FOLLOW US

Alison enthusiastically joins the Tenacity team from a family that is serious about recreation, leisure and youth development. Alison is a graduate of Brown University, holds a Master of Arts in recreation and leisure studies and resources management from New York University and is a PhD candidate in social welfare at Yeshiva University. She has worked as an assistant camp director, adjunct professor, international presenter and consultant. With a passion for social justice issues, Alison has been working with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals and their families since starting her doctoral work. The New York Times has featured Alison's professional and academic work supporting leisure within the prisoner population, as well as advocacy for wellness. She founded her own leisure education initiative, The Leisure Link, and uniquely brings leisure education to Tenacity.  Alison lives in Jamaica Plain with her husband David, and can be found living a balanced leisure life pursuing social justice and sustainability issues, volunteering, connecting with new people, using her passport, meditating, playing sports, being in the outdoors, attending cultural events, listening to and playing music, spending quality time with family and friends and finding other ways to live a fulfilling life.

ANDY CRANE, Summer Programs Consultant  CONTACT

Andy has been a lawyer for more then 30 years. He was Defender General of the State of Vermont for 4 years prior to his position as Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission from 1985 to 1995. Andy came to Tenacity with significant volunteer experience in youth tennis for the City of Boston. His involvement includes 12 years as the Chairperson of the Boston Latin School Tennis Association, which is committed to growing scholastic tennis in the City of Boston. He has organized and supervised numerous tennis programs and was for many years Chairperson of the Eastern Mass State Committee of USTA/New England.

DUDLEY BLODGET, Vice President of Advancement CONTACT

As VP of Advancement, Dudley oversees Tenacity’s multi-pronged fundraising program, working closely with the President and the Board of Trustees. He has had a long career in the advancement field, with senior posts at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, and Boston Renaissance Charter School, where he served as President. Earlier in his career, he served as an administrator at Sarah Lawrence College and Princeton University. He attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he played varsity tennis and soccer, and received his Master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College.


IAN SCHNEIDERMAN, Director of Operations CONTACT

This is Ian’s first position in a non-profit setting. He brings over 20 years of experience as an information technology executive from a number major companies such as Arthur Andersen, The Forum Corporation and Sonus Networks. Ian received a BFA in theater from Carnegie-Mellon University. Outside of his Operations Director position, Ian enjoys playing guitar, collecting stamps and coins and spending time with his two teenage children.


STEPHANIE GENDRON, Director of Alumni Services CONTACT

Stephanie has joined the Tenacity Team as the organization’s Director of Alumni Services. Stephanie has been working with high-risk youth for over a decade, and her experiences include teaching summer school in Newark, NJ, working with voluntary and mandated adolescents at the Harlem Community Justice Center in East Harlem, New York, and leading a cross-sector coalition in Harlem with the mission of reducing substance abuse among local youth. Stephanie graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology and later received her MSW from Columbia University with a concentration in program management and development. She is currently licensed to practice social work in both New York and Massachusetts.


LIZ BARNES, AmeriCorps Program Director CONTACT

Liz received her Bachelors of Science in Education from Northeastern University. She began working with non-profits in the Greater Boston area while attending Northeastern University in the early 90s and has continued to do so throughout her career. Upon graduation, she was an AmeriCorps Member at the YMCA of Greater Boston working on volunteer projects with middle school students. She then went on to manage 2 different AmeriCorps Programs at UMASS Boston for 8 years. For the past 3 years, Liz was working with after-school programs at the YMCA of Greater Boston. She joined Tenacity in October of 2007.

JERRY TUCKMAN, Director of Development CONTACT

As Tenacity’s Director of Development Jerry’s focus is on development marketing, events and major gifts both in Greater Boston and Worcester. He was a director of development at Tufts University for almost seven years and followed that with work on major gifts, most recently within the University of Massachusetts system. His earlier career was spent in community organizing and he worked for fourteen years for Equitable Real Estate, managing high rise commercial properties throughout the Northeast.  Jerry’s undergraduate degree is from Hofstra and he has an MSW from the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. He has been playing tennis for more than 50 years. Both of his daughters are teachers, one in the Boston school system.  (Jerry is seen here with his favorite doubles partner from Sweden, Björn Borg.)


PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Alexis Accomando, Tennis Coordinator Tony Brissette, Worcester Program Director TBD, Academic Coordinator Krista Fincke, Site Coordinator Julie Goff, Academic Coordinator Luke Gorman, Assistant ASEP Director Margaret Irving, Academic Coordinator             Nancy Kilburn,  Grants Manager Brendan McCue, Development Coordinator

John O'Hara, Office Administration Manager  Will Osier, Tennis Coordinator Ananth Pandian, Summer & Ops Program Manager Magda Rodriguez, Family Engagement Coordinator Adam Souza, Tennis Coordinator Daniel Swann, Tennis Coordinator   Brian Tuttle, Manager of On Site Excellence Peter Varnum, Tennis Coordinator Marta Waalen, Academic Coordinator