Our Leadership
Board of Directors
Rick Ames is an architect and principal at Next Phase Studios, a Boston architecture firm specializing in green and sustainable construction. Rick’s projects run the gamut from local single-family homes to affordable housing to large commercial/institutional buildings. He is also an avid bike commuter. Rick has served on the board since 2010
Abner Bonilla is a Roslindale native who lives and works in Roslindale as a postal carrier. He is committed to keeping Roslindale affordable for both long-term residents and newcomers. Abner also likes to travel around the world; he runs a blog called Trek New England. Abner joined the board in 2019.
Jane Caufield is a certified public accountant who has worked with small businesses and individuals for more than 30 years. She currently works at Grassi and Co. in Needham. Jane lives in Arlington and is longtime Foodlink volunteer. She joined the board in 2023 and is Assistant Treasurer.
John Douglass is a longstanding member of BBR. He has worked in the building trades for the past 40 years. His firsthand awareness of our dwindling natural resources and wasteful building techniques has fueled a lifelong commitment to renovation and reuse. He became a board member in 2019.
DeAnne Dupont worked for many years in the financial services sector and is a certified public accountant. Her passion for protecting the environment and reducing waste led her to become cofounder of Food Link, a food rescue organization based in Arlington. DeAnne has been a BBR board member since 2016 and serves as Treasurer.
Ann Finnerty is a residential architect of projects ranging from additions to new construction, from small to large in scope and from urban to rural in setting. Applying strategies of resourcefulness including the reuse of building products is a keen interest of hers. Ann has served on the board since 2008 and is Co-Clerk.
Sakheni Francois is manager of marketing analytics at Sappi, a global supplier of products made from wood fiber. She is a Fulbright scholar with an MBA who previously worked at BBR as director of marketing and external relations. Sakheni lives in Roxbury and is a candidate for the Board in 2024.
Alex Kramer is the logistics coordinator at Food Link, a food rescue organization. She ensures day-to-day operations run smoothly and serves as the main point of contact between Food Link, its donors, and its member agencies. She joined the board in 2022 and serves as Clerk.
Michael Orbank is sustainability manager for the northeast region at STO Building Group. He works to promote sustainability, green engineering, and environmentally conscious construction as the way in which future buildings will be made. Michael joined the board in 2021 and serves as Chair.
Marcia Peters is retired after serving as Senior Clinical Instructor at Harvard Law School and Housing Law Consultant to Nuestra Comunidad Community Development Corporation. She originally joined the Co-op board after doing a kitchen over with John Rowse’s help 30 years ago. In addition to bringing a valuable legal perspective, Marcia is a champion of reuse who has five composters, four rain barrels, and has bought and donated many Reuse Center items over the years. She has been a board member since 1994.
Nick Pieri worked with Pine Street Inn for several years doing job training and leading a construction-related social enterprise. He currently works for Thoughtforms custom home builders, where he manages the woodshop. Nick is passionate about energy efficiency, sustainability, and reuse in the construction industry, and has served on the board since 2019.
Rashmi Ramaswamy is an architect with a passion for reuse. She was a founding board member of the Reuse Exchange in Chicago, a building materials reuse organization very similar to our Reuse Center. Her design work for the Y2Y shelter for homeless youth in Cambridge made use of many donated materials to finish the space on a small budget. She joined the BBR board in 2016.
Marsha Smith is retired after working for many years as a teacher at the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science, one of the Boston Public Schools’ exam schools. A Roxbury resident, Marsha has been a board member since 1999, and is a frequent customer as well.