Board of Directors & Advisory Council

Genesis is a lifelong resident of Lawrence, motivated by her love for the city and community. She believes that when people have access to education and resources, the entire city moves forward.

Genesis brings her experience from the Lawrence Partnership, where she works to connect community members, nonprofits, and local partners to strengthen opportunities for residents.

She is a graduate of Northern Essex Community College and continued her education at UMass Lowell. She also holds a Nonprofit Management certification from Northern Essex and completed the Cultural Inclusion Program with Community Inroads.

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.

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.

Marianne Paley Nadel is a longtime community leader in the City of Lawrence. IN 1998, Marianne became the founding Executive Director of Groundwork Lawrence, leading the organization’s first six years of growth from a small start-up to a trusted community partner. She is proudly the Chair of the GWL Board of Directors. For over 15 years, Marianne managed her family real estate holdings, the historic Everett and Stone Mills, diversifying the commercial tenancy to include professional, non-profit, educational, and creative manufacturing uses. Marianne is excited to now be the DyeWorks Project Director at Lawrence CommunityWorks, capping years of investment in Lawrence’s Gateway. Marianne serves on the Lawrence General Hospital Board of Trustees, Northern Essex Community College Foundation Board, and Lawrence Partnership. Marianne holds a Masters in Urban Planning from MIT and a BA from Brandeis University. She lives in Newton with her husband Eric, who tried to replace their three grown kids with two dogs.

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.

Robert “Rob” Lawlor, CFP, is SVP of Sales, Business Development, and Community Relations at Metro Credit Union in Chelsea. He have worked in the financial services industry for 30+ years, building a dynamic sales culture rooted in community engagement, strong values, and consistent high performance.

Throughout his career, he has contributed to a range of finance committees and nonprofit boards across the Merrimack Valley, including the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Chelmsford, MA, Florence Crittendon Society, Lowell General Hospital, and most recently serving on the Board of Directors and as Treasurer for Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell. In addition to board service, he has also dedicated 18 years to coaching youth sports in Chelmsford, MA.

He lives with his wife and they enjoy spending time with their five adult children and two grandchildren. A cycling enthusiast, he also enjoys teaching spin classes. Rob earned his undergraduate degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and holds additional certifications from Northwestern University, including the Certified Trust Financial Advisor (CTFA) designation and the CFP certification from Boston University.

Rob is excited to join the Groundwork Lawrence Board and team to help create positive change in the community.

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.