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

Education and Career Specialist

Julie Alden 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

Program Manager

Huiling joined BEST as a job seeker student and then we hired her before any of the hotels could. Now she manages our Education Program including English, Tech, Citizenship, and certification classes. She is the heart of our volunteer program and manages all aspects of it.

Michele Houdek

ESL Instructor

Michele Houdek teaches ESOL, conducts hotel outreach to recruit Local 26 members, and handles student intakes.

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

Education and Career Specialist

Rose joined BEST as our 2020-2021 AmeriCorps member. She teaches in our education program and supports our job seeker program through intake, assessment, career coaching, and placement.

Michelle Lopez

Education and Career Specialist

Michelle teaches ESOL, computers, and job readiness in our education program. She is a certified Tech Goes Home instructor.

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.

Dorrie Nord

Lead Skills Instructor

Dorrie teaches in our job seeker and in our education programs. She is the lead in curriculum development and implementation. She is a certified Tech Goes Home instructor and integrates digital literacy into our job seeker and ESOL programs.

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.

Haley Potter

NAIP AmeriCorps Member

Haley is BEST’s 2022-23 NAIP AmeriCorps member. In this role, Haley teaches ESOL and US Citizenship Preparation.

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.