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Meet The A.B.L.E. Staff

Full-Time Staff:

Anne Chace joined the staff as a Program Manager in 2008 with 24 years of experience in workforce development and job placement. She managed federal contract job training and placement programs for several non-profit agencies in the Boston area and served as the Team Leader for Business Services at a one stop career center. Anne is an experienced vocational rehabilitation professional and has assisted persons with disabilities to obtain and maintain competitive employment. A graduate of the Boston University School of Social Work, Anne earned her MSW majoring in Macro Practice (Community Organization, Management and Planning.)

Joan Cirillo is Executive Director of Operation A.B.L.E. Prior to joining Operation A.B.L.E., Joan spent 13 years as a teacher and consultant in the Chicago Public School system and 9 years in increasingly more responsible human resources positions at John Hancock Financial Services and BankBoston. She is the recipient of three John Hancock Employee Recognition Awards for outstanding contributions to the Human Resources Department.

Joan holds Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Education and a Master of Business Administration degree from Simmons College Graduate School of Management. She currently serves on the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board (SWIB). She also serves on the South Coastal, Metro South/West, and North Shore Workforce Investment Boards. She is President and a Board member of the Massachusetts Association of Older Americans, President of the Massachusetts Society for the Education of University Women, a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Simmons College Graduate School of Management Alumnae Association and Women in Development. Joan has served as Chair of the Job Training Alliance of Massachusetts and on the Boards of the Boston Workforce Development Coalition, Human Resources Council and Union Park Neighborhood Association. She is also a member of The Boston Club, an organization for senior executive women. Since 2002, she has served as a national judge for the AARP BEST Awards to determine the best companies for workers 50 and older to work and as one of four Sunday Boston Globe Job Docs. 

Sylvia Dickens, Program Coordinator for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), joined the staff in 2009 to support Operation A.B.L.E.'s SCSEP efforts in the Metrowest and Worcester County areas. This is a natural fit for Sylvia, who most recently worked in development for an elder-services provider in Cambridge, and who began her professional career in NYC, first in nonprofit public relations and then as a caseworker for the Dept. of Social Services. Sylvia left human services for many years to pursue a successful career in video production for corporate communications and training. This involved completing the graduate program in Broadcast Communication Arts at San Francisco State University, running her own video agency in the volatile SF Bay Area, and six years as Executive Producer for Zenger-Miller, one of the foremost training system developers where she built a reputation for her work in behavior modeling. Sylvia returned to the East Coast where she was Director of Video Products Development for the American Management Association, another international leader in training. Many life changes later, Sylvia sought out Operation ABLE for computer update training and to take part in the SCSEP program, which she credits with enabling her to re-enter the workforce.

Kevin Gouveia, Accounting Manager, joined the staff of Operation A.B.L.E. after spending 6 years at the Marino Foundation which is part of the Modern Continental Companies. Prior to that, he spent 13 years as a Payroll Supervisor at Kelly Temporary Services. Kevin not only brings his accounting/payroll expertise to Operation A.B.L.E., but he also provides excellent customer service skills to everyone with whom he comes in contact. He is a graduate of Northeastern University with a major in Accounting. 
  
Mark Gyurina, Director of Training Services, joined Operation A.B.L.E. in March of 2008 and brings over 20 years of experience in helping to meet the workforce development needs of Boston-area residents. He has designed and implemented a number of initiatives and programs designed to meet the employment, training, and education needs of a wide range of individuals including welfare recipients, dislocated workers, refugees/immigrants, older workers, individuals with disabilities, incumbent workers and young adults. As an experienced grant writer, Mark has successfully secured funding from federal, state, city and private sources for numerous training and education initiatives as well as setting up and managing tuition-based offerings marketed both to individuals and employers. He recently completed a term as a member of the Department of Education’s Proprietary School Advisory Council which has taken on a number of important issues including student/consumer protection, institute financial viability, teacher approval and course transferability. Mark holds Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and served three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand.

Rose Hom, Program Manager and Training Specialist, joined Operation A.B.L.E. as a Training Specialist for Operation Service! and Operation Success and launched the ABLE Weatherization & Energy Audit Training (W.E.A.T.) Program. With a BS in Accounting and Marketing from Babson College, she has full cycle accounting experiences in both non-profit and for-profit sectors as well as more than 20 years in business development and operations management in the finance, insurance, mutual funds, real estate, construction, and hospitality industries. Rose was involved with recruiting, hiring, training, and employee development and she also has experiences in business development, regionally and nationally. With a thirst for knowledge, Rose learned and worked with Microsoft Windows since its infancy. Besides having a familiarity with many computer software applications, she also had participated in web development, graphic design, e-commerce, web design, and on-line training. Having been on both sides of the hiring table, she looks forward to her participation with W.E.A.T. in an emerging industry offering ground floor opportunities
 
Tom McFarland, Communications Director,  is responsible for developing Operation A.B.L.E.’s public relations and communications strategy and the tactical outreach activities to support it. With a B.S. in Speech from West Virginia University, a M.S. in Journalism from Boston University, and more than 20 years providing public relations and marketing communications services for high tech companies, Tom joined Operation A.B.L.E. in 2004 to create the agency's first formal public relations and communications program. He helps maintain a steady flow of participants into the organization’s various employment and training programs and utilizes his media relations and strategic planning skills to increase Operation A.B.L.E.’s visibility among funding sources, service providers, employers, and the general public. He developed and manages Operation A.B.L.E.’s interactive web site, co-manages the organization's Mature Worker Career Fairs, and provides public relations support for the Annual Starfish Thrower Award Gala, the Celebrating Experience Breakfast, and other fundraising initiatives.

Bill Nadler is the Office Technology Administrator and Senior Training Specialist for our 19-week Operation EmployABLE computer and office skills training program.  He is a “natural” when it comes to teaching people how to use various computer software applications. Bill holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. His background in the Electro-Mechanical packaging group at MIT Draper Laboratory has served him well. His many achievements during nine years at Draper Laboratory include participation in the design verification testing of the Apollo Space Program Guidance & Navigation System and U.S. Navy Poseidon Submarine Missile Guidance System. Bill also has nine years retail store experience, has been a sole proprietor in an electronics catalogue mail order business in addition to his non-profit and community service with elders. We feel very fortunate to have him as part of the team. Bill makes everyone feel like a winner in his class. He has infinite patience and can explain things in a number of ways to ensure everyone “gets it.”

Colleen O’Malley isProgram Manager and Microsoft Office Training Specialist of the Quincy, MA,  satellite of Operation A.B.L.E.  She has worked in a non-profit setting in several capacities; including as an English Foreign Language Instructor, Student Center Coordinator and Event Programmer for UMass Boston, and as a Microsoft Office and Job Readiness Training Instructor for Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries. Colleen graduated magna cum laude with a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 2004, where she was the recipient of the UMass Boston Student Leadership Award and the David E. Walker Prize for academic and community service. During her travels she has studied three languages, including Basic Mandarin Chinese. Having lived and taught in China for over eight months, Colleen has a great appreciation for Chinese culture. This makes her an excellent candidate for the Quincy satellite of Operation ABLE due to its growing Asian population. Colleen continues her dedication to community service in her career in workforce development, firmly believing that workforce development is the most effective way to bring positive long term changes to people’s lives.

Tee (Leontine) Provost is Area Manager for the Senior Community Service Employment Program.  She oversees Operation A.B.L.E.'s SCSEP activities in Suffolk, Essex, Middlesex, and Worcester counties.  After a successful career as a Design Drafter in Structural Engineering, Tee reinvented herself as a Career Counselor/Coach and has worked at Employment Resources, Inc., Career Source and Boston University. She is a member of the Career Development and Marketing Association, the Career Counselors’ Consortium, the American Society for Training and Development and the Association of Women in Computing. A firm believer in lifelong learning, Tee has almost completed a Master of Management degree at Cambridge College. Her entrepreneurial spirit enabled Tee to successfully launch two highly successful job training programs.

Judith Serode joined Operation A.B.L.E. in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer.  She has over 12 years experience in the nonprofit sector and has had management responsibilities for the 9 years prior to joining the organization. Judith has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and Master of Business Administration degree from Simmons College Graduate School of Management. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Bernice Steisel, MBA, is our Development Director.  She has extensive experience with frontline fundraising in both the charitable and higher education sectors.

Part-Time Staff:

Augusta Alban -- Admissions Specialist
Naimah Al-Lateef -- SCSEP Communications Associate
Cynthia Andrews – SCSEP Employment Specialist, Essex County
Magda Feijoo
SCSEP Program Assistant
Mary Glynn -- SCSEP Employment Specialist, Middlesex County
Karen Larsen -- Employment Specialist, Skills2Work
Anne Mathieu, SCSEP Employment Specialist
Mannatt Sukumar (Suku) Menon, SCSEP Employment Specialist, Suffolk County
Al Raimondi – SCSEP Information Technology Technician
Sandy Rubins
SCSEP Payroll & Database Assistant
Mark Simoneau -- SCSEP Employment Specialist, Worcester County
Elizabeth Tinsley -- SCSEP Receptionist


Volunteers:

Sr. Eileen Finnigan SND
 

 

 

 

 

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