Meet the Staff

Michael has more than 30 years of work experience in management positions within not-for-profit organizations. He has served as the President and CEO of East End House since 1996. Under Michael’s leadership, East End House’s annual budget has increased severalfold, and services for under-resourced children, families, and individuals have significantly expanded. During his tenure, East End House has received numerous awards and recognition, including the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network’s Award for Excellence in Management, Family Strengthening Award from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and United Neighborhood Centers of America, and was the first organization in the nation to receive dual accreditation from the Council on Accreditation (COA) for its Out of School Time Programs and as an agency overall.

Michael received a master’s degree from the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, graduating Magna cum Laude and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received advanced training in management from Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School of Business, and Roosevelt University in Chicago, serving as a fellow in a yearlong program for senior managers of human service organizations sponsored by the City of Chicago.

Michael served as a member and Vice Chair of the United Neighborhood Centers of America Board of Directors, and on the boards of other local and national child, youth, and family organizations. He is one of the founders of the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition (CNC), and currently serves as the President of the CNC’s Board of Directors and as the Chair of the Sector Strategy Subcommittee.  Michael also served as the Chair of the Community Outreach Committee of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce for 5 years. He is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE), certified by the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) and, in 2005, was chosen as one of Boston Event Guide’s “30 Extraordinary Bostonians.”

Chris was born and raised in mid-coast Maine. She received her BA from Brandeis University in Environmental Studies. She worked in the non-profit sector in Panama before starting an educational project serving at-risk youth in Panama City. She partnered with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and after the pilot year, the Smithsonian incorporated the program into their educational outreach all across the country. She returned to the U.S. to pursue her master’s at Harvard Graduate School of Education, focusing on human development and psychology. After completing her degree, she spent seven months living in a tent in the Himalayas in Nepal, helping rebuild schools after the earthquake in 2015. She returned to Maine to partner with her sister’s organic farm and the local school district to create a farm-based curriculum for high school students.

In 2017 Chris joined the East End House team. As Director of the Middle School Program, she has worked closely with the students, group leaders, and Putnam Avenue Upper School staff to reimagine the East End House Middle School Program. Chris now oversees the School Age Program and the Middle School Program as the Senior Director of Out of School Time Programs.

Born in New Hampshire, Ryan Montbleau attended Hobart College and graduated in 2019 with a BA in Environmental Studies and a focus in Sustainable Community Development. After receiving his degree, Ryan worked as an English teacher in Hanoi, Vietnam before moving back to the United States during COVID-19.

Ryan has organized and participated in human rights conferences around the world and works to ensure more equitable access to nutritious food in Boston. He joined the East End House team in 2021 to expand the organization’s food pantry, build new partnerships, and reinvent community programs to serve a diverse group of residents. Ryan will also work to develop youth volunteer opportunities and provide wrap-around care for East End House families.

Alexa grew up in South Dakota and moved to Massachusetts to study at Brandeis University for her undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Sociology. She has worked and volunteered at various nonprofits where she planned events and helped support communities on both a national and local scale. In 2022, Alexa received her Master’s Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Concordia University in Montreal. She loves trying and cooking new foods, playing card and board games with her family, and exploring Massachusetts.

Alexa joined the East End House team in 2023 as the Community Programs Associate. She is excited to get to know the community and help support new and existing programs for everyone at East End House!

Marsé moved from Maryland to Boston in 2018 for her graduate degree at Longy School of Music. She graduated in the spring of 2020 with a Masters in Opera. She is currently an active classical musician and voice teacher in the Boston area. Even though her trade is in music, youth work has been her passion since she was young. Her youthwork journey started when she was in middle school and has not stopped since.

Marsé has been with East End House since October 2020 as a group leader for the School Age Program. In January 2022, she became the Middle School Site Coordinator. Then in May 2022, she became the Interim Summer Program Director where she is taking care of both the School Age and Middle School summer programs. As the summer came to a close, Marsé then became the Middle School Program Director. After 15 years of working with youth, she feels as though her desire to uplift, nurture, encourage, and teach youth will never change but only grow stronger.

Jess grew up in New York before moving to Boston and attending Boston College, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and Applied Psychology. After graduating, Jess went on to complete her graduate studies in Learning & Design at Vanderbilt University. She moved back to Boston for a year to teach fifth graders before moving abroad to Malta. While in Malta she completed a Fulbright Grant teaching English at a secondary school. She additionally taught a course at the University of Malta and collaborated with the local YMCA.

Jess has a passion for integrating literacy into the learning and explorations of children. She considers herself a lifelong learner and hopes to build relationships to grow and learn with the East End House community.

Jason grew up between Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is the third generation of his family to call East Cambridge home. His passion for community and desire to create positive experiences for young people led him to join East End House in 2016 as an Assistant Group Leader in the School Age Program. Since then, Jason has steadily grown in his role and commitment to the organization. Through his hard work and dedication, Jason was promoted to Site Coordinator of the School Age Program in 2021. He takes great pride in building relationships with the community he serves and is grateful for the opportunity to give back to the place where he grew up.

Jason’s positive experiences with out-of-school programs growing up have motivated him to create similar experiences for young people today. His passion for community has made him a great asset to the East End House team, and he looks forward to continuing to serve and support the community for years to come.

Kristin grew up in Somerville, Massachusetts, and started her journey at East End House at the age of 19 as an assistant teacher in the Toddler 1 classroom. She’s been at East End House ever since, becoming the lead teacher for the Preschool 2 classroom. After 20 years at East End House, Kristen became the Assistant Director of the Child Care Program.

Kristen graduated from Bunker Hill Community College in 2012 with her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Kristen is also a proud mom of two kids, one in high school and one just starting Kindergarten.

Rebecca Gallo earned a Master’s degree in Social work and a Master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University. She has experience developing programs and working with individuals, children and families in nonprofit organizations in Washington, DC, New York City, and Greater Boston. Prior to attending graduate school, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa where she worked to improve health in a rural village.

Rebecca served as the Senior Director of Evaluation and Development at East End House in Cambridge, MA for six years, where she managed foundation and government grants, and lead agency-wide evaluation efforts. She continues with East End House as a Senior Consultant in Evaluation. Rebecca is also the co-founder of Hearty Meals for All, a community meal program that serves fresh, local foods, in Somerville, MA. She is currently the Senior Program Officer for Community Engagement at the MetroWest Health Foundation. In this role she works with community partners to foster innovative programming and community-led change efforts. She also manages the foundation’s work focused on health equity.

Marc serves as the Senior Finance Director at East End House, bringing with him more than 40 years of extensive experience in senior financial management roles. Throughout his career, Marc has held positions as a controller or chief financial officer in both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. His expertise spans a range of financial areas, including GAAP, internal control, audit management, and accounting practices.

As a former licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a graduate of Suffolk University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, Marc’s academic background complements his professional achievements. He joined the East End House team in 2022, bringing his wealth of knowledge and dedication to advancing the organization’s financial objectives.  Outside of his professional endeavors, Marc likes to travel, bike, go boating, and play racquetball.

Julie grew up in East Cambridge, where she continues to reside. She fondly recalls spending numerous days at the East End Union, engaging in various activities, going on field trips, enjoying summer camp, and making the most of all the organization had to offer.

After over 40 years of service, Julie retired from the Cambridge Health Alliance in 2020. She continued working part-time during the Covid pandemic for a year and joined East End House in May 2023 as the Administrative Assistant for the morning shift. Additionally, she volunteers at her church and enjoys cooking, baking, and traveling in her free time.