Staff and board
Left to right: Paul Connolly, Kate Berliner, Andrea Shapiro,
Jessica Callaghan, Daniele Levine
Andrea Shapiro, our CEO and Board President, founded Second Chances in 2005 because she knew there was a better way to get more clothing to people who needed it. She is the third generation of textile and clothing entrepreneurs in her family. Andrea has had a long career in nonprofit management, after working in the private sector at a management consulting firm and earning an MBA with a finance and real estate focus. She is a lifelong resident of the Boston area and has lived in Somerville since 1994.
Jessica Callaghan, Program Manager, joined Second Chances' staff in May 2019 as our first Program Coordinator. Jessica has been a long-time volunteer, including work with local schools, coordinating drives to gather donations for people in need, and leading teams of volunteers to sort and distribute donations. She worked as a fundraiser before taking a pause in her career to raise her family. Jessica is deeply committed to serving the basic needs of people in our community. Jessica has lived in Arlington since 1996.
Winnie Lee, Program and Communications Coordinator, joined the Second Chances team in November 2022. In addition to her background in hospitality and marketing, Winnie has a long history of connecting with the community through volunteering. She has volunteered with Angell Animal Medical Center, Greater Boston Food Bank, and Community Servings in addition to Second Chances. Winnie is a Realtor at Coldwell Banker Realty and is passionate about helping first-time homebuyers in the Greater Boston area. Winnie is a Penn State alum and currently lives in Brookline.
Amanda Adams is a relationship banker with Rockland Trust's Davis Square, Somerville branch. Amanda recently joined Second Chances' Board of Directors. Her biography is coming soon.
Kate Berliner, our Board Clerk, joined the Second Chances board in May 2017. She is interested in exploring the intersection of her work and experience in the local nonprofit sector and her interest and education in fashion design and textiles. She has been involved with Second Chances since 2014 as a volunteer and as a partner through Somerville CAN, a collaboration of local nonprofits. She is currently the Program Manager at the Somerville-based nonprofit Community Cooks. Kate is a Somerville resident and her goal is to create positive social change in the local community.
Paul Connolly, our Board Treasurer, was raised in a household where public service and giving back to the community were a way of life. Paul worked for the City of Somerville for 23 years and worked for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as a Program Manager in the Community Planning and Development Office until his retirement in 2022. Paul has also served as a board member and chair of Bethany Place in Framingham and as a member of the Corporate Board of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. As a corporate board member, he was the Director representative for Fontbonne Academy, a sponsored ministry for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Milton.
Daniele Levine, a member of our Board of Directors since 2010, joined the Second Chances Board after seeing the impact of our work firsthand during her many years at RESPOND, Inc., a local domestic violence agency. For more than 20 years, Daniele has worked at a broad range of Greater Boston human service organizations serving vulnerable individuals and families. She is currently the Executive Director at the Somerville-based nonprofit Community Cooks. Daniele was born and raised in New York City and has proudly called Somerville and Cambridge home since 1992.
Your gift changes lives!
Board members enjoying a tour of our warehouse. Each of those cubes of clothing (bales) weighs more than 1,000 pounds.
Some of the hardworking volunteers from our Board of Directors take a little time out for snacks and smiles.