Joan Abbot

Assistant Director

Joan works closely with the Executive Director on new initiatives and oversees data management, the incumbent worker education program, and outreach and marketing for BEST.

Julie Alden

Incumbent Worker Services Program Manager

Julie teaches ESOL and assists in certification and skills training classes. She conducts hotel outreach to recruit Local 26 members, and handles student intakes.

Junardy Jean Charles

Career Coach

Junardy provides career coaching and placement services to graduates of our job seeker program.

Huiling Chen

Director of Incumbent Worker Services

Huiling joined BEST as a job seeker student and then we hired her before any of the hotels could. Now she manages our services for Local 26 members, including English, tech, citizenship, skills training, and certification classes. She is the heart of our volunteer program and manages all aspects of it.

Katie Furey

Instructor

Katie teaches Spanish classes to Local 26 members and their adult dependents.

Sharon Klopfenstein

Culinary Program Manager

Sharon manages all aspects of our culinary training program including intake, assessment, instruction, career coaching, and placement.

Joanne Lee

Certifications Instructor

Joanne is a nutritionist and a registered sanitarian and teaches our industry certification classes including, OSHA Housekeeping Safety, ServSafe Food Handler, ServSafe Food Manager, and TiPS.

Rose London

Job Seeker Program Manager

Rose joined BEST as our 2020-2021 AmeriCorps member. She manages all aspects of our job seeker program including intake, assessment, instruction, career coaching, and placement.

Aisha Necoechea

Executive Director

Aisha oversees the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the organization. Other key duties include resource development, fiscal management, and partnership development.

Mei Ngo

Website Manager

Mei oversees the functionality of our website, evaluates and manages website performance, and develops, maintains, and updates website content.

Hillary Nguyen

Director of Contracts and Grants

Hillary is responsible for grant writing, reporting, and contracts management. She brings to BEST many years of experience in direct service as well as data , grant writing, and contract management in the local workforce development field.

Sabina Paneva

Education & Career Specialist

Sabina teaches ESOL and U.S. citizenship preparation classes. She also assists with outreach and intake of Local 26 member students.

Donna Parker

Tech Instructor

Donna teaches in our education program. She is a certified Tech Goes Home (TGH) instructor and teaches computer classes following the TGH curriculum.

Luther Pinckney

Outreach and Community Engagement Specialist

Luther works to elevate the perception and understanding of the hotel industry by promoting union positions as the quality jobs that they are.

Haley Potter

Education and Career Specialist

Haley provides career coaching, placement, and retention services in individual and small-group settings.

Shereen Russell

Education and Career Specialist

Shereen provides career coaching, placement, and retention services in individual and small-group settings.

Lori Sylvia

Apprenticeship Director

Lori oversees our job seeker program, including recruitment, intake, coaching, placement, employer partnerships, apprenticeship requirements, and contractual compliance.

Jerry Wheelock

Data Manager

Jerry has been managing the implementation of our Salesforce for NonProfits database since February 2013. He is responsible for data integrity, reporting, and processes.

Sam Zilli

Education & Career Specialist

Sam teaches BEST’s tech classes and assists with outreach and intake of Local 26 member students.