Our Leadership Team
Facing a problem as big as the housing crisis requires an incredible team. We’re grateful to have some of the most committed leaders guiding our organization.
Karen Gately grew up in Mission Hill. She is a mission-driven leader with a collaborative leadership style and entrepreneurial spirit. She fosters the rich legacy of “a strong sense of community where people know and care about each other.” Karen believes RTH is not just a place to live but a neighborhood where residents are supported and encouraged to develop to their full potential. Responsible for overseeing all facets of the organization, Karen drives the mission, operations, and engagement with the board of directors. She is a passionate leader, interested in improving the quality of life for RTH residents. Driven by the importance of the RTH mission, Karen believes RTH needs to be positioned to take advantage of initiatives that will meet the housing and resident service, education, health needs, and goals of the community, while being able to increase and build systems to support anticipated growth in real estate development and property management.
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Prior to working at RTH, Karen held an array of leadership roles with increasing areas of responsibility at the YMCA, in a variety of diverse socioeconomic, multicultural, and multilingual communities in and around the Greater Boston area. Under her leadership, RTH has expanded its portfolio to 1,114 units of housing and developed a 28,000 sq. ft RTH Community Center with a full-size gymnasium, a youth center, meeting rooms, and a wellness center. More recently, Karen led RTH’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and drove the coordination of safety initiatives to safeguard the health and wellbeing of residents.
When she is not busy working, Karen enjoys walking, volleyball, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Donna Desmond is a business executive with expertise in accounting and finance, risk management, real estate, healthcare, education and organization change. Donna began her career with Ernst & Young LLP in the assurance and business advisory services practice and worked in Boston and London through 2000. Ms. Desmond has held various senior financial management positions with The YMCA; the Old Colony YMCA and the YMCA of Greater Boston, The Kensington Investment Company and WGBH Educational Foundation.
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Donna served on several national YUSA Project teams focusing on strategic operating and finance improvements for YMCAs across the USA. Donna has taught Intermediate accounting courses at Bunker Hill Community College and was a member of the adjunct faculty.
Donna Desmond graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and concentration in Accounting. She earned her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Simmons School of Management. Donna is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MSCPA) and the Financial Executive International (FEI) Boston Chapter.
Donna currently serves on the Board of BostonSight including Chair of the Audit Committee and the Leadership Advisory Council of EforAll Cape Cod.
Scott Amaral is the Director of Resident Services, and began working at RTH in 2001 after graduating from Simmons University with a Master’s degree in social work with a concentration in Gerontology. He worked at RTH for four years until moving on to other opportunities to broaden his working experience in senior housing, and returned to RTH in 2013 in his current role.
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He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Westfield State University. His role as Director of Resident Services is to oversee social work services for the approximately 2,000 RTH residents, providing them with information about and access to local services and resources. He seeks to enable residents to enhance the quality of their life by encouraging and empowering them toward self-sufficiency. He works to address concerns about leave violations, collaborates with management when a resident is at risk of eviction, and offers support with the goal of preserving their housing. He has a keen interest in horticulture and landscape design and has practiced with professionals that have worked with Fredrick Law Olmstead. He is musician and has studied classical piano and organ. He has performed in classical choral and barbershop groups, and loves to cook for family and friends.
Jenni Shaw is the HR Director who has worked full-time for Roxbury Tenants since 2024. She has lived in Dorchester for last ten years and has watched the significant changes each year. As an HR Professional with 20 years’ experience, Jenni brings with her a diverse amount of experience in HR in Manufacturing, Non-Profit, Transportation, and the Performing Arts. She has extensive experience as an HR Generalist with a specialty in starting up HR Departments as a skilled Generalist and Recruiting in both union and non-union environments.
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She has worked with Metron, Inc, Veolia TransDev, Boston Public Schools, Somerville Cambridge Elder Services, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Masschusetts Teachers Association. Jenni has lived and worked throughout the world including New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, and Thailand. In her free time, Jenni is studying the guitar, hiking, going to concerts, learning to play video games, and teaching ESL for the City of Newton.
Roxanne Haecker
Director of Community Education & Workforce Development
[email protected] | (617) 232-4306 ext. 603
Roxanne Haecker has been working for Roxbury Tenants of Harvard since 2010, first managing special projects, and now as Director of Community Education and Workforce Development. She works closely with other RTH departments to provide programs and services that interrupt the cycle of poverty and support families’ efforts to become self-sufficient.
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She champions RTH’s dual generation approach based on three pillars: economic support (affordable housing and homeownership, internships), education (afterschool and summer enrichment programs, tutoring, scholarships for college, job training, ESOL), and social capital (peer support, contact with family, friends, and neighbors, participation in community). Prior to working for RTH, she worked in the public health field on studies of elderly abuse and women’s health. In her free time, she studies folklore and mythology and enjoys spending time with her family.
Laura Adams is the Director of Senior Services. She holds a BA from UMass Boston in Human Resources and Marketing, and a Certificate of Gerontology. She is a member of the Sigma Phi Omega society.
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She is responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the senior department. She is a lifelong resident of Roxbury Tenants of Harvard and has worked at RTH for twenty years. She loves working in her community. Her goal is to enhance the quality of life for seniors and help them live in their own homes for as long as possible. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
Stephen Fulton joined RTH in September of 2023 as the organization’s Senior Program Director and is responsible for overseeing all operational matters related to the facilities and programs housed at the RTH Community Center.
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Stephen has spent his professional career focused on anti-poverty efforts, designing comprehensive community-based programs and services aimed at eliminating barriers to success for individuals and families. He has experience developing and operating community centers in Massachusetts, Maryland, and Florida and has experience in affordable housing in Baltimore, Portland and with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC, formerly DHCD). Prior to RTH, Stephen spent six years with Catholic Charities of Boston as Director of Shelter Services.
Stephen holds a BA in Sociology from Harvard University as well and an M.Ed. in Psychological Studies from Cambridge College. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, music and spending time with family.
Zachary McCulloch is the Health and Wellness Director at Roxbury Tenants of Harvard. He holds a B.S in Exercise Science and has been working in the fitness industry for over a decade. Prior to working at Roxbury Tenants, his experience has expanded to working within Fitness Departments at Universities, Wellness Center Management of Senior Assisted Living homes, and serving as Health and Wellness Director of another non-profit organization.
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His role at RTH is to provide overall administration of the Health and Wellness Center and the development and oversight of a broad base of health and wellness programs for all ages and abilities. His mission has always been to help empower individuals to take control of their health and wellness journey.
His commitment to RTH is to boost our community’s health and togetherness through inspiring sustainable and passionately crafted fitness programs. During his spare time, Zach enjoys participating in recreational sports leagues, live music, videogames, slacklining at the Charles Esplanade, and spending time with his wife and cat.
Yolking Goin-Hallie began working as the Program Manager and Family Director for Roxbury Tenants of Harvard on December 26, 2023. Yolking has a master’s degree in the school of education from Cambridge College and a Director I/ Director II degree from Middlesex Community College. She works closely with staff and students and, most notably, with the Roxbury resident community. She works closely with staff and residents to ensure everyone has the necessary program information and provides enrichment programming for families.
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Before coming to RTH, she spent 22 years working as a Supportive Staff, Assistant Site Coordinator, MCAS Proctor, and Lead Teacher. last three years as a program director at a Boston Public School, and this past summer, I worked as a site coordinator for the summer learning program for the BPS. Yolking is responsible for EEC licensing and procedures for programming and developing a plan to bridge the gap between ASP families and the RTH community in a safe and to develop a plan to bridge the gap between ASP families and RTH community, create a safe nurturing environment and implement family engagement opportunities for our families. In my spare time, she enjoys being with family and friends. She also enjoys reading, playing basketball, and traveling.
Byron Rounds
Director of Physical Education/Sports & Aquatics
[email protected] | 617-232-4306 ext. 205
Byron Rounds has been the Aquatics Director at Roxbury Tenants since 2021, and is responsible for running the RTH aquatics programs for all ages, helping members achieve their fitness goals through swimming. He believes that being strong is a mindset and that all personal change starts from within. He comes to RTH with experience in the Army, the American Red Cross, and YMCA. He has a BA from the University of South Carolina and is currently pursuing his MDIV at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He enjoys swimming, running, outreach, and service, and is the proud father of four wonderful children.
Judith Destrade is the Director of Teen Programs and began working with RTH in 2024. A New York native, she received her Bachelor’s degree in History with a concentration in Education, from Pace University. After receiving her degree, she worked as a teacher’s assistant at a middle school that serviced at risk students with varying ability levels who struggled academically and/or emotionally. In 2017, she made her way to Boston where she worked as a middle school teaching fellow and taught 5th grade Social Studies for two years.
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During her second year as a fellow, she simultaneously completed a one-year intensive Donovan Urban Scholar program at The Lynch School of Education of Boston College, where she received her Master’s in Secondary History Education in 2019. Since, she has worked as a College and Career Readiness and a History teacher. Judith is passionate about nurturing the whole child, not just the academics. Wanting to teach and give kids the tools they need to move within society, foster their talents and help them define their version of success.
Lori Taylor has been with Roxbury Tenants of Harvard since 2003. She supports Executive Director Karen Gately in all areas of day-to-day operations, and spearheads special projects including Mission Park Garage Capital Construction/Repairs. She comes to RTH with experience in both design and property management, and is excited every day to tackle the challenges of making RTH a great place to live!
Irving Burday has been with Roxbury Tenants since 2021 and oversees the organization’s Information Technology area. He is responsible for directing day-to-day technology operations, as well as leading key efforts such as website development, reporting and data analytics, and infrastructure upgrades. Prior to working at Roxbury Tenants, he served as a Chief Information Officer at several firms in the nonprofit, healthcare, and financial services industries. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Jun Jie Xu is an IT specialist who has worked full-time for Roxbury Tenants since 2019. He has lived in Mission Park for many years and knows the dynamic technological layout of Mission Park well. As a CompTIA A+ certified technician, one of his main focuses at RTH is making sure staff and residents get all technical problems resolved. Jun was born in China and he immigrated to the United States in 2005 with his family. He is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and can help translate for Chinese residents of Mission Park who have a language barrier. In his free time, Jun is an amateur guitarist and he loves spending time driving and gaming.