Board of Directors & Advisory Council

Yawa Duse-Anthony is a long time Methuen resident who recently joined the board. She previously volunteered with Methuen Arlington Neighborhood and the YMCA. Yawa works at Pfizer and is proud to bring years of process improvement and management consulting skills to the board.

Paul is an aviation security specialist having run numerous development and implementation programs for deploying security technologies at US airports. A Professional Engineer and a senior member of the management team, Paul brings strong expertise in sales, strategic planning, operations, and managing Federal government programs. Paul is an active outdoors person and naturalist, and recently completed a 2,200 mile thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. He has coached local youth lacrosse teams and was a past volunteer with Open Door food pantry and Best Friends Animal Society. He received his M.S. in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University and his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

In his role at Lawrence Community Works, Luis Fontanez is a Workforce Administrative Assistant and a Front Desk Administrative Assistant. As the Workforce Administrative Assistant, he helps manage multiple Workforce Job & Skill Training programs to help the Merrimack Valley Community. He holds an associate degree in Science in Technology and Business from Northern Essex Community College, where he graduated with honors. He is currently attending Southern New Hampshire University for his bachelor’s in public administration. By joining the board of Groundwork Lawrence, Luis hopes to help make a positive difference in his local community and beyond while tackling the issues of inequality.

Details pending.

Eli is Vice President of Acquisitions for the Brownfields Recovery Group, a private firm located in downtown Boston. In this capacity, he has extensive experience in brokering land transactions and the purchase and sale of contaminated parcels. Eli’s professional expertise has helped GWL inform its acquisition and redevelopment of vacant and contaminated parcels for open space, park, and community garden end-uses.

A native of the Dominican Republic, Rosa grew up in Lawrence and has lived in the Merrimack Valley for most of her life. She has focused her career in Human Resources in an effort to support the employer/employee relationship and empower employees and managers. Rosa first became involved with Groundwork Lawrence as a volunteer organizer while working for New Balance and was impressed with the work the organization was doing at the time and started her first turn as a board member. She was also on the Merrimack Valley YMCA board for many years. Rosa is currently working as a Senior Human Resources Manager at LABORIE and is excited to return to the Groundwork board.

Robin is currently a professor of law and pro bono lawyer, with over 30 years of experience in intellectual property law, spanning positions in government to private practice, recently retiring from RTX Corporation as Vice-President, Chief IP Transactions Counsel. She has served on Boards at Villanova University, Lawrence Academy, and Big Sister, and is currently one of the founders of the recently created Chatham Home Foundation, as she is passionate about affordable housing. She has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Villanova University and a JD from New England Law.

Jessica Phillips is Vice President, Senior Branch Relationship Manager at Enterprise Bank’s Lawrence office. She has over 20 years of experience in financial services. Leading a team of 8 people, she is responsible for developing, growing, and managing relationships within the City of Lawrence. Jessica grew up in Groveland, MA, and currently resides in Haverhill, MA with her two boys. Her eldest son Ben works as a machine shop engineer and her youngest, Sammy will be a Senior at Haverhill Hill School this coming fall. Once joining Enterprise Bank in 2016 she quickly became a community advocate and has volunteered countless hours for various organizations. Currently, Jessica serves as Treasurer of the Greater Lawrence Kiwanis Foundation and also served on the board of the Essex Art Center until very recently. Jessica has also served on various committees including the Glow Gala committee for Groundwork Lawrence. It is through this work with community partners that she developed an interest in Groundwork Lawrence and its mission. Jessica was a recipient of the YWCA’s Tribute to Woman in 2019 and graduated from the Mill City Leadership Institute in 2017.

Paul brings a passion for working with youth and fundraising experience to the Board. For 25+ years, Paul was Director of Career Services and Cooperative Education at Suffolk University for the Sawyer School of Business and the College of Arts and Sciences. He has also recently completed interim stints as Northeastern University, Emerson College, and Merrimack College in career and academic coaching. He has volunteered on the fundraising committee of Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity the past two years, seeking corporate sponsors for the annual gala. Paul is an avid cyclist and lover of “all things outdoors” and is excited to work with Groundwork Lawrence to improve the quality of life of Lawrence residents through environmental improvements to the community and engagement with the “green team.” Paul has an M.Ed from Harvard University and a BA from the University of New Hampshire.

Linda has over 30 years of experience in organizational management and operations. She is currently the Executive Director of Neighbors in Need (NIN), a network of 8 food pantries that has fed the poor and hungry of Greater Lawrence for over 25 years. Prior to joining NIN in 2004, Linda was Vice President of Operations at the International Institute of Boston, an organization that provides services to refugees and immigrants including ESOL, job training and placement, mental health services, domestic violence counseling, a legal clinic, a food pantry and programs in economic literacy and development. Beyond work, Linda is very involved with local performance arts groups. She received her MBA from Simmons Graduate School of Management and her AB from Wheaton College.