MRC Staff
Allan works part-time as the office manager and supervisor of youth education for the Men's Resource Center for Change. Prior to taking this position, he was the MRC's director of support programs for which he had oversight of drop-in support groups for men, resource and referral, and youth and fathering programs. He taught preschoolers through third-graders at the University of Massachusetts, the Greenfield (Mass.) Center School (a private elementary school), and the Fort River School (an Amherst, Mass. public school) for 20 years before joining the MRC. Allan has been a volunteer facilitator for the gay/bisexual/questioning men's support group on Monday evenings at the MRC and works independently as a life coach.
Eve, who once worked as an MRC group facilitator, returns to us from the Greenfield Family Network, where she has served as Network Director. She brings 14 years of management and 20 years of clinical experience to the director's position, and a deep commitment to progressive social change.
"It is an honor to be working with such an amazing group of dedicated people for an organization that shows leadership and excellence in the field of anti-violence work," Eve says, "Being a part of a community that is so fiercely dedicated to walking the talk is very important to me. I look forward to working with the staff and community as we build on the important work of holding people accountable in a compassionate and thoughtful way."
We are very excited to have her re-join the MRC at this important moment of transition.
Michael volunteers as a support group facilitator, and serves on the Support Groups Steering Committee.
Jan works for Moving Forward, providing individual and group support for the partners and ex-partners of our Moving Forward clients. Jan has been working with survivors of domestic violence since 1987 as a hotline counselor, legal advocate and counseling program coordinator in battered women's shelters. Before joining the MRC in 2001, she worked as a Hotline and Group Counselor for NELCWIT (New England Learning Center for Women In Transition) in Greenfield, MA, and as a Program Coordinator for the Laurel House in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Jan has a B.S. in Individual and Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University.
Sara has worked extensively with both battered women and male batterers since 1985. After many years in the battered women's movement, Sara received her MSW from the University of Connecticut. Formerly the MOVE Partner Services Coordinator, Sara is now the Director of Moving Forward. Sara has previously provided clinical supervision to college-based victim support programs, including Hampshire College and UMass. She has conducted trainings on batterer's intervention and workshops on sexual violence, gender issues, and domestic violence throughout New England and at the most recent national conference on batterer's intervention. She also maintains a private counseling practice. She is working on a book about recovered batterers called Unclenching Our Fists.
Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, David has, in addition to assisting the Director, taken on many of the responsibitlies related to special events, promotions and Voice Male, which were formerly attached to the Development Coordinator. David comes to the MRC for Change from a background in publishing and fresh from a three-year tenure as a stay-at-home parent.
Scott is the Hampden County coordinator for Moving Forward. He also works as a liaison for the Domestic Violence Intervention Project in the Orange and Eastern Hampshire District Courts. He began his affiliation with MOVE in 1990 as a client and continued in the follow-up program, of which he was a founding member, for several years. Scott and his partner Nancy have spoken to many local groups and on radio and television about their experiences with domestic violence. They have also appeared on Oprah, CBS's 48 Hours, and on Public Television's The 90s. Scott has been working full-time for the MRC since May of 2001. He serves both as a group leader in Moving Forward domestic abuse groups and as an anger management educator.
Steve Jefferson, Ed.D.
Steve is a lecturer and director of the undergraduate program in Sports Management at the University of Massachusetts. He also works as a Certified Batterers' Intervention Counselor and group leader for Moving Forward. He received his doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts. Steve has worked extensively in the fields of education and corrections: as a high school Dean of Students, as institutional school principal at the North Central Correctional Institution, as a director of the Crime and Justice Foundation, and as consultant to the Robert F. Kennedy Secure Treatment Program.
A Certified Batterers' Intervention Counselor, Joy coordinates Moving Forward's Anger Management classes for adult women and men. She ran the Human Resource Center's batterer intervention program in Athol for three years (until the MRC took over that program in July of 2000, at which time Joy joined the MRC staff as a MOVE group leader). Prior to that she worked for NELCWIT and Safe Passage, providing administrative support, counseling, and legal advocacy to battered women. Joy received her MSW from the University of Pennsylvania in 1976, and worked in the mental health field in Pennsylvania before moving to the Boston area in 1983.
Barbara is the Partner Support Counselor for Moving Forward's domestic abuse program. She provides support, information and education for partners and ex-partners of Moving Forward clients. She first became involved with domestic violence prevention in 1990 while working at the International Institute of Boston, a refugee resettlement agency, as Coordinator of Social Services. Upon coming to western Massachusetts, she worked at the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT) for 13 years, as a counselor, community educator, and Coordinator of the Community Crisis Response Team before joining the MRC staff in 2006. She also has done training for Everywoman's Center. Barbara holds a Master's in Education degree from Harvard University.
On July 14, the Mens Resource Center for Change will welcome James Sheehan of Boston's North Shore as its new executive director. Jim brings to the E.D.s chair a solid commitment to the founding principles of the MRC as well as decades of experience in non-profit management, including a strong set of skills in development and program innovation.
It should take little argument to convince us all that men, as a gender, are in pain these days, Jim says. Our natural capacities for generativity, intimacy and ecstasy have been both devalued and mocked over so many years and generations. This has left us often failing in our relationship and relying on force to create our places in the world.
We welcome Jim to the MRC with confidence in the future and renewed dedication to our vision of a world where men and women work together to challenge violence, promote equality and bring peace and harmony to our homes and our communities. Great to have you on board, Jim!
Steve began working in the field of domestic violence intervention in San Francisco in 1982 and, beginning in 1989, was among the first Counselors in the Men Overcoming Violence or MOVE (now Moving Forward) program. He received his degree in Human Services from the University of Massachusetts and has worked for many years both in community mental health and the shelter movement. Steve has led workshops and made presentations on issues related to domestic violence at social work conferences and at colleges and universities throughout the region. Steve currently serves as the MOVE Intake Coordinator, co-supervisor for MOVE facilitators, court liaison at the Hampshire Probate Court, group facilitator both at MOVE and the Hampshire County Jail, as well as individual counselor at MOVE and family Advocate for the Greenbook Collaborative which works closely with the Department of Social Services.
Emeritus
Steven Botkin, Ed.D., (Executive Director Emeritus)
Steven Botkin is the founder (1982) and was Executive Director of the MRC until early 2004. He received his doctoral degree from the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts in 1988 for research focused on gender consciousness among college men. He has taught courses and led workshops throughout the U.S. on men and masculinity, rape, sexual harassment, homophobia, and men's leadership. Steven is currently serving in an advisory capacity during the transition to new leadership, and directs Men's Resources International, an educational and consulting organization to help develop and grow men's programs worldwide.
Russell Bradbury-Carlin, Board Co-Chair
Intensive Services Coordinator
Berkshire Center for Families - Greenfield Family Networks
Greenfield
Mark Nickerson, Board Co-Chair
Psychotherapist in private practice
Amherst
Tom Gardner, Clerk/Treasurer
Assistant Professor
Communication Department
Westfield State College
Peter Jessop
President, Integrity Development and Construction
Amherst
Gail Kielson
Project Coordinator, Rural North Hilltown Project, Everywoman's Center
Therapist and Founding Member, Paloma House therapy collective, Northampton
Tim Neale
Director of Gift Planning
Amherst College
Tom Schuyt
Volunteer MRC Facilitator
Montague