We are a small team making a big difference.
Meet Springfield WORKS! We have a team of staff and a long list of diverse local and regional partners who are dedicated to advancing collective solutions for economic opportunity.
Our Structure
Springfield WORKS is governed by a set of core partners, who 'steer the ship' by deciding the priorities and domains of the other groups affiliated with Springfield WORKS. These core partners include Baystate Health, Holyoke Community College, Springfield Partners for Community Action, and many more shown below. Numerous different subgroups, made up of our staff and community partners, execute different types of projects and co-collaborate on funding opportunities, all creating the conditions for economic opportunity and mobility in the region.
Our Staff Team
Anne Kandilis
Director
Anne Kandilis serves as the first Director of the Springfield WORKS Collaborative, a community-wide initiative formed in 2016 with the Western Mass Economic Development Council and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Working Cities Challenge, to promote economic growth in under-served communities. Her desire to remove systemic and racial barriers to economic opportunity grew from her neighborhood board work after a 2011 tornado devastated her diverse, under-resourced neighborhood. Before leading Springfield WORKS, she assisted the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation in the launch of a high quality early education and care center, Educare Springfield, in that devastated neighborhood. In the first leg of her career, she was a Senior Executive in Corporate Strategy and Government Relations at a Fortune 100 insurance company, and a Tax Partner with a "Big Four" Accounting/Consulting practice in Boston. She is a native of Springfield, attended Springfield Public Schools, and was a first generation college student at UMass Amherst.
Contact me to engage with Springfield WORKS, collaborate on grant work, to learn more about our existing partnerships, or current and past initiatives
Kayla Soto
Deputy Director
Kayla Soto is the Deputy Director of Springfield WORKS bringing extensive experience in workforce development and higher education. She has held roles in enrollment management at the University of Hartford and in student success programming at Hartford Job Corps, where she strengthened pathways to education and career opportunities. Kayla holds a master’s degree in Higher Education from Drexel University and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at St. Thomas University.
Contact me to engage with Springfield WORKS, collaborate on grant work, to learn more about our existing partnerships, or current and past initiatives
Kristen Joyce
Cliff Effect Program Director
Kristen Joyce is the Bridge to Prosperity Program Director. The Bridge to Prosperity Cliff Effect Pilot is a three-year initiative designed to address the benefits cliff—a barrier that penalizes income growth by abruptly reducing public assistance. The program offers direct financial support and coaching to empower families to transition off public benefits and into living-wage careers. Previously, Kristen was a Senior Researcher at Mathematica, building the evidence about what works to help families achieve economic success. She led studies of innovative employment and training programs for public assistance recipients for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Nutrition Service, and the U.S. Department of Labor. She has also held positions at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC. Kristen holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Learn more about the cliff effect https://www.beyondthecliffcoalition.org/
Shawntsi Baret
Workforce Development
Shawntsi Baret is a workforce development consultant with extensive experience in the public sector. With 20+ years of experience in the industry with a focus on strategic management consulting with a variety of community based organizations, adjunct and contract faculty experience at Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College. Ms. Baret has led efforts integrating the employment needs of businesses with the employment goals and needs of the unemployed, underemployed, and entry-level worker. Formerly, she was Vice President of Workforce Development/Client Services with a nationally-recognized workforce development consulting firm.
Contact me for Future collaborations, information on current or past initiatives
Eneida Molina
Community Alignment Specialist
Eneida began her career path during a DTA Works internship and as a member of the Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), a nonprofit expanding volunteerism and service in Massachusetts. Through MSA she trained with other individuals and organizations to tackle pressing issues, strengthen communities, and make our Commonwealth a better place to live. Working wih the EDC allowed her to network with community leaders and find new ways to get involved. As a Community Alignment Specialist with Springfield WORKS since 2020, Eneida is project support for outreach and recruitment. She communicates with organizations and community members with free career readiness training programs. She is also a proud member of the Springfield Parent Council, working together to advocate for families in the Greater Springfield Area.
Contact me to learn more about career resources in the Springfield region
Terri Haven MSW, LICSW
Trauma Consultant
Terri Haven, MSW, partners with organizations in areas related to the strategic planning, development, implementation, and sustainability of trauma-responsive, human-centered, data-supported, grants, programs, and environments.Terri brings 30+ years of demonstrated positive impact, and a depth of experience and relationship-building capacity in the fields of organizational consultation, trauma responsiveness, workforce development, and leadership and staff training. She has worked closely with both national and international groups in public sector, academia, residential, mental health, medical groups, homeless shelters, correctional systems, schools, child protection, religious groups, and community organizations. Terri is passionate about supporting and transforming the impact of individual, community, and organizational trauma, supporting those impacted to thrive, and those working within systems to create safe and equitable environments. In addition to her Emeritus status at Westfield State University in Massachusetts, Terri is certified as a Trauma-Responsive Community Leader and in Human Centered Design Thinking.
Roland Bernier
Data Administrator
Roland Bernier brings more than 40 years of experience to Springfield WORKS, in both the private and public sectors. After building his own cross-sector consulting practice focused on developing computer and business systems and leading multi-national business projects, Mr. Bernier entered the non-for-profit area working on social challenges. His impressive work history includes graduating from the first class of Encore!Hartford as a business fellow trained in the not-for-profit sector, and creating the backbone systems and processes for Foodshare, Inc, a Connecticut-based organization addressing the needs of food-insecure individuals and families. Mr. Bernier lends us his technical and planning skills, as well as his passion for helping people to be better off.
Contact me for Data or grant reporting
Caitlin Smith
Intern
Caitlin is a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, gaining a Master's of Public Policy and Administration. She is also working towards an Advanced Certificate in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science. Caitlin has been on the team since the start of 2025 as a Policy Advocacy and Program Support Intern, focusing on the Bridge to Prosperity Pilot Program.
Our Partners
National and Multistate Initiatives
Get in Touch with Springfield WORKS
Springfield WORKS:
An affiliate of the Western Mass Economic Development Council
1441 Main Street,
Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: (413) 755-1365
info@springfieldworks.net
Please fill out the contact form for more information.