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.
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
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.