USES Announces Five New Board Members

United South End Settlements (USES) today announced the following new board members:

Professor of Practice and Director of Urban Leadership Program at Simmons University Gary Bailey;

Director of Diversity Recruiting and Advising at IES Abroad Gretchen Cook-Anderson;

Investment Analyst at Finepoint Capital Kevin Koslosky;

Executive Director at Parenting Journey Imari Paris Jeffries;

Owner/Principal at Planeta Design Group LLC Patrick Planeta

For 127 years, USES has served families and communities in the South End and surrounding Boston areas; its mission is to harness the power of its diverse community to disrupt the cycle of poverty for children and their families. USES's strategic plan, Vision125, includes further expanding and enhancing programs to increase access, engagement and impact for families and communities to achieve economic mobility. The plan also includes rebuilding a new Harriet Tubman House at its 48 Rutland Street location, creating a comprehensive campus for programs with community space for the neighborhood.

With support from the Board, which is 40 percent people of color, 50 percent South End residents, and includes USES parents and alumni, USES President and CEO, Maicharia Weir Lytle, is leading the Vision125 initiative. "We're very excited to welcome these new board members whose diverse experiences and perspectives will be invaluable," said Weir Lytle. "Their insights and thoughtfulness will help us in implementing our five-year strategic plan, including our new two-generation approach to our programs, supporting children as well as their parents/caregivers so that the whole family can thrive."

"Our commitment to USES families and our community is steadfast; it is shared by all of our board members, including our newest additions," said USES Board Chair Julia Johannsen. "We're thrilled to have five outstanding individuals join us in our work, helping to ensure that this long-standing organization continues to be a critical, vibrant part of the city of Boston for many years to come."

United South End Settlements (USES) offers programs that holistically support families in achieving economic mobility. We help parents and caregivers develop their own capacity to reach their goals, increase their income and assets and connect with new networks of people through one-on-one coaching and a workforce development program, which prepares participants for administrative work as a first step on a career pathway.

For children and youth, we provide quality education and enrichment opportunities that foster personal development and social-emotional skills such as perseverance, communication, teamwork and problem-solving. Each summer, USES's Camp Hale serves over 225 boys and girls, ages 6-17 years, with the goal of improving their sense of well-being, social skills and awareness of personal potential. We believe that as families increase their income and assets, become more resilient and connect to a diverse network, they and their children are more likely to develop the necessary skills to disrupt the cycle of poverty. For more information about USES, please visit www.uses.org.