Leadership

Our senior executives support the mission of the organization through effective leadership, innovative programming, and compassionate services.

Charles Gagnon

President & CEO

Charles Gagnon

President & CEO

Charles was appointed President & Chief Executive Officer of VOAMASS in 2019. He is just the third President at VOAMASS in the past half-century. He brings a wealth of experience contributing to critical statewide gains to close housing, health, and income disparities. Known across the state as a leader in community development and as an advocate of innovative services, Charles has extensive experience as a leader in the areas of affordable housing, economic development, workforce development, and behavioral health.

Before joining VOAMASS, Charles served as the Chief Operating Officer for the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. (SMOC) since 2008. He served in a variety of positions within the agency since 1994, including concentrations in economic development, project management, real estate development, behavioral health services, program development, strategic planning, and significant organizational-wide responsibilities. In relation to real estate development, Charles was instrumental in leading the SMOC Housing Corporation developing and managing over 2,000 units across the Commonwealth.

Charles received his Bachelor of Science at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, MN, and Master’s degree at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Samata Sharma, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Samata Sharma, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Samata was named CMO at VOAMASS in 2021, having previously served as Medical Director over the past decade. She is affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, is a Psychosomatic Medicine Specialist with more than 15 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, while also earning a Master’s degree in Public Health.

Gayle LaCroix

Chief Financial Officer

Gayle LaCroix

Chief Financial Officer

Gayle’s career began with Ernst and Young, an international public accounting firm, where she rose to the level of Senior Manager during her 15 years on staff. She then joined Madison Park Development Corporation, an affordable housing developer and owner, as its Chief Financial Officer for over 10 years, before joining Roxbury Tenants of Harvard, the owner/operator of an 1100 unit affordable housing campus located in the medical district of Boston. Gayle left Roxbury Tenants in December of 2021 to join the VOAMASS senior management team.

Gayle also currently serves as a member of the Strength Matters CFO working group, As a member of the group, Gayle has participated in the development of numerous financial white papers documenting financial industry practices. She has developed webinars with the content of those papers and has delivered them to a national audience. She currently participates as a developer and presenter of an 11 week remote boot camp on the life of a real estate development project using Low Income Housing Tax Credits. She is developing individual courses from the topics presented in the boot camp that offer more in-depth study for the StrengthMatters initiative.

Gayle has taught courses on financial statement analysis and best practices in financial reporting on behalf of Mass Housing Partners, NeighborWorks America and Housing Partnership Network and the Massachusetts Home Funders Consortium.

Matthew Marrano

Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Matthew Marrano

Vice President of Strategic Partnerships

Matthew’s duties include managing project staff; ensuring integration of program participants into other VOAMASS services; verifying financial and program reports; liaising with Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Essex & Plymouth County Sheriff’s Departments, and program partners; and ensuring timely completion of program activities.

Shannon Teles

Vice President of Workforce Development and Housing

Shannon Teles

Vice President of Workforce Development and Housing

Shannon joined VOAMASS bringing with her 20 years of experience working in various capacities in human service organizations. Most recently, she served in senior leadership roles at non-profits servicing the Metro Boston area and Rhode Island, developing programs to empower individuals with barriers to reach their personal and professional goals. Shannon obtained her Masters of Social Work from Boston University and her BA from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Matt Lane

Vice President of Real Estate

Matt Lane

Vice President of Real Estate

Matt joined VOAMASS in 2020 and provides leadership to ongoing real-estate projects, develops asset management strategies for the agency’s existing portfolio, and collaborates across the organization on strategic planning for the future. Prior to his employment with VOAMASS, Matt served as a Division Director for South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. and has an extensive background developing programming to support anti-poverty initiatives. He is currently a member of the Norwood Board of Selectmen.

Matt earned a Bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and a Master’s in Public Affairs from McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMass Boston.

Mary Broderick

Vice President/Controller

Mary Broderick

Vice President/Controller

Mary joined VOAMASS in 2013 and is responsible for overall management of the accounting, payroll and accounts payable functions. She plays a key role in all facets of budget preparation and tracking, is responsible for grants management and oversight of annual audits, and has implemented an enhanced GL and payroll system. Prior to joining VOAMASS, Mary spent 15 years in accounting leadership positions in small and large non-profit organizations, including EDCO Collaborative and Riverside Community Care. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Northeastern University.

Mindy Miller

Chief Operating Officer

Mindy Miller

Chief Operating Officer

Mindy joined VOAMASS in 2011. She supports the integration of all behavioral health services throughout VOAMASS. In her role, she is also responsible for configuring VOAMASS’ electronic health record system, guiding VOAMASS as a trauma-informed care organization, and focusing on continued implementation of evidence-based practices. Mindy has a Master’s Degree in Forensic Psychology from Roger Williams University, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Mental Health Counseling from Bridgewater State University. She’s a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Licensed Substance Use Disorder Counselor (LADC1).

Leadership

Our senior executives support the mission of the organization through effective leadership, innovative programming, and compassionate services.

Board of Directors

Phil Chadwick

Rebecca Labeau

Ashwini Nadkarni, MD

David Wittmann

James Goldinger

Peter Raskin

Charles Gagnon

F. George Davitt

Eric Segal

Faith Smith

Christopher Burchard