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 Educare Springfield. Earlier in 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 and consulting practice in Boston. She is a native
of Springfield, attended Springfield Public Schools, and was a
first-generation college student at UMass Amherst.

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 can penalize income growth
by abruptly reducing public assistance. Previously, Kristen was a Senior
Researcher at Mathematica, building evidence about what works to help
families achieve economic success. She has also held positions at the
Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Kristen holds a master’s degree
in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree
from UMass Amherst.

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Shawntsi Baret is a workforce development consultant with extensive
experience in the public sector. With more than 20 years of experience,
she has focused on strategic management consulting with community-based
organizations and has served as adjunct and contract faculty at
Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College.
She has led efforts integrating the employment needs of businesses
with the goals and needs of unemployed, underemployed, and entry-level
workers.

Eneida began her career path during a DTA Works internship and as a
member of the Massachusetts Service Alliance. Working with 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 supports outreach and recruitment and
communicates with organizations and community members about free
career readiness training programs.

Terri Haven partners with organizations in strategic planning,
development, implementation, and sustainability of trauma-responsive,
human-centered, and data-supported programs and environments. She
brings more than 30 years of experience in organizational consultation,
trauma responsiveness, workforce development, and leadership and staff
training.

Roland Bernier brings more than 40 years of experience across both
the private and public sectors. His background includes developing
computer and business systems, leading multinational projects,
consulting, nonprofit work, and organizational planning.