorney, Worcester
- B.A., Criminal Justice & Legal Studies, University of Massachusetts Lowell (2013)
- J.D., Suffolk University Law School (2016)
Marina joined Community Legal Aid in 2020 as the Staff Attorney overseeing the organization’s Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) with UMass Memorial Health. After several years successfully overseeing the project, she was promoted to Medical-Legal Partnership Coordinating Attorney, and in 2025 Marina was named Managing Attorney of CLA’s Worcester Office. Marina has a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts – Lowell and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. Marina was born and raised in Egypt and is fluent in Arabic.
- Blair Komar BatesSenior Supervising Attorney, Housing Law Unit
Blair Komar Bates
Senior Supervising Attorney, Housing Law Unit
- B.A., Political Science, Vassar College
- J.D., Boston University (2012)
Blair joined Community Legal Aid’s subsidiary, the Central West Justice Center, in January 2016 as a housing law attorney, before becoming a Senior Supervising Attorney to the Housing Law Unit in 2021. Before joining CLA, she clerked on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During law school, she participated in the Boston University Civil Litigation Clinic and interned at the Rhode Island Public Defender, Juvenile Unit and at the Women’s Bar Foundation, Family Law Project.
- Alice BersDirector of Medicare Advocacy Project
Alice Bers
Director of Medicare Advocacy Project
- B.A. in History, magna cum laude, Columbia University (1993)
- J.D., cum laude, Harvard Law School (2001)
Ali leads the Massachusetts Medicare Advocacy Project, which serves as the primary source of Medicare beneficiary expertise in the state and provides legal assistance to older adults and people with disabilities who have been denied coverage or are experiencing other Medicare-related problems. Ali is also part of CLA’s litigation team.
Before joining CLA, Ali served as the Litigation Director at the Center for Medicare Advocacy, where she conducted federal litigation aimed at making systemic improvements to Medicare. She litigated numerous class and individual actions challenging policies that denied beneficiary rights in the Medicare program and has successfully represented clients through all stages of litigation, including briefing and arguing before U.S. Courts of Appeals. Her work includes serving as lead counsel in a case that established appeal rights for a nationwide class of Medicare beneficiaries who were denied coverage of their hospital and nursing home stays.
After clerking for the Honorable Robert N. Chatigny of the U.S. District Court in Connecticut, Ali began her legal career at Western Massachusetts Legal Services, one of CLA’s predecessor organizations. She is admitted to the state bars of Massachusetts and Connecticut, several federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
- Rachel Shannon BrownSenior Supervising Attorney, Elder Law Unit and Disability Benefits Project
Rachel Shannon Brown
Senior Supervising Attorney, Elder Law Unit and Disability Benefits Project
- B.A., Linguistics & Cognitive Science (magna cum laude), Brandeis University (2001)
- J.D., Boston College Law School (2004)
Rachel worked at Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts (LACCM) for over five years before the program joined with Western Massachusetts Legal Services to form Community Legal Aid in 2011. Rachel’s first role with the program was as a Staff Attorney in the Elder Law Unit, where she handled Medicare, housing, and public benefits cases, among other elder law issues. Rachel assumed the position of Senior Supervising Attorney for the Elder Law Unit and the Disability Benefits Project in late 2020. Rachel is active in CLA’s Diversity and Equity Committee and is a member of the Worcester County Bar Association. She regularly trains on issues pertaining to Medicare eligibility and appeals.
Before coming to LACCM, Rachel was a law clerk at Greater Boston Legal Services, where she worked on a class action lawsuit against the Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority under the Americans with Disabilities Act and assisted clients with MassHealth and Medicare matters. Rachel also interned at Massachusetts Correctional Legal Services (now Prisoners’ Legal Services), the Boston Medical Center Domestic Violence Project, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the City Attorney Prosecutor’s office in Columbus, Ohio. Rachel is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District of Massachusetts.
- Michelin CahillSenior Supervising Attorney, Fair Housing Project
Michelin Cahill
Senior Supervising Attorney, Fair Housing Project
- B.A., Geography & Environmental Studies, The George Washington University (2009)
- J.D., Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law (2012)
Michelin Cahill is a Senior Supervising Attorney at Community Legal Aid (CLA) in Worcester. She oversees the Fair Housing Project, whose work spans Central and Western Massachusetts. CLA’s Fair Housing Project engages in education, outreach, and direct advocacy to combat housing discrimination. Their case work consists of representing clients in housing discrimination cases, defending against evictions or terminations, and advocating for reasonable accommodations in housing. Prior to being the unit supervisor, Michelin held the positions of Coordinating Attorney and Staff Attorney in the Fair Housing Project. Before coming to Community Legal Aid she was a Staff Attorney at Victim Rights Law Center assisting victims of sexual violence with their civil legal needs related to privacy, safety, and housing. She also worked as the Intake Attorney at the ACLU Pennsylvania, assessing and investigating civil rights violations and overseeing a robust team of volunteers and interns. During law school she interned at Mazzoni Center Legal Services representing LGBTQ+ clients who experienced discrimination in employment and public accommodations. Michelin attended law school at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree at The George Washington University.
- Jennifer DieringerManaging Attorney, Northampton and Greenfield
Jennifer Dieringer
Managing Attorney, Northampton and Greenfield
- B.A., Sociology, Haverford College (1989)
- J.D., Northeastern University School of Law (1996)
Jennifer worked at Western Massachusetts Legal Services for over 12 years before the program joined with Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts to form Community Legal Aid in 2011. Jennifer is the Managing Attorney of the Northampton and Greenfield offices, and specializes in family and housing law. She has handled a number of appellate cases in both areas of law, served as faculty for continuing legal education seminars, and authored academic and practice-oriented publications. She has also taught in a number of law schools and undergraduate colleges and served as a law clerk for the probate and family judges in the four western Massachusetts counties.
- Amy DionSenior Supervising Attorney, Education Law Unit
Amy Dion
Senior Supervising Attorney, Education Law Unit
- Boston College
- J.D., University of Connecticut School of Law
Amy came to Community Legal Aid in 2021 with almost a decade of experience as a Staff Attorney at Greater Hartford Legal Aid, where she primarily practiced education and employment law. She has worked in private practice as an education attorney, and prior to joining CLA she worked at UMass Amherst in the Equal Opportunity Office. She is Connecticut native, but now resides in Sturbridge, MA with her husband, two children, and two rescue dogs. In her free time, she can usually be found at the rink watching her kids play hockey.
- Christa DouaihySenior Supervising Attorney, Employment Law Unit
Christa Douaihy
Senior Supervising Attorney, Employment Law Unit
- B.A., Political Science, University of Pittsburgh (1999)
- J.D., City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law (2008)
Christa Douaihy is a Senior Supervising Attorney in the Employment Unit. Christa is a seasoned litigator with diverse experience in the federal and state civil justice systems of Massachusetts and New York. Prior to joining CLA as a Staff Attorney in the Fair Housing Unit, she was an attorney with Heisler, Feldman & McCormick, P.C., where she handled complex civil litigation on behalf of workers and tenants throughout Western Massachusetts. Prior to this, Christa proudly served as a Team Leader and Civil Action Practice Supervisor at The Bronx Defenders. Before The Bronx Defenders, Christa was an attorney at Legal Services of the Hudson Valley, N.Y., where she handled civil rights litigation and advocacy for people with disabilities. Christa has handled appellate cases and presented many legal trainings and community education workshops. She is Chair of the Western Mass Committee of the Women’s Bar Association, and a member of the Hampden County Bar Association. Christa is currently Adjunct Faculty at the Western New England University School of Law, where she teaches the “Access to Justice” course.
- Jane EdmonstoneLitigation Director
Jane Edmonstone
Litigation Director
- B.A., Law and Society (magna cum laude), American University (2003)
- J.D., Northeastern University School of Law (2007)
Jane worked at Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts for over four years before the program joined with Western Massachusetts Legal Services to form Community Legal Aid in 2011. Jane is a Staff Attorney in the Housing Law Unit, primarily handling fair housing and eviction defense issues. She provides know-your-rights trainings to tenants and community groups on a regular basis During law school, Jane interned with the Civil Rights Division of Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, the Child Abuse Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and the Boston law firm of Kotin, Crabtree & Strong. Prior to law school, Jane worked with the HIV/AIDS Services program at Tapestry Health in Springfield, MA. Jane is licensed to practice in Massachusetts.
- Gabriel FonsecaSenior Supervising Attorney, Fair Housing Project
Gabriel Fonseca
Senior Supervising Attorney, Fair Housing Project
- B.A., Political Science, Middlebury College (2004)
- J.D., American University’s Washington College of Law (2013)
Gabriel began representing tenants in eviction defense in early 2016 as a staff attorney and later senior attorney at BOOM!Health Legal Services during the launch of NYC’s right to counsel pilot program. In 2018, BOOM!Health – a Bronx organization dedicated to providing critical social services such as harm reduction and clinical therapy – merged with Mobilization for Justice in New York. Gabriel joined MFJ as a supervising attorney leading a team of civil public defenders in the Bronx as part of NYC’s Universal Access to Counsel for tenants. In late 2020 Gabriel joined CLA’s Housing Unit, and now he works in the Fair Housing Unit.
- Alyssa GoldenSenior Supervising Attorney, CORI/Re-Entry Unit
Alyssa Golden
Senior Supervising Attorney, CORI/Re-Entry Unit
- B.A., Liberal Studies with a Concentration in Historical, Social, and Cultural Studies, Union Institute and University (2012)
- J.D., Roger Williams University School of Law (2014)
Before joining Community Legal Aid, Alyssa practiced law in Fall River, MA as a Staff Attorney with the Committee for Public Counsel Services, defending individuals charged with crimes in the district court. Briefly after that, she represented children and parents in care and protection cases in juvenile court in Worcester County. Before attending law school, Alyssa worked for nearly 10 years in the field of domestic and sexual violence survivor advocacy in a variety of capacities.
- Margery KennardSenior Supervising Attorney, Family Law
Margery Kennard
Senior Supervising Attorney, Family Law
- B.A., (magna cum laude), University of Massachusetts at Boston (1989)
- J.D., Pace University School of Law (2007)
Margery worked at Western Massachusetts Legal Services (WMLS) for over four years before the program joined with Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts to form Community Legal Aid in 2011. Marge’s first two years at WMLS were as the Medicare Advocacy Project Paralegal. Margery entered law school in 2004 and returned to WMLS in 2008 as a family law attorney. Marge specializes in assisting domestic violence survivors with family law cases. In law school, she was a student attorney in the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic and worked at Kuntz, Spagnuolo, & Murphy, an education law firm.
- Alycia KennedyDeputy Litigation Director
Alycia Kennedy
Deputy Litigation Director
- B.A., Mathematics and Music, Boston College (2010)
- J.D., Boston College Law School (2013)
Alycia has been a civil litigator in Massachusetts for over a decade. Prior to joining CLA, she specialized in commercial litigation at Foley Hoag LLP and then at Todd & Weld LLP, where she routinely handled all aspects of complex discovery, tried cases in both state and federal court, and argued before the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Supreme Judicial Court. Throughout her career in private practice, she also consistently took on pro bono work, representing clients in eviction proceedings, restraining orders, and civil rights cases. Recently, she obtained a verdict against a Boston Police Officer in federal court for wrongfully arresting her client, resulting in an award of both compensatory and punitive damages.
- Ines KenneyManaging Attorney, Fitchburg
Ines Kenney
Managing Attorney, Fitchburg
- B.A., Political Science & Legal Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2013)
- J.D., Suffolk University Law School (2016)
Prior to becoming the Managing Attorney of CLA’s Fitchburg office, Ines served as a staff attorney in our Education Law Unit, serving northern Worcester County. Before joining Community Legal Aid, Ines served for one year as an AmeriCorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts member in Northeast Legal Aid’s Housing Unit. Ines also worked at the Victim Rights Law Center, where she represented survivors of sexual assault in housing, education, privacy, and safety matters.
- Carrie LoveManaging Attorney, Pittsfield
Carrie Love
Managing Attorney, Pittsfield
- B.A., English Literature, University of Michigan (1996)
- M.A., Teaching of English, Columbia University Teachers College (1999)
- J.D., Columbia Law School (2009)
Carrie is the Managing Attorney of CLA’s Berkshire County office. Carrie arrived at CLA (then Western Mass Legal Services) in 2010 as a Skadden Fellow. She subsequently served as an immigration attorney at CLA and its affiliate Central West Justice Center (CWJC) for 12 years. In this role she focused on assisting immigrants apply for federal humanitarian immigration relief, specializing in U-Visas for crime victims, T-Visas for trafficking survivors, VAWA petitions for domestic violence survivors, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) petitions for unaccompanied minors. Most recently, Carrie served as a Development Manager at CLA for two years. Carrie has presented at numerous legal training and community outreach events throughout Western Massachusetts. While in law school, Carrie served as an Editor of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review and interned at the New York Legal Aid Society, the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, the Refugee and Immigration Services office of Catholic Charities, the Davis Polk & Wardwell Asylum Clinic, and the Loyola Center for Social Justice. Carrie was a high school English teacher before transitioning to a career in law.
- Meredith PalmerPro Bono Director
Meredith Palmer
Pro Bono Director
- M.P.H., University of South Carolina School of Public Health, 2006
- J.D., Hofstra University School of Law, 2010
Meredith has committed her career to public interest work. While studying for her M.P.H., Meredith focused on LGBTQ health issues in her work. Her advocacy for the LGBTQ community continued throughout law school, where she was named an LGBTQ Advocacy Fellow at Hofstra University School of Law. Upon graduation, Meredith served as the Fair Courts Project Attorney at Lambda Legal in NYC, where she managed a national legal education project aimed at countering harmful attacks against the judiciary that threaten LGBTQ and HIV-affected civil rights. Meredith then served as a Staff Attorney at the Children’s Law Center in Brooklyn, NY, a nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to children in family court proceedings. Upon relocating to Western Massachusetts, Meredith began volunteering at Community Legal Aid’s Northampton office in the Family Law Unit. Shortly thereafter, Meredith was hired as a Staff Attorney, where she represented victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Probate and Family Courts and District Courts throughout Western Massachusetts. As of August 2019, Meredith became Pro Bono Director at CLA, a newly created position aimed at expanding the pro bono programs throughout the service region.
- Julia PopkinSenior Supervising Attorney, Family Preservation Project
Julia Popkin
Senior Supervising Attorney, Family Preservation Project
- B.A., Sociology, Wesleyan University (2010)
- J.D., (magna cum laude), New York University School of Law (2017)
Julia joined Community Legal Aid in 2021 as a staff attorney in the Education Law Unit and Disability Benefits Project, before becoming the Senior Supervising Attorney of the Family Preservation Project in 2024. Julia began her legal career as a public defender representing clients in child protective proceedings, first in New York City with Brooklyn Defender Services, and then in Western Massachusetts with the Committee for Public Counsel Services. During law school, she was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties fellow and was awarded the Ann Petluck Poses Memorial Prize for her practice as a clinical student representing parents in child protective proceedings in the Family Defense and Advanced Family Defense clinics. Julia is on the Board of Directors of the Franklin County Bar Association Community Fund.
- Gordon ShawDirector of Client Access
Gordon Shaw
Director of Client Access
- J.D., Northeastern University School of Law (1990)
Gordon worked for Massachusetts Justice Project (MJP) for more than 15 years before the program joined Community Legal Aid in 2014. At CLA, Gordon became the first Director of Client Access. After he received his law degree in 1990 from Northeastern University School of Law, Gordon served two years as a judicial law clerk to the Massachusetts Superior Court (the second year, as the Deputy Chief Law Clerk). He then spent several years in private practice prior to joining MJP as a Staff Attorney in 1998, then Managing Attorney in 2005 and Executive Director in 2011. From 1996 to 2000, he served as co-chair for Hampshire County Reinventing Justice, a task force charged with examining how to make the justice system more accessible.
- Amanda WinalskiSenior Supervising Attorney, Housing Law Unit
Amanda Winalski
Senior Supervising Attorney, Housing Law Unit
- B.A., English and History (summa cum laude), Temple University (2004)
- J.D., (magna cum laude), Boston University School of Law (2007)
- LL.M., Animal Law (magna cum laude), Lewis & Clark Law School (2013)
Amanda joined Community Legal Aid in 2014 as part of the HomeCorps foreclosure defense team funded by the Office of the Attorney General, before becoming a Senior Supervising Attorney in 2022. Before joining CLA, Amanda worked as a commercial litigator. During law school, she was a student attorney in the Civil Litigation Clinical Program, interned with the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, and worked as a summer associate at a law firm. She was also a Note Editor on the Public Interest Law Journal. Following five years of private practice, Amanda returned to school to obtain an LL.M. and transition to public interest work. Amanda was a student attorney in the Animal Law Clinic, where she represented nonprofits and worked on animal protection issues. She is a volunteer literacy tutor. Amanda is licensed to practice in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island (inactive), and the U.S. District Court of Connecticut.
- Corrine RyanManaging Attorney, Springfield
Corrine Ryan
Managing Attorney, Springfield
- A.B., English (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), College of the Holy Cross (2010)
- J.D., (cum laude), Georgetown University Law Center (2013)
Corrine joined Community Legal Aid in August 2013 and was promoted to Managing Attorney of the Springfield office in March 2020. As a Staff Attorney in CLA’s Disability Benefits Law Unit, she represented claimants seeking Social Security and SSI disability benefits at all levels of Social Security’s appeals process through Federal District Court. Corrine has also helped grow CLA’s Hampden County Education Law Project, advocating to obtain necessary special education services for students, enforce students’ and families’ legal rights, and overcome barriers that stand in the way of student success. Corrine has conducted numerous trainings to legal aid staff, private attorneys, social service providers, and community groups on the intricacies of Social Security law and the rights of students in schools. During law school, Corrine interned at Washington D.C.’s Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with developmental disabilities. She is a member of the Hampden County Bar Association and serves on the Board of Directors for Square One (formerly the Springfield Day Nursery), a leading provider of early childhood education and family support services. Corrine is licensed to practice in Massachusetts and the U.S. District of Massachusetts.
- Christina ParadisoSenior Supervising Attorney, Family Law Unit
Christina Paradiso
Senior Supervising Attorney, Family Law Unit
- B.A., Political Sociology, Boston University (1992)
- J.D., Boston University School of Law (1996)
Tina worked at Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts for over five years before the program joined with Western Massachusetts Legal Services to form Community Legal Aid in 2011. Tina is a Senior Supervising Attorney in CLA’s Family Law Unit. She handles complex divorce, custody, support, visitation, and abuse prevention matters at the trial and appellate level, and supervises all family law work at CLA. In 2006, Tina was chosen to serve on the Trial Court’s Child Support Guidelines Task Force to evaluate and redesign the Commonwealth’s Child Support Guidelines and in 2012, Tina was asked to serve on Governor Patrick’s Working Group on Child-Centered Family Laws. She received the Women of Justice Award in 2009 in recognition of her meaningful and inspiring contributions in the fields of social justice and advocacy. Tina was formally the co-chair of the Worcester County Bar Association’s Family Law Section.
Before joining CLA, Tina was a Staff Attorney at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Child Support Enforcement Division, where she was also a special assistant district attorney for nonsupport crimes. In that capacity, she successfully prosecuted many high-profile cases. Tina has participated as a lecturer, panelist, and author in numerous continuing legal education programs.
Development
- Tom NavinDevelopment Director
Tom Navin
Development Director
- B.B.A., Human Resource Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst (1992)
- M. Ed., Higher Education Administration, University of Massachusetts Amherst (2000)
Prior to joining Community Legal Aid in 2018, Tom served as Vice President of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at World Learning, an international education, development, and exchange organization. Before World Learning, Tom had an 18 year tenure at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he held several positions in the development office including roles as a Leadership Gift Officer and as Director of Annual Giving. As Director of Annual Giving, he was responsible for the strategy and implementation of all annual appeals to the University’s 200,000+ alumni and friends, and oversaw significant growth of dollars, donors, and functions in the annual fund.
- Laura Hancock BarryDevelopment Manager
Laura Hancock Barry
Development Manager
- B.A., University of Massachusetts Amherst
- J.D., Suffolk University School of Law
Laura joined Community Legal Aid in 2018 as the Development Manager. She brings both legal experience and development expertise to the position. After earning her law degree from Suffolk University Law School, she honed her writing skills as a law clerk to the Justices of the Superior Court. She then worked as an attorney practicing civil litigation in private practice in Worcester, MA. Before joining CLA’s staff, she was a member of CLA’s Pro Bono panel and advocated for students with education-law related cases. Laura is also the founder and chairperson of the Hopkinton Public Library Foundation (HPLF), a nonprofit organization that succeeded in its mission of raising $1 million for the renovation and expansion of the historic Hopkinton Library. For this initiative she was involved in all aspects of fundraising and advocacy, including developing strategy and messaging, organizing and running events, managing volunteers, contacting prospective donors, writing grants, and overseeing finances.
- Hallie BlashfieldDevelopment & Communications Coordinator
Hallie Blashfield
Development & Communications Coordinator
- B.A., Cultural Studies & Communication (magna cum laude), Clark University (2017)
- M.A., Community Development & Planning, Clark University (2018)
Prior to joining Community Legal Aid in September 2018, Hallie was a student at Clark University, where she studied Cultural Studies & Communication and Women & Gender Studies before going on to earn her Master’s in Community Development & Planning. During her time as a student, Hallie was an Organizer with NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and interned with NARAL Oregon and Ascentria Care Alliance/the City of Worcester. Hallie is the co-producer of “Foreclosures for Sale: Revisiting Stories of Worcester’s Mortgage Crisis,” a 2018 radio documentary about self represented litigants fighting their foreclosures in court. She was previously a member of the Board of Directors at WCUW 91.3 FM Community Radio in Worcester, MA.
- Hannah HenkelDevelopment Associate
Hannah Henkel
Development Associate
- B.A. Advertising and Marketing Communications, Fashion Institute of Technology (2020)
Hannah is a development professional with experience in fundraising events, donor engagement, and alumni relations. Most recently, she served as Associate Development Officer, Special Events and Campaigns at Easterseals Massachusetts, where she led signature events and fundraising initiatives across the state. Hannah has also held development and alumni relations roles at Tufts University and Framingham State University, advancing student philanthropy programs, reunion engagement, and alumni events. She brings a passion for relationship-building and mission-driven fundraising to her work.
- Andrew FelperSenior Grants Manager
Andrew Felper
Senior Grants Manager
- B.S., Communications, Boston University (2007)
- M.S., Nonprofit Management, Northeastern University (2013)
- J.D., Suffolk University Law School (2021)
Andrew brings with him nearly 15 years of experience in development and grantwriting, including 8.5 spent as the Grants Manager at CLA. Prior to rejoining CLA in September 2024, Andrew was the Assistant National Director of Foundation Relations for American Jewish Committee (AJC), where he helped oversee the grants department for the global advocacy organization.
- Thomas HulleyAssistant Grants Manager
Thomas Hulley
Assistant Grants Manager
- B.A., Social Policy & Legal Studies, Northwestern University (2015)
- J.D., Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (2021)
Thomas’s first experience in public interest work was as an intern for the Legal Services Corporation’s Legal Aid Chicago. After college, he served for a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. Thomas then moved to Nashville and worked for two years as an advocate at Disability Rights Tennessee. In law school, he spent his first summer interning with a federal judge and his second summer interning with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Thomas joined Community Legal Aid in 2021.
Finance & Operations
- Hisham LeilInformation Technology Director
Hisham Leil
Information Technology Director
- B.A., Communications Sciences, University of Connecticut (1991)
- J.D., University of New Hampshire School of Law (1997)
Hisham worked at Western Massachusetts Legal Services for more than four years before the program joined Legal Assistance Corporation of Central Massachusetts to form Community Legal Aid in 2011. While serving as lead attorney for the immigrant justice project, Hisham directed the efforts of several partner agencies to provide legal services to hundreds of immigrant victims of domestic violence and crime, many of whom were facing imminent deportation and separation from their families. Hisham also trained and collaborated with numerous law enforcement, prosecution, shelter, and immigrant relief agency staff on matters relating to immigration law throughout Western Massachusetts. He has also appeared in local radio, television, and newspaper media and is a frequent lecturer at Western New England University School of Law on topics relating to immigration law. Prior to his career in legal services, Hisham was in private practice for nine years.
- Brandon TunneyFinance Director
Brandon Tunney
Finance Director
- B.A., Framingham State University
- M.B.A., Framingham State University
Prior to becoming Community Legal Aid’s Finance Director in 2019, Brandon served as the Director of Finance and Administration at Mass Mentoring Partnership from 2016-2019. He was also the Accounting Manager for Victory Programs and served as the Director of Administration and Finance for the GLBTQ Domestic Violence Project from 2010-2015.
- Alicia VaughanDirector of Human Resources
Alicia Vaughan
Director of Human Resources
- B.S., Business Administration, Fitchburg State University
- M.B.A., Fitchburg State University
Alicia started her Human Resources career as Human Resources Manager and Publishers Assistant at the Sentinel & Enterprise newspaper. She then went on to serve as the Human Resources and Interoffice Operations Manager for etfile, and the Director of Human Resources at Crossroads School. In 2021, Alicia joined Community Legal Aid as the Director of Human Resources. Alicia is a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional and a participating member of the MetroWest Human Resources Management Association.
- Gertrude AddoRecruitment Coordinator
Gertrude Addo
Recruitment Coordinator
- B.S., Community Health, Worcester State University (2007)
Gertrude brings over nine years of experience in HR and recruitment across healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit organizations. Before joining Community Legal Aid/Central West Justice Center, she supported talent acquisition at Fallon Health and previously held HR roles at Worcester State University, AON, and The Bridge of Central Massachusetts. She is passionate about creating welcoming, inclusive hiring experiences and helping people feel supported as they join mission-driven organizations. Gertrude holds a bachelor’s degree in Community Health from Worcester State University.
- Liz CampanaleFinance Manager
Liz Campanale
Finance Manager
Liz joined Community Legal Aid in July 2012 and is responsible for processing payroll and accounts payable, and reporting to several grant funding sources. Liz has worked in insurance, manufacturing, and nonprofit industries and has over 15 years of experience in nonprofit social services accounting. She is also involved in the financial operations of her family’s automotive repair business.
- Sandra Girardi-UljuaAccounting Assistant
Sandra Girardi-Uljua
Accounting Assistant
Sandi brings years of experience in accounting and bookkeeping in both the private and nonprofit sector to her role at Community Legal Aid. She also volunteers her time and services as Treasurer for a condominium association in Auburn, MA.
- Melodie HanksAccounting Assistant
Melodie Hanks
Accounting Assistant
Melodie joined Community Legal Aid as Accounting Assistant in March 2025. She started her finance career as comptroller of a small real estate and mortgage company. Melodie has worked in non-profit, manufacturing/medical, education, insurance, hospitality and small business industries. She has over 20 years of experience in multiple areas of business including finance, information technology, project management and business management. Melodie also serves as Treasurer for her church.
- Christine HolbrookGrants Manager, Fiscal
Christine Holbrook
Grants Manager, Fiscal
- B.S. Human Development & Family Studies, Cornell University
Christine has dedicated her professional career to working in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining Community Legal Aid, she worked at UMass Medical School for six years, first in a research lab and then in grant and contract management. Before working at UMass Medical School, she worked at Conservation Services Group, an energy conservation company, for 14 years.
Christine has also done volunteer work through the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church, including organizing meals and clothing drives for residents of the Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council’s transitional housing program. Additionally, she has volunteered for various regional festivals, including the West Brookfield Asparagus Festival, the Sturbridge Harvest Festival, and Southbridge AutumnFest.
- Gloria LisenoHR Assistant
Gloria Liseno
HR Assistant
- B.S., Biology, Worcester State University (2018)
Born and raised in Worcester, Gloria is excited to join Community Legal Aid as their Human Resources Assistant, continuing her commitment to make a positive impact on her community. With over three years of developing HR skills in hospitality management, alongside a recent role as the Human Resources Assistant for the City of Fitchburg, Gloria will apply her skills to benefit both the employees and the people CLA serves. Gloria’s passion for Human Resources and advocacy, shaped by a childhood living in public housing, drives her dedication to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace in the non-profit sector.
