Staff

Beth Hogan is the Executive Director of North Shore Community Action Programs (NSCAP) and has held that position since 1995. Prior to NSCAP, Ms. Hogan was a tenured professor in the Division of Human Services at North Shore Community College where she taught Sociology and Law courses. She was the start-up Director of the North Shore Community College Upward Bound Program and has held a variety of positions and consultancies in the fields of education and the non-profit world. Beth sits on several Boards that reflect this dual interest and is a member of the North Shore Workforce Investment Board and its Executive Committee, the Massachusetts Workforce Alliance where she is Vice-President and the MASSCAP State Association Board. Beth was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees at North Shore Community College. She has served as a faculty member for the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington D.C. since 1986. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Salem State College, her Master’s Degree from Boston University and her Juris Doctorate from Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California.

Laura M. MacNeil is NSCAP’s Deputy Director. Laura’s undergraduate degree is in Foreign language. She holds a Masters in Social Work (MSW). She has 15 years experience in the not-for-profit world and worked most of that time at Habitat for Humanity International. Laura started her work at Habitat as a full-time volunteer on their customer service line at Habitat’s headquarters in Georgia. She moved on to design, install and support their first electronic email system. After five years as a volunteer, Laura caved in and took a paid position at Habitat providing technical support to local Habitat affiliates in New England. Laura began her work at NSCAP as an intern working in the Advocacy unit and in Administration. She has a strong commitment to working for social and economic justice for those people who are marginalized in our society. She is happily married to a man who not only shares her commitment to social justice, but who challenges her to do more. She has a much pampered dog that doesn’t care what she does, as long as she keeps enough biscuits in the house.

Robert McHugh is Director of Housing and Homeless Services. He came to NSCAP with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management. Bob has a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and a Master of Education in Psychology. He lives in Salem and is very active in his community. Bob has served on a variety of non-profit boards and currently is a Vestry (board) member of his church. He likes reading, hiking, travel, and working on his house.

Elizabeth Chavez is the Home Care Program Director. She graduated from Framingham State College with a Major in Spanish and a Concentration on Psychology. Liz worked for NSCAP’s Fuel Assistance and Housing programs before taking the position of Homecare Director 3.5 years ago. Under her leadership the program’s field staff has increased by 30% and the client base has doubled. “The Home Care Program prides itself on the ability to provide the elderly, the disabled and their families an alternative to a long-term care facility. We offer people the opportunity to remain in their own homes in a way that is safe and comfortable so they can live this stage of life with the level of dignity everyone deserves. Our work is challenging but in turn it is a very rewarding and satisfying experience.” Liz used to own a travel agency in the Portuguese community, is married and has 3 beautiful children.

Barbara Reeder is the Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program Director. She once ran an aerobic dance program, for children and adults, which led her to earn a M.A. in Expressive Therapies at Lesley College. She has been an English-as-a-Second Language (ESOL) teacher for the last six years. The ABE Program provides classes to residents of Peabody and surrounding towns who do not speak English as their first language or are not fluent in English. The importance of these classes cannot be under-estimated. “No English---nothing!” say my program’s immigrant students who are trying to live in a new country, pay rent, provide for their family, as well as cope with culture shock. Barbara also plans to offer English classes to businesses on site.

Deborah Grace is the Transition-to-Work Program Director. She graduated with a Bachelor in Applied Sciences and a major in Urban Affairs and Sociology from Boston University. Deborah also earned a Master of Divinity degree with a concentration in Urban Ministry from New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Deborah brings five years of experience in nonprofit and human services and an extensive corporate background to her position. Together these experiences provide her with the necessary skills to execute the mission of the TTW program, which is a critical element for families that find themselves in a state of flux. Deborah is the second youngest of four girls and grew up in the Roxbury/Dorchester community. She has one son.

Linda Saris is the Salem CyberSpace Director. Salem CyberSpace is a community technology center and its mission is to help low-income and unemployed people living North of Boston gain access to technology and computer-skills training. Since Salem Cyberspace opened in 2001, it has trained over 500 people in both English and Spanish, and has grown to have 600 members who come in to use the computers and Internet. In 2003, Linda started CyberYouth, an after-school math, science, and technology program for the low-income, primarily Hispanic, youth from Salem. Prior to founding Salem CyberSpace, Linda was Senior Vice President of RSA Security, Inc., of Bedford, MA. During her 12-year tenure with RSA, she was Chief Financial Officer, managing RSA’s initial public offering in 1994. From 1996 – 2000, Linda served as Senior Vice President in charge of IT, Operations, Technical Support and Professional Services. In her last year at RSA, she managed a strategic initiative aimed at incubating new product ideas. Linda has a B.A. from University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

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