Meet Our Leadership Team

Discover the Executive Team leading Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center to help provide quality healthcare to the Boston area.

As President & CEO of Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Charley leads a team of committed professionals who provide critical health care services to the residents of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan in the city of Boston.

His political and private sector experience have allowed him to seamlessly integrate into his leadership position. During Charley’s eight terms in the Massachusetts legislature, he served in a variety of leadership positions to include Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means and one year as the House Majority Whip. Additionally, he served as senior vice president at Steward Health Care and Executive Director of the Montachusett Veterans Outreach Center in Gardner, Massachusetts.

Charley has worked as a Massachusetts attorney since 1994. Early in his career, he served on active duty with the United States Marine Corps as a Judge Advocate in a variety of positions to include Staff Judge Advocate for the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit that deployed to the Mediterranean Ocean and Mogadishu, Somalia.

Charley remains active in the community having served on the board of directors for the Prisoners’ Legal Services of Massachusetts, a nonprofit committed to promoting the safe, humane and lawful treatment of Massachusetts prisoners through civil rights litigation, client counseling and outreach to policy makers and the public and as member of the board of trustees for Carney Hospital, a community hospital located in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Villanova University, Vermont Law School, Naval Justice School and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he earned a Master in Public Administration degree. His wife, Nan, is the Superintendent of Schools in Dedham, Massachusetts, and they have two daughters, Grace and Amelia.

jessica darosa harvard street Jessica DaRosa, is the Director of Operations at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, a role she assumed in October 2021. Jessica has been a part of the Harvard Street family for nine years, working in many different positions working alongside the fellow leaders of the organization. She is responsible for ensuring that the health center’s operational activities are efficient and ensure delivery of quality service.

This includes overseeing system performance, supporting and advancing clinical operations, creating, and upholding outstanding patient experience standards. Prior to this role, Jessica served as the Human Resources and Credentialing Manager at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center. She was a key player in assisting the organization succeed in two HRSA Operational Site Visits, during which time the health center transitioned from a look-Alike to a FQHC.

Having been at the health center for 9 years, Jessica is a great resource for the team given her knowledge of past processes. Jessica is inspired everyday by her 9-year-old son. She is a powerful force in the organization and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed.

Jessica enjoys spending time with her friends and family and she often will host family game nights. She is also a fantastic baker and cook, who enjoys spreading joy amongst her colleagues with her baked goods. Jessica often contributes and volunteers her spare time to her local community church.

“From my first day, my work at Harvard Street has been filled with compelling challenges and rewarding accomplishments. The opportunity to work with people from all walks of life has meant that there was never a dull day!” –Melesse Gobena

As Director of Finance at Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center since 2013, Melesse Gobena has built a reputation for excellence and integrity. He came to Harvard Street as an accountant shortly after arriving in the United States and was promoted several times based on his hard work, dedication and strong command of the finance and accounting disciplines.

“It’s important to stay on top of industry trends and news and to take ongoing courses related to non-profit financial accounting,” he said. “There are always changes and innovations that can benefit our health center.”

“Because I have been here for many years, I have seen the health center grow and continually do more for the people we serve. Every day I benefit from the vast amount of information gleaned from meetings and trainings and I feel the reward of making a positive impact. I can see how the decisions we staff members and managers make daily affect the level of care that patients receive.”

Melesse earned an advanced Financial Management Certificate from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and worked as a financial manager in the printing and dairy industries in Africa for over 15 years before coming to the United States.

tanveer khan harvard street“I have many goals and I am passionate about implementing Quality Assurance in every aspect/level of care here at the health center. My immediate plan is to focus on receiving Joint Commission Accreditation for Harvard Street. This accreditation will increase the visibility of the health center while also adding value. The pandemic has left many health centers at a crossroads and I see this as an opportunity for Harvard Street to expand and make even deeper connections with the community.”

Tanveer’s wealth of knowledge expands beyond clinical QA/QI and includes a broad spectrum of healthcare issues/topics. She has practiced as a doctor internationally and received her degree from the Ryazan State Medical University in Ryazan, Russia. In addition to obtaining her medical degree, Tanveer has also completed Master degree programs both at Suffolk and Harrisburg Universities in Healthcare Administration, Management Science and Project Management.

Prior to joining Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Tanveer served in multiple QA/QI positions as an analyst, manager, and Director of Clinical QA/QI with another local health center. In these previous roles, Tanveer created the COVID-19 Testing Unit and implemented protocols in addition to educating clinical staff about updated healthcare protocols. The combination of Dr. Khan’s work ethic, along with her steadfast determination paved the path for her continuous success/promotions.

Tanveer is also the founder of several non-profit foundations in India, with a focus on community rebuilding and engagement. Dr. Khan’s extensive credentials coupled with her history of community-based volunteer work makes her a tremendous addition to the Harvard Street team.

Irene Hammer-McLaughlin harvard street Director of Development Irene Hammer- MA, MNM, is Harvard Street Neighborhood’s inaugural Director of Development. Irene brings nearly 20 years of nonprofit fundraising to her role. With a strong track record of raising transformational 6-, 7-, and 8-figure gifts, Irene has successfully led development teams and partnered with Board members in multiple sectors with a focus on medical fundraising in the Northeast.

Irene comes to HSNHC most recently from Emory University in Atlanta, GA where she oversaw fundraising for the Emory Healthcare’s neurosurgery and neurology departments and managed the fundraising team of its Winship Cancer Institute. Prior to this, she served as frontline fundraiser at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

In her position as Director of Development at HSNHC, Irene is designing and implementing a momentous, first-ever capital campaign to support a new stand-alone health center and build a sustainable fundraising program to support HSNHC’s future growth.

Irene works closely with CEO Charlie Murphy and external stakeholders on fundraising initiatives. As DoD, she participated in strategic planning, develops the donor pipeline, further engages a passionate Board of Directors, and is building HSNHC’s development team.

Irene earned a master’s in English from Northeastern University and her master’s in nonprofit management from Regis University.  When she isn’t working, in class, or commuting, Irene enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time at her house on Cape Cod with family and friends.

“Harvard Street is on the verge of growth and expansion. I was excited to join the organization and to contribute my expertise as we work towards achieving our goal and vision of comprehensive service to the community.” – Dr. Cyril Ubiem Dr. Cyril Ubiem joined the Harvard Street leadership team in Fall 2020 as Senior Vice President of Programs and Services. In this newly established role, he is responsible for directing the Harvard Street Behavioral Health Department with the primary goal of bringing together and expanding the HSNHC behavioral health programs with a vision towards growth. In addition, he will lead the development of and expand programs that directly support the health needs of the center’s service areas — the neighborhoods of Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury and beyond. Prior to joining Harvard Street, Dr. Ubiem was the vice president of programs and services at Whittier Street Health Center, where he managed several federal, state, and city grants. He specializes in grant writing, program design, implementation, and management. He received his Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from United States International University, Nairobi, Kenya in 1998 and earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University, Boston in 2010. His clinical and public health interests include health disparities among people of color, infectious disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse disorder, and dual diagnosis.

“I am committed to building on the vision and goals of HSNHC to provide optimal health and well-being for the people and communities we serve.”

Celesta Shropshire is a passionate, innovative, solution-focused Human Resources Director with more than 20 years of non-profit experience and over 10 years in the Human Resources field.

Celesta’s non-profit journey began during studies and an internship in Human Development at Boston College. That internship sparked her love for serving her community of Dorchester and Roxbury. Over the years she has been an enthusiastic volunteer on the Katrina Relief project and as mentor to several pre-teens and teenagers at Mother Caroline School and at Youth and Police in Partnership. She has conducted job readiness workshops, workplace etiquette workshops and volunteered in clothing drives, soup kitchens, and other charity events, receiving several awards and accolades for her hard work and dedication to her passion turned career.

While focusing on her important role in employee relations, employee development, strategic planning, budgeting, and community engagement under the direction of the President & CEO, Celesta is committed to living the mission of Harvard Street to be there for the underserved and vulnerable in the community served. Through hard work and dedication, Celesta plans to contribute and exhibit the core values HSNHC represents to the community, patients, and employees served by the health center.

sara harvardstreetSara is a highly experienced development and communications professional with more than 20 years of nonprofit management and fundraising experience. She’s grateful to be a member of the Harvard Street team, as she’s passionate about working with vulnerable populations and addressing health disparities.

She received her MBA from Boston University, her BA in English from Boston College, and also attended Yale School of Management and Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied fine arts/painting.

Sara’s professional experience includes her roles as Director of Development, Grants Manager and Development Consultant with organizations such as Boston University, St Mary’s Center for Women & Children, the Forbes House Museum, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, Neighborhood House Charter School and Father Bills & Mainspring. In addition, she has worked as a freelance writer for Inc. Magazine and other local publications.

A single mom of two awesome teens, Sara enjoys painting, piano, writing poetry, and long walks with her Newfie-doodle. She enjoys using her skills as a writer/artist to tell stories that need to be heard, helping nonprofits like Harvard Street to make a difference for underserved communities.

“In coming to Harvard Street, my vision is to work at those critical intersections of strategy and technology, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and increasing productivity in our operations.”

Olumide has worked at the intersection of Public Health, Strategy, and Technology for 15+ years as a consultant and entrepreneur. Prior to starting his own firm, Olumide was Director of IT at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC). While at BPHC he was the Chief Architect on the Boston Public Health Commission’s first Syndromic (disease) Surveillance application developed in conjunction with the CDC.

Olumide considered this project to be used to detect potential outbreaks, one of his proudest accomplishments, because of the complexities involved and that the team moved from vision to production in less than 6 months.

He has managed the entire strategic life cycle from envisioning and exploration to implementation, using an Agile Project Management approach. He has worked on projects with budgets ranging from thousands to millions of dollars and has scaled processes from small and large projects.

Olumide recently received his Graduate Certificate in Strategy and Management from Harvard University where he is also a candidate for a Master of Liberal Arts in the Field of Management.