BRAINTREE, MA — The Board of Directors of Caritas Communities, an independent, non-sectarian, nonprofit housing provider, has re-elected five members of the Board to continue their service, overseeing an organization that houses about 1,000 individuals in 33 residences in the Greater Boston area.
Continuing their dedicated service on the 16-member Board of Directors of the housing provider, founded in the 1980s by Boston real estate developer Leo Corcoran, are:
- Yasmine Bouchrara of Boston, who joined the Board in 2021 and was voted to a three-year term at the Board’s monthly meeting in December 2021.
- Katie Catlender of Scituate, who joined the Board in 2021 and was voted onto a three-year term.
- Ruby Cherfils of Canton, who joined in 2018 and became Vice Chair of the Board in 2021, now continuing in that role and voted to a three-year term.
- Rob Maulden of Marblehead, who joined the board in 2012 and was voted as Treasurer in 2021, voted to another three-year term.
- Tom Palmer of Natick, who joined the Board in 2015 and was voted to a new three-year term.
Yasmine Bouchrara is an Equity Research Analyst at Middleton & Company. She is a member of the Investment Committee and serves as the primary Research Analyst for the Consumer Staples sector. Prior to joining Middleton, she worked at Goldman Sachs and Wellington Management Company.
Bouchrara was born and raised in Tunis, Tunisia, and grew up speaking both French and Arabic. She is a graduate of Northeastern University, where she continues to mentor students in the Women in Finance Club. Bouchrara also volunteers at Rosie’s Place.
“Caritas Communities is helping its residents rebuild their lives in an environment full of hope and new opportunities,” said Bouchrara. “I feel privileged to be a part of an organization that brings stability and dignity to the people it serves.”
Catlender is Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at Cambridge Savings Bank. Prior to joining Cambridge Savings Bank, she spent 25 years in executive leadership roles at health plans across Massachusetts, and she has extensive experience in strategy, marketing, technology, data and analytics, and operations.
Catlender serves as mentor for minority leaders through The Partnership Program and provides leadership and fundraising support to Interfaith Social Services in Quincy, MA. She graduated from the University of New Hampshire.
“Caritas Communities is unparalleled in preventing homelessness through safe housing and community support,” said Catlender. “Now more than ever, we must do more to provide our communities with innovative approaches to preventing homelessness, and Caritas provides the gold standard approach, changing the lives of thousands of our neighbors in greater Boston.”
“I am honored to serve on the board and help expand the success Caritas has had in changing lives through safe and secure housing,” Catlender said.
Cherfils is a public health professional who most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of a pediatric rehabilitation hospital.
“I’m amazed at the work Caritas is doing to make a difference in the lives of everyday people,” Cherfils said. “I am honored to serve the organization and the people that we house.”
Rob Maulden is a licensed architect who earned his degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is Managing Director of Real Estate Investments at John Hancock Financial Services.
“I have had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors for Caritas Communities for about 10 years,” Maulden said. “As someone who has made their career in real estate investment and in particular various types of housing, it was a natural fit for my involvement. The mission is to provide safe, clean, permanent, affordable housing to people of limited means.”
“Knowing that I can lend my knowledge and experience to help people with the most basic of necessities – home – is very important to me, and there is no better organization than Caritas,” Maulden said.
Palmer is a former Boston Globe reporter and editor who since 2008 has operated Tom Palmer Communication, a communications and public relations firm with a variety of for-profit and nonprofit clients and specializing in real estate and related businesses.
“I have been gratified to work with the talented members of the Board of Directors and the hard-working staff of Caritas Communities to make the difference we can in the face of a longtime and persistent shortage of affordable housing,” Palmer said.
“I look forward to the day when as a society we can build enough housing so that everyone can afford a roof over his or her head, and until that time Caritas and organizations like ours will work tirelessly to fulfill this basic need for all.”
Caritas is celebrating 37 years of providing safe, secure housing in Greater Boston. All Caritas housing is for individuals. The vast majority of units are Single Room Occupancy, which provides a locked private room with shared kitchens, bathrooms, and communal spaces. Almost 60 percent of residents come to Caritas Communities directly from homelessness and 75 percent have experienced homelessness at some point.
Support provided to Caritas Communities residents along with their rent-supported rooms and common areas helps to bridge the gap between housing and homelessness for over 1,000 residents annually. The cost to society for one homeless person is estimated at $30,000 annually, not accounting for the tragic toll on the humanity of the individuals and the community.
Other members of the Board of Directors are: Bill Churchill, of Lincoln, a communications consultant; Maura E. Murphy, of Wellesley Hills, Clerk of Caritas and with Corcoran Management Company; Michael Binette, of Topsfield, with The Architectural Team; John A. Brennan III, of Boston, with The Brennan Group; R. Duane Clark II, of Wellesley, with Sanofi Genzyme; Tim Corcoran, of Milton, with John M. Corcoran Company; Trisha Daley, of Dorchester, with Boston Public Schools; Olivia Gough, of Lynn, with Eastern Bank; David Greenblatt, of Lexington, with Beacon Communities Development, LLC; William McLaughlin, of Chestnut Hill, recently retired from AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; and Kevin P. O’Flaherty, Newton, with Goulston and Storrs.
