Placemaking & Culture

Jesse Wong joined Santander in January 2018 as Executive Director of Corporate Investment Banking. 

Jesse is responsible for the growth of SCIB cash management portfolio focusing on Technology, Media, and Telecom, Industrials, Consumer, Retail and Healthcare, and Financial Institution Group. Prior to joining Santander, Jesse served as a Director of Global Transaction Services at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where she covered large corporate Technology, Media and Telecom vertical both domestic and international.

Jesse is very actively in the community where she is currently the Lead for Santander Veteran Network for Volunteer/Community Affairs. She was also the Chair of Goodwill Young Professional Committee, Chair at Bank of America Merrill Lynch Military Support and Assistance Group in Boston (MSAG), and Co-Chair at Bank of America Community Volunteer Boston. She was also part of the mentorship program at Cherie Blair Foundation for Women where she served as a mentor for women entrepreneurship program. Jesse is also one of the top fundraisers for Alzheimer Association in Boston. 

Jesse earned a BBA from University of Massachusetts Amherst, and MSF in Finance Economics from Boston University.

For over a decade, Alberto Ferreira has mastered patron experiences on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Originally hailing from Portugal, with family roots in the Azure Islands as well, Alberto is able to leverage his global experiences that have taken him from the Islands, to Europe and ultimately to his home in the United States. Alberto initially joined Anthem as a marquee team member with The Anchor. With a keen eye for detail, thorough follow through and significant experience in business-to-business, as well as, consumer facing positions, Alberto quickly rose to a team leader and ultimately on-site manager. He was a marquee and instrumental player during The Anchor's inaugural season and played a vital role in the launch of its sophomore season in 2020.

Additionally, Alberto is adept in an extraordinary diverse range of skills. It is more than his managerial prowess that impacts both the operational and community-centric sides of The Anchor. His handiwork is prevalent throughout the venue. His customer service experience shapes the hospitable nature of the entire team. Likewise, his overarching business sense and interpersonal skills make him indispensable. Alberto now contributes to Anthem and The Anchor through guidance, feedback and creativity on community, placemaking and philanthropic initiatives. His years of experience, global perspective, impressive personal journey and diverse skills provide immense value as The Anthem and Anchor teams strive to continuously strengthen its social mission.

Nicole is a dynamic connector and storyteller who specializes in implementing strategies to promote connectivity, engagement and education through music and the arts. Her specialties include communication strategy, marketing and promotions, educational speaking, media relations, content creation, event management, community outreach and relationship building.
 

Some of her roles have included serving as Director of Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation, home to First Fridays in Roosevelt Row Arts District, one of the nation's largest community art walks boasting 30,000 each month. She is also co-author "Phoenix's Roosevelt Row" with Roosevelt Row CDC's co-founder and board vice president Greg Esser. As a consultant, she serves a number of local arts nonprofits and small businesses to help shine a light on the great work taking place in their respective efforts. 

Currently, she has ventured into the world of music event production, recently launching The Zenith Experiment, creating local music-driven events that connect audiences together in authentic and meaningful ways. She has helped produce 4 ongoing music series, comprised of over 50 shows, and has grown to 80 shows in the first 6 months. She founded "Beyond Jazz Phoenix" to launch a 4-day event celebrating Blue Note Jazz's 80th year anniversary and is in the works to develop further projects that connect people together around the power of music. You can read about her recent music efforts on Page 12 in January 2020's edition of Java Magazine.

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Nisreen is a foodie who fell in love with Boston at first bite. After attending Emerson College, she spent a lot of her early career working in food related industries - from catering and digital media to foodservice GPOs and technology. She is currently the co-founder of Crème deLiqueur, a liquor-infused ice cream custard made in Massachusetts and is enjoying the chance to make ice cream that uses local spirits and mix-ins when possible. A big passion of hers is supporting and highlighting local businesses and shining a light on female-owned and diverse entrepreneurs.  

Jennifer Bowman worked in the corporate world as a software sales professional for fifteen years before transferring her skill set into the non-profit world as an accomplished fundraiser. For the past twenty years, she has worked in development and communications for some of the largest and well known non- profits creating some of the most profitable events in the organizations’ histories. In her spare time, she golfs, rescues dogs and is an avid lover of all animals. 

Kara Ruthe is a United States Air Force veteran. Her duties led to service both domestically and abroad. Subsequent to her military career, Kara attained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with high honors. While at the prestigious Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Kara worked in a myriad of capacities ranging from clinical in the emergency department to full-time positions in the operating room. She is currently a traveling Labor and Delivery specialist having most recently completed an assignment at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. As a traveling nurse, Kara continues to accumulate invaluable experience in a variety of hospital settings and different cities, which she applies to her career and to her Anthem advisory role.

As a high academic achiever from an early age, having spearheaded her own study-abroad program at just 16 years old - one of Kara's passions is encouraging young women and girls to break stereotypes, study math and sciences and to learn new cultures. Her initial time abroad was a year-long high school program in Japan, which was a prelude to her primary stationing in Germany and additional time in a host of European nations. Kara's extensive travels, education and understanding of diverse cultures helps shape community initiatives at The Anchor that are designed to expose inner-city youth to new ideas, people and places. Kara brings substantial experience to the board. Her multifaceted career, ranging from medicine to military and academic accomplishments that date back to her time in Japan set an example for teens and pre-teens that there are many paths to success.

In her personal life, Kara is a devoted dog and cat mom, an artist, a Notre Dame football fan, an avid reader, and is bilingual speaking both Japanese and English. Additionally, she is involved in volunteer and philanthropic efforts with an emphasis on vulnerable and at-risk children. She loves her new adopted home of Boston and loves the impact she makes through Anthem and The Anchor's mission of serving its local communities.

Rocio currently provides operational support and transportation management to one of Georgia’s Largest Transportation Companies, Cooper-Global.

Originally a Native of Southern California, Rocio has worked in the transportation industry for over 15 years. Working in various transportation fields from Fleet Trucking to School Buses, Motor Coaches to Event Transportation Management, Rocio has had the opportunity to work Nationwide with companies such as Carey International, TMS, First Group America, SP Plus Gameday, Metropolitan Shuttle…to name a few. She has had experience in almost every aspect of the industry, from reception and sales to dispatch and operations. She was a Managing Partner and VP of Business Development for The Travel Firm, a Transportation Management group out of Dallas, Texas. While focusing on developing transportation solutions for groups and organizations large and small, she found passion in combining reliable transportation at low and affordable cost for various non-profits and religious organizations such as Boys and Girls Club, YMCA and Archdiocese of San Antonio. Rocio is a member of the United Motor coach Association and has been an active member of the local convention and visitors bureau. 

Ms. Evans has extensive experience in hospitality, sales, and guest experience. She has worked with Anthem on its projects both in the UK and in the US for the past two years. She is a resident of Manchester, UK and leverages her extensive event and restaurant experience to guide The Anchor's initiatives focused on Boston's global tourism industry. Ms. Evans has provided invaluable advice and insight into international best practices during the launch of The Anchor. She looks forward to continuing her role and expanding her reach to all areas of Anthem and The Anchor.

Raiza Fonseca, is a Project Coordinator at The Anthem Group. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. In Puerto Rico, she worked as a Junior Business Consultant and was certified in MCP-Microsoft Dynamics CRM Application 2015 and MCP-Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2016 Online Deployment. She was later accepted to study for a Master’s degree in International Business and awarded a scholarship for her second Master’s in International Marketing at Hult International Business School in Boston, Massachusetts.  

During this time, she and her team won the Social Impact Hackathon and developed a marketing campaign for the One World Strong Foundation. She was a recipient of the Dean’s List Award and competed in the Hult Prize, where her team came second place. Additionally, she acquired the Google AdSense Google Analytics Certified, HubSpot Academy Social Media Certified and Associate-Level Certified from Action Selling. She is a volunteer at the American Red Cross in Puerto Rico where she is active in helping others around the island. 

During 2017, she took the role of Public Affairs throughout the Hurricane Maria Relief Operation and managed the Communications Department at a critical time. Currently, she is a manager at The Anchor Boston, actively supporting event production, hospitality initiatives, as well as services for several clients. She coordinates mixed-media, marketing and digital campaigns throughout several online platforms simultaneously for Anthem properties and company clients. In her free time, she’s training for a half marathon and enjoys her new home of Boston.

Shelby Elwell is the Program Manager for The Anthem Group. With diverse experience in both hospitality and event production, Shelby’s talent has enabled her to acquire extensive experience. She spearheads a wide spectrum of responsibilities within Anthem Production and Anthem Placemaking. Additionally, Shelby currently manages The Anthem Group’s newest waterfront venue – The Anchor, Boston’s only multi-story public gathering space, performing and visual arts venue and open-air wine and beer garden.  

In her role as a Program Manager, Shelby previously directed “The Big Cheese” Holiday Tour, which launched this new and dynamic product into the market. She supervised operations in Boston, NYC, Philadelphia and Washington D.C., which included orchestrating the transport of product, infrastructure and personnel. Shelby has coordinated other marquee brand activations across the country as well, including Uptime Energy’s 50+ market campaign, the brand’s signature NYE partnership in Detroit and special ski-themed winter projects. She has also worked with dozens of other clients and brands throughout the course of her Anthem career. 

Furthermore, Shelby was one of Anthem’s key team members to work with “Stockton Scholars” for its inaugural media launch in California, with the primary purpose of the event being to reveal a $20 million-dollar donation to be used to initiate a college scholarship program available to all Stockton Unified graduates. Shelby and her team travelled to Stockton, CA to produce all aspects of the event which featured international media outlets, highly influential California elected officials, VIPS and nearly 600 high school scholarship participants.  

In her capacity with Anthem Placemaking, Shelby has been a leading force behind over 1100 free public events, programs, public art and seasonal installations in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Additionally, Shelby is the lead manager for an expansive team that includes assistant managers, team leaders, security personnel, operational employees and service staff. 

Shelby works closely with members of Anthem Marketing to contribute to business-to-business campaigns including mixed media and digital, throughout several online platforms weekly. She plays a key role in establishing and cultivating new and existing relationships with vendors, suppliers, talent and other constituents. Additionally, Shelby is instrumental in operational management and execution for both client-driven and internal programming.  She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Endicott College with a major in Hospitality and Event Management. She was a prized member of the Women’s Soccer Team, where she was recognized for being the “All-Conference” Female Student-Athlete of the Year.  

Shelby has a passion for traveling and exploring new cultures and has already frequented several countries across the globe. She enjoys spending time on her family’s farm in Connecticut, watching Notre Dame football, staying active with fitness and soccer and supporting all Boston sports teams. 

Though generally a quiet individual, Erica becomes quite animated and vocal when she is at work. This is because she is a teacher. Throughout her 15 years as an educator, she has taught the gambit, from kindergarten up to eighth grade. In the most recent years, she’s been teaching 4th grade within the Los Angeles Unified School District. When she isn’t busy filling young minds with knowledge, Erica can be found spending quality time with her 3-year-old son, reading from a never-ending stack of books, crocheting Hogwarts House attire for friends, or jumping into the world of camp directing at her own childhood camp.Learning, creating, and teaching are her life’s passions. 

With her family hailing from both Mexico and the United States, her passionate work with youth and fulfilling her life's calling in teaching, Erica hopes to inspire programs and community building throughout The Anthem Group's youth, family and placemaking initiatives - with a specific focus on The Anchor. Erica aspires to establish some reciprocal programs in between her students in Los Angeles and the young students served via The Anchor's outreach. Her diverse experience in and out of the classroom provides the foundation and vision for her significant board contribution.

Since childhood, J.J. has always had an inclination for art in all its forms. He loved drawing in coloring books, doing pencil sketches, and singing in the choir as a male soprano in his family’s church. J.J. continued taking art classes throughout elementary school, middle school and high school and decided to attend the University of New Hampshire where he received a bachelors of arts degree with a focus in oil painting in 2003.

After graduating from UNH, Long began surviving solely off of his oil painting in 2005. He made his living from selling his oil paintings at gallery shows, open studios, art festivals, coffee shops, and art exhibitions all over New England and also from being hired to do commission work for clients such as pet portraits and murals. In conjunction with his oil painting career, J.J. aggressively began pursuing a music career as well. In 2004 he joined the rock band “Asystole” which started a great foundation for his music career. He enjoyed performing on stages all across New England, releasing an EP, and doing a few east coast tours. When the group disbanded in 2007, Long took a year off from music to further establish his fine art career and create more stability for his art business called JJArtworks™. After J.J. had taken enough time off to stabilize his art business, he got the “band” itch again and decided to audition for other professional music groups.

In 2008, Long joined the metal band “Hell Within” based out of Lowell, MA. At the time Hell Within was already signed to German/American label Lifeforce Records which gave them great credibility in the U.S. and European markets. In 2010 the band signed with Thorp Records and in July of that year, they released their Thorp debut full-length cd entitled “God Grant Me Vengeance” which was well received by fans. During his tenure with the band, J.J. was able to participate in 3 Full U.S. Tours and a few east coast tours. Through the rigorous touring lifestyle, he was able to gain a great perspective on the evolving music industry and apply many of the marketing tactics that he learned from the music business into his fine art career as well. Due in large part to the fact that J.J. wanted to focus primarily on his oil painting career, the band disbanded on November 11, 2011.

For all of 2012, Long focused primarily again on his oil painting career seeking out more gallery representation and also touring New England relentlessly, this time with his EZ-Up Tent and paintings in hand rather than musical equipment. From May 2012 – October 2012, J.J. participated in over 50 art festivals/shows during the peak Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons. His relentless commitment to the “road show” lifestyle helped alleviate much of the financial stress he was experiencing in his life at that point. Toward the end of 2012, Long decided to refine his art style even more by branching away from traditional realism and focusing primarily on fantasy and surreal art.

In March of 2013, J.J. began pursuing a professional acting career in conjunction with his painting career. Long discovered that conveying the human emotion in front of the camera lens was another creative path that sparked a transformation in his life. J.J. has performed in a number of short independent films, commercials, industrial videos, and web series. He has also done extra work for some larger networks on television such as Lifetime, HBO, and Netflix. As a natural transition from the acting world, Long discovered the art of voice over and took classes at Soundtrack Studios in Boston, MA.

In February of 2015, Long created a new branch of his business called “JJArtworks™ Paint Party Professionals” which specializes in social painting events. The company now teaches “paint and sip” parties where people get the chance to create a painting on canvas while enjoying a cocktail or an appetizer, socializing, and relaxing in a comfortable environment. His company provides all of the art materials along with setup, cleanup, and 2 hours of painting instruction. The company specializes in private parties, corporate events, office parties, fundraisers, team building events, kid’s parties, birthday parties, date nights, and more.

In January of 2016, J.J. relocated his paint party business to the Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, MA. The company also turned into an LLC that year and began the process of expanding with the addition of new licensees, artists, and employees. J.J. decided to put a hold on his music and acting careers while he spent the necessary time building the foundation of his paint party business. His goal was to break into the National marketplace within the next 2 years.

In 2017, J.J. relocated his headquarters to the Appleton Mills in Lowell, MA where the company is currently running and operating their paint party business. That year, the company finished creating the JJArtworks™ Licensee Program which was an online program built to train artists across the country how to run and operate their own paint party business using the JJArtworks™ trademark, business systems, and their knowledgeable support staff. The licensee program has been a success for the company, and JJArtworks continues to hire licensee artists across the country to grow their brand and life’s mission, to spread the joy of painting to the masses. For the next few years, J.J. would continue to hire artists across the country and continue to bolster the paint party business.

In 2018, J.J. wrote his first non fiction book called "The Mindful Artist" which was self published on the company's new publishing house JJArtworks™ Publishing. The book was published as an ebook, paperback, and J.J. also had the privilege of narrating the audio book, all copies which can be downloaded on Amazon and Audible. In addition to non fiction books, the publishing branch also releases weekly quotes and blogs. In January of 2020, the company also launched a brand new podcast called "The Legend of JJArtworks". The podcast turns out weekly episodes, and talks about entrepreneurship, mindfulness, and the struggling artist's journey.

In March of 2020, the company had to pivot a bit due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and J.J. decided to steer the company into virtual paint party events taught on Zoom to survive that year. This was a bold decision that proved to be a blessing in disguise and one of the best decisions the company ever made. Overnight, JJArtworks turned into a true national and global company and was able to facilitate virtual team building and employee engagement events to Fortune 500 companies and other businesses across the USA and beyond. In order to fulfill the growing demand for virtual events, J.J. had to create a fulfillment center to accommodate the packaging and shipping of paint kit supplies to different corporations and resident communities. As a result, J.J. had to almost double his staff to streamline the shipping and receiving and event coordination aspects of this new business venture. 2020 was a banner year for the company with many challenges but many rewards as well.

Now in 2022, JJArtworks is continuing to grow and push the envelope with virtual paint parties. With the advent of the Covid-19 vaccines, the company is also now back to teaching "in person" events which has been a seamless transition. J.J. plans to continue to scale and grow the paint party branch of the business (both with virtual and "in person" programming), but he also plans on revisiting his roots by delving back into some music and acting on the side. JJArtworks is beyond thrilled to be partnered with The Anchor Boston and The Anthem Group and we look forward to making the world brighter through companionship, innovative thinking, and the desire to help humanity on all levels. 

Ali Akell is an artist and painter who has been involved with The Anchor’s curation process for programmatic and aesthetic placemaking since its inception. In addition to her contributions on several of the venue’s visual design projects, Ali created two of The Anchor’s landmark artworks.

Ali holds a BFA in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art as well as an MA in Critical and Creative Thinking from University of Massachusetts Boston. Passionate about all things visual and aesthetic, Ali brings her enthusiasm for art and community to The Anchor’s ongoing commitment of vibrancy and dynamic experience to the public.

Alejandro is a Mexican entrepreneur and professional musician. He had an extensive career in the hotel industry, including "The Inn at Harvard " for eight years as a primary concierge. Additionally, Alejandro built his own company in 2004 in the cleaning services industry. After 14 years he successfully sold the business to transition to his new challenges. As a musician, he was member of the Department of Romance and Literature of Harvard University, teaching history of Latin music. Alejandro brings a diverse and unique perspective to all Anchor to all programs, especially live performances.

Paige relocated to Boston after graduating from Stonehill College with a Bachelor's degree in Arts Administration. She enjoys exploring her beloved new home and finding new local restaurants, museums and venues. But Paige does not venture out only for the food, but for the art and design choices that create unique experiences, which she utilizes as inspiration in her own creative process She has always been interested in painting, drawing and exploring new artistic pursuits. Paige is proficient at incorporating simple abstract shapes and contrasting colors or mediums in her art. She aspires to bring together opposing elements to create new harmonies. Patrons can also find her art hanging upstairs on the brick pillars at The Anchor. During her tenure on The Anchor board, Paige hopes to share her experiences as a newer resident, an artist and as a creative female innovator.