Meet The A.B.L.E. Staff

Full-Time Staff:

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 Statewide Workforce Investment Board (SWIB), along with the Executive Committee of the SWIB. She also serves on the South Coastal, Metro South/West, and North Shore Workforce Investment Boards. She is a Board member of the Massachusetts Association of Older Americans, 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.

John Eckert, Director of Finance, continues to keep a careful eye on our finances. His 6 years as Division Controller at The Boston Five Cents Savings Bank and 19 years as Vice President at The Provident Institution for Savings gave John a solid financial base that has been so useful at Operation A.B.L.E. He continues to demonstrate outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills.

Linda Foote, Program Manager, started with Operation ABLE in January 2007 as a SCSEP participant, and was eventually hired full time as a Case Manager/Employment Specialist for Essex County. Prior to becoming a SCSEP Linda worked as a Training/Operations Supervisor for almost six years with Borders Books and Music, and was a certified Foster Parent for over 12 years. Linda started in the Human/Social Services field in 1977 through parent involvement with the community Head Start Program, moving on to become a Youth Counselor with the Troubleshooter Program, and continued to transition into the Training and Development area while working with the CETA Program and Lawrence Rehabilitation Services Center. Linda trained clients in Clerical and Continuing Education. Linda feels there is nothing that compares with the personal satisfaction she gets from working with Operation A.B.L.E. and its mature worker programs.

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 he comes in contact with. He is a graduate of Northeastern University with a major in Accounting.

Paul Graham, Business Development Officer, spent more than 25 years in sales and marketing in the insurance and mutual fund industries before entering the employment field. He has served as job developer, career counselor, trainer, coach, new business developer, and career center director for the University of Massachusetts at Fort Devens. He also served eight years as Business Development Officer at one of the One-Stop Career Centers in Cambridge, known as Career Source. Paul has a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from Springfield College and a Master of Science in Economics from the University of Nebraska. He is a combat veteran of the Korean Police Action. He now serves on the Boards of Directors of the Career Development and Marketing Association and the North Central Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board. Paul is also a member of the Human Resources Committee of the Neshoba Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Polly Harold, SCSEP Program Manager, joined the ABLE staff in 2006 as a Program Manager with the Senior Community Service Employment Program. Helping older workers get back to work and discovering suitable training and job opportunities for them is a natural fit for Polly, who brings a rich background in both career counseling and retail management. Her experience includes six years at Radcliffe Career Services in Cambridge where she counseled and coached hundreds of clients, as well as taught interviewing skills workshops for members of the Harvard and Cambridge community. For sixteen years, she managed an award-winning decorative arts store in Boston. She was also a counselor and coordinator for the Beyond the Basics Program sponsored by the Public Higher Education Consortium of Boston. Polly has an EdM in Counseling Psychology from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.

Susan Jepson, Area Supervisor, joined the staff of Operation A.B.L.E. in 1999. She currently oversees the Senior Community Service Employment Program in Middlesex and Essex Counties. Since 1978, she has assisted thousands of men and women with career development, career counseling and job hunting issues. She has worked with a wide range of clients with diverse economic, cultural, educational and social needs. Susan has counseled chronic pain patients, adults in transition, college students, incumbent workers in government, non-profits and corporations, retired individuals, and long term chronically unemployed people. Susan is a graduate of the University of Connecticut (B.A.) and Suffolk University (M.Ed.) Of her work at Operation A.B.L.E., Susan says, “Working with mature workers and helping them return to work is rewarding and right. Older workers are the wave of the future, and I am thrilled to be part of the wave, personally and professionally.”

Enery Martinez, Senior Human Resources Generalist, joined Operation A.B.L.E. in 2005 as the Program Manager for Operation EmployABLE. She is a Hispanic Bilingual professional with more than 20 years of combined experience in management, counseling, training and career development. She is cross-experienced in the for-profit, non-profit and public sectors. Enery has certificates in Consulting, Management and Human Resources Development. She earned a Masters of Science in Clinical Psychology from the Caribbean Institute for Graduate Studies in Puerto Rico and a Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. She completed graduate coursework in the Psychology of Vocational Counseling at Suffolk University. Enery is qualified to administer the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. She has served on the boards of the Latino Professional Network, the International Association of Career Management Professionals, Boston chapter and La Alianza Hispana, Inc.

Anne Mathieu, Employment Specialist, Senior Community Service Employment Program, has been with Operation A.B.L.E. since March 2006. In this role, she works with 55+, low-income residents of Worcester county that live in the Southbridge and Milford areas and are seeking to re-enter the job market. Anne had two years of experience with this program before coming to A.B.L.E. Prior to this, Anne worked for 20 years as a licensed home day care provider for infants and children. Anne feels fortunate to be able to help people over 55 find work as well as other needed services.

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 brings a wide range of experience and a strong dedication to human services to her new role as Program Manager and Microsoft Office Training Specialist of the Quincy, MA, satellite of Operation A.B.L.E. Colleen 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. Her experiences have served to hone her patience and ability to break down key concepts into accessible information.

Colleen graduated magna cum laude with a BA from the University of Massachusetts at Boston in 2004. As an undergraduate Colleen was the recipient of the UMass Boston Student Leadership Award and the David E. Walker Prize for academic and community service. During her travels and studies 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 Program Manager for the Operation Service! and Operation Success training programs. After a successful career as a Design Drafter in Structural Engineering, Tee reinvented herself over 17 years ago 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 has enabled Tee to successfully launch our Operation Service! and Operation Success job training and professional deved

Part-Time Staff:
Lonzie C. Brown, Jr. – SCSEP Information Technology Technician
Magda Feijoo – SCSEP Program Assistant
Linda Foote – SCSEP Employment Specialist, Greater Lawrence/Haverhill area
Kathy McDermott -- SCSEP Employment Specialist, Greater Lowell area
Caryl McDonnell – SCSEP Employment Specialist, Greater Lowell area
Peg Moore – SCSEP File Coordinator
Irene Murphy – SCSEP Employment Specialist, Greater Boston area
Sandy Rubins – SCSEP Payroll & Database AssistantDavid Smith – SCSEP Employment Specialist, Greater Leominster area
Jack Wolf – SCSEP Employment Specialist, Greater Worcester Area