Staff

Sandra Robinson

Executive Director

Sandra Robinson is the fourth Executive Director of the Needham Community Council since its inception in 1930. She was raised in Needham and is a Needham High School graduate.

Before becoming the Council’s Executive Director she worked for many years in the social service industry. Her work has served a variety of people in need, including women who were incarcerated, survivors of Domestic Violence, immigrants to the United States, and teens dealing with every day life issues. Her goals are always the same: to empower whomever she is working with to make the best choices they can make, and help them move forward in their lives.

Contact: srobinson@needhamcouncil.org

Maria Albanese

Thrift Store Manager

Contact: malbanese@needhamcouncil.org

Suzanne Baker

Director of Development & PR

Suzanne came to the non-profit world quite by accident, but it has been her place and station in life for over a decade. She and her husband, Andrew, have three daughters and have called Needham home for over 18 years.

Her first thought in fundraising is always, does it help my Needham neighbors? “I feel so very fortunate to live and work in such an engaged and caring community like Needham, MA.”

There is not a camera or a microphone that doesn’t usually find its way to Suzanne and you can find her cooking up some sort of event or scheme to gather people together for good!

Contact: sbaker@needhamcouncil.org

Sue Biasizzo

Food Pantry Coordinator

Sue grew up in Needham and began volunteering at the Council in 1997.

Starting as an assistant in the Food Pantry, Sue helped distribute food to people’s homes. Sue became the Food Pantry Coordinator in February 2001 and was instrumental in moving the Food Pantry to its new “client choice” delivery system in 2014.

Contact: foodpantry@needhamcouncil.org

Stacey Fallon

Tech & Tutors Program Manager

Contact: sfallon@needhamcouncil.org

Mindy Kalish

Development Manager

Mindy started volunteering at the Council in May 2021 in a variety of roles. From spearheading development projects, working at the Council Thrift or styling for Project Karma, making sure neighbors had access to healthy food was her motivator. She and her husband, Doug, have two sons and have called Needham home for nearly 15 years.

Before taking time off to raise her family, Mindy was a successful marketer with responsibilities ranging from account management to client service management. She is excited to combine her marketing experience with an organization that is near and dear to her.

Contact: mkalish@needhamcouncil.org

Judy Lambert

Program Director

Contact: jlambert@needhamcouncil.org

Dan McMann

Council “Go-To Guy”

Dan joined the Council in November, 2006 as the Facilities and Maintenance Specialist. He is in charge of picking up and delivering surplus to the Council from companies such as Roche Brothers, Target and Sudbury Farms. Dan also manages incoming donations as well as the Council’s waste removal services and a variety of building projects.

Dan has his BA in Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Before coming to the Council he worked as a Shift Supervisor at CVS in Needham.

Since COVID, Dan has been instrumental in keeping food supplies available with many multiple trips to the Boston Food Bank and other locations.

Katerina Posadskova

Food Pantry Manager

Contact: yposadskova@needhamcouncil.org

Mary Ellen Rogan

Office Manager

Contact: mrogan@needhamcouncil.org

Julie Tovar

ELL Program Manager

Originally from Northern California, Julie Tovar joined the Council in 2021. She is thrilled to be a part of the Council mission to meet Needham’s educational and social needs and to promote a sense of community. She is continually amazed at the commitment of the English learners and volunteer tutors who make up the ELL program. Her favorite part of the job is witnessing tutors and learners connect and learn together.

Julie has been an adult educator for many years, teaching ESOL and college composition courses. She loves collaborating to share experiences and learn new things.

Contact: jtovar@needhamcouncil.org

Sherry Turner

Council Bookkeeper

Sherry has been an independent QuickBooks Bookkeeper since 1995. She began working part time for the Council in December, 2010.

Sherry writes “I fell in love with everyone at The Council and the mission. It was the best thing I ever did!”

Contact: treasurer@needhamcouncil.org

Page van Amson

Director of Operations

Page joined the Council staff in the front office in December, 2019. She became the Council Assistant Director, working both in general administration and development and is now the Director of Development and PR.

Page has been a resident of Needham for the past 30 years and raised her two girls and a pack of dogs here.

Page comes to us after working at the Wellesley Needlepoint Collection. She has been actively involved in the dog community, supporting a rare breed of dog, the Stabyhoun, volunteering her time and working her dogs in agility and events.

Page has been active in many Needham organizations including Newcomers, Parent Talk, Friends of the Needham Public Library and a variety of PTCs. She’s excited to join the Council team to actively make a difference for our neighbors and community.

Contact: pvanamson@needhamcouncil.org

Cathy Wong

Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program Director

Cathy joined the Council in 2019 after volunteering as a CAP Prevention Specialist for the previous 12 years. Cathy has lived in Needham since 1999.

Cathy has a B.S. in Accounting, Finance and Mathematics from Simmons University.

Cathy found herself reflecting on how to help her 2 daughters stay safe when she read an ad in the school newsletter seeking volunteers for CAP. Who would have known, that one phone call to the Needham Community Council’s CAP program would lead her to such a fulfilling experience and 12 years later she would leave the high tech commercial world for a career in community services.

Cathy is rewarded and energized by knowing she’s empowering children to stand up for themselves, say “no”, and to get help, because we all have the right to be “Safe, Strong, and Free.”

contact: cwong@needhamcouncil.org

General Office Mailbox

For all other matters, please contact us at: office@needhamcouncil.org

Current Hours

Summer Office/Phones:
Monday - Friday	8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Friday	8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Summer Thrift Donation Site:
Monday	10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday & Thursday	10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday	10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Summer Thrift Shop:
Monday	10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday & Thursday	10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday	10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Saturday	10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Food Pantry:

Accepting new customers and current customers by reservation only. Please call 781-444-2415 for details.

Council offices and all programs are closed on most major holidays. We follow the Needham Public School weather closings

Kalindi-Kango

Kalindi has masters degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India. She initially began her career at Computer Vision in Burlington, MA and later worked as a software consultant for Fortune 500 companies like Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer. Kalindi has lived in Florida, New Jersey, California and returned back to Massachusetts. She and her husband with two daughters moved here in Needham in 2015 and quickly found strong ties to the Needham Community. Both her daughters graduated from Needham High School and continued to pursue higher professional education.

Over the years Kalindi has volunteered her time at various non-profits including Saheli - a non-profit for battered women from south Asian and middle eastern community, as a treasurer for Pony Club of Northern California, and librarian at Bridgewater-NJ Elementary School. Most recently, during Covid-19 crisis, she participated in Boston Area Mask Initiative, a movement that provided over 60000 masks to underserved population by sewing them at her Needham residence. She contributed to local groups within Needham-Wellesley area in sewing and distributing surgical caps and masks for healthcare workers at local hospitals. Prior to being on the Council Board, Kalindi worked as a volunteer at the council to streamline recording of volunteer hours and medical equipment loaning records. She looks forward to working with the council in coming years and helping achieve the Council goals and support the Needham community.

Susan Mitchell

Susan is a geriatrician and health services researcher at the Hebrew SeniorLife Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Susan is originally from Montreal. She is a graduate of the University of Ottawa medical school and has a Master’s of Public Health from Harvard University. Her career has largely focused on conducting research to improve the quality of life of older persons with serious illness, particularly dementia.

She moved to the Needham from Canada in 2000. She lives with her partner, has two step-children, and enjoys hiking with her beloved labradoodle through the Town Forest. Susan loves living in Needham and looks forward to contributing to the community.

David-Carter

David is a Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Fidelity Investments providing legal counsel to the firm’s asset management and operations businesses. David specializes in mutual fund corporate governance matters, including substantial involvement with mutual fund boards of directors, as well as SEC rulemaking processes.

David has held a variety of roles in Fidelity’s legal department since joining Fidelity in 2005. From 2010 to 2014, David led a team of lawyers and project managers who coordinated Fidelity’s response to rulemaking following the financial crisis. Prior to joining Fidelity, David spent five years as associate at Ropes & Gray, where he worked on a broad range of corporate and securities law matters.

David received his A.B. in Economics from the University of Michigan and his JD from Harvard Law School. He has lived in Needham since 2008 with his wife and their two sons

Joyce McCafferty

Joyce cannot believe she has lived in Needham for 10 years. It still seems like yesterday when the McCafferty family moved into town. Despite not having friends nor family here, the family has forged strong bonds of friendship with neighbors within this welcoming community and are proud to call Needham home.

Armed with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Joyce’s career began in pharmaceuticals. Stay at home parenting temporarily interrupted her career trajectory. However, this detour pales in comparison with her current pursuit of a new career in healthcare as an EMT and ski patroller.

Previously active in ParentTalk, Joyce is excited at the opportunity to serve the larger community of Needham.

Andrea Wasserman

Andrea B. Wasserman is an innovative leader, effective strategist, and philanthropy expert. She consistently inspires clients to exceed their fundraising goals by focusing on smart development strategies and unleashing the right talent.

As Founder and President of the boutique organizational development firm ABW Partners (formerly Social Profit Ventures), Andrea has partnered with nearly 50 clients on customized engagements around the design and execution of exceptional advancement and fundraising programs. Andrea also delivers an expansive array of fundraising coaching, proficiency building, and learning opportunities from the c-suite and board level to development departments and cross-organization teams.

Before launching her firm in 2012, Andrea was the catalyst behind fundraising at various high-performing local, national, and international nonprofits. Charged with the responsibility of driving comprehensive and sustainable financial resource development, Andrea assumed pivotal roles at UJA Federation of New York, Wall Street Division; United Jewish Communities (first as the Director of National Young Leadership Cabinet and then Director of National Women’s Constituency); Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School; and BBYO International.

In concert with dynamic colleagues and stakeholders at these and other organizations, Andrea has successfully built cultures, systems, teams, and strategies that have yielded tens of millions of philanthropic dollars to foster vibrant communities worldwide.

Passionate about her family, friends, and community, Andrea resides in Needham with her husband Adam, son Zachary, and labradoodle Tucker. The Wassermans are members of Temple Beth Shalom in Needham.

Mary Richman

Mary, her husband Jeff and three kids (Noa, Patrick and Evie) have lived in Needham since they moved here from DC in 2007.

Mary graduated from the University of Virginia where she studied Finance and Marketing. She now works as a part-time consultant, providing marketing and financial analysis services for a few local companies.

Mary became involved in the Needham Community through her work at Parent Talk, first as their Fundraising Chair and then as a Co-President for 2 years.

Prior to being on the Council Board, Mary was familiar with the Council through her volunteer work as PTC Co-President at the Mitchell School.

Alrie McNiff Daniels

Alrie has more than two decades of nonprofit experience. Currently director of communications and stakeholder engagement at Point32Health Foundation, she previously worked at FSG, a mission-driven consulting firm; the American Cancer Society; and as a strategic communications consultant. A certified Reframing Aging facilitator, Alrie works locally, regionally and nationally to help organizations communicate more effectively on aging, ageism and issues important to older people.

Alrie's community and volunteer service includes fundraising for established nonprofit organizations, board roles on neighborhood associations, pro bono support for emerging nonprofits and numerous roles at her children’s schools. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Library Foundation of Needham.

A native New Yorker, Alrie lived in Washington, DC; Alameda, CA; Chapel Hill, NC; Natick, MA; and Falls Church, VA, during her husband’s Coast Guard career. They moved to Needham in 2003.

Jonathan Kappel

Jonathan is the Executive Director of Principal Gifts for Clark University.

Previous to working at Clark, Jonathan worked as a fundraising professional at the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and Clark University where he has returned after 10 years. Jonathan received the Senn-Greenberg award for excellence in staff leadership from the Anti-Defamation League.

Jonathan and his wife, Carol, co-created the Ultimate Pink Drink fundraiser benefiting breast cancer research. He is also a past board member of the Needham Educational Foundation (NEF).

Lynn-Gotwals

Lynn Gotwals has been a Needham resident for 23 years. She and her husband raised their two daughters here.

Lynn is a teacher at the Mitchell School in Needham. Previously, she worked in project management for several nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

Lynn's previous volunteer work includes serving on the boards of the Needham Education Foundation, Needham Steps Up and the Outreach Committee at the Congregational Church of Needham. She began working with the Community Council as a Team Captain for the Ride for Food, an annual ride to benefit food pantries in the area.

Lynn has a B.A. from Smith College and a M.Ed. from Lesley University.

Linda Farley

Secretary

Linda grew up in Needham; in 2000, she and her husband, Brian returned to Needham.

Linda has been active in Needham organizations including Newcomers, Parent Talk, and Needham Pool & Racquet Club. She’s also been involved in various school and youth sports activities through her 3 children who graduated from Needham High School.

Linda has been an HR professional for 30+ years including roles in high tech, consulting and healthcare; in 2018 Linda joined Needham Bank to lead its HR and Learning and Development team.

In addition to volunteering on the Board of the Needham Community Council, Linda serves on the Board of the Greater New England/National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participates on the Bike MS-Ride the Vineyard Committee and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee.

Diane DerMarderosian

Diane was born and raised in Needham.

Diane graduated from Amherst College and then attended the Mount Sinai School of Medicine where she was selected to be part of the Humanities and Medicine Program. She completed her residency training in pediatrics at Brown University where she is the Pediatric Director of the Hasbro Partial Hospital Program, an integrated, family-based day program for children with complex medical and psychological issues. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Previously, Diane served as the Medical Director of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Eating Disorders Program and worked for many years as a primary care pediatrician at a health center in Roxbury.

Diane serves on the Patient and Family Centered Care Steering Committee at Hasbro, the Medical Advisory Board for Reach Out and Read RI, and the Patient and Family Centered Care Advisory Council at BID-Needham.

Diane lives in Needham with her husband, Peter, and sons PJ and Armen.

Margie Margolis

Past-President

Margie and her husband Jerry have lived in Needham since 1971 where they raised their children and enjoy their 4 grandchildren.

Margie has been a Town Meeting Member since 1970, and also served for four years on the Needham Education Foundation. She served on the Future School Needs Committee for sixteen years.

Margie taught first grade for twenty-three years at Hillside School. There she helped coordinate teachers and students with collecting food and goods that were delivered to the Council Food Pantry on a monthly basis. “When I retired, I was eager to be a part of the Council Board to be a stronger force in the over-all operation and to serve in any way I was needed.”

2021 will mark Margie’s seventh year on the Needham Community Council Board. Until COVID-19 hit, she continued to help schedule food deliveries with the Needham schools, and helped with the “Back to School Project” which usually takes place in August at the Council.

John Frantz

Treasurer

Currently retired, John was previously employed by The Boston Consulting Group. There he provided consulting services to major corporations, held a senior internal financial management position, and led an Investment Committee with oversight responsibility for the firm's U.S. retirement plans.

2022 marks John's seventh year on the Needham Community Council Board. He is also on the Board of the Charles River School, a preK-8 school in Dover, and New England Justice for Our Neighbors, a non-profit that welcomes and supports immigrants. He is active in service and outreach activities with Carter Memorial United Methodist Church in Needham, and serves as the chair of the church's endowment team, which oversees the church's endowment funds.

Kathleen Berner

Vice President

Kathleen is currently the Marketing Lead for Accenture in Boston & Hartford — a role she has held since May 2019.

Previously, Kathleen was the Senior Director of Services Marketing at Staples. She joined Staples in 2010 and held various leadership roles in marketing–driving stores, staples.com and salesforce performance. Prior to Staples, Kathleen started an in-house agency; managed customer service; and implemented an email program for the Upromise College Savings and Loyalty program. She also supported clients at Digitas in the online education, automotive and wireless industries.

Kathleen and her husband live in Needham with their three children. She has volunteered at The Council since 2016 as co-chair of the Annual Holiday Boutique.

In 2010, Kathleen managed fundraising for City of Hope’s Spirit of Life nominee. She currently serves on several committees for the Needham High School PTC and serves on the board of advisors at Research Institute for Learning & Development in Lexington.

Kathleen is a graduate of Tufts University and holds a master’s degree from the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

Lynn Alberding

President

Lynn joined the Board of the Needham Community Council in 2015. Prior to joining the Board, Lynn participated in the Council’s English Language Learners tutor training program and volunteered as a tutor with that program for several years. She worked as a one-on-one tutor, a leader of group classes, and as a program administrator. Lynn developed and taught several literature-based classes for Advanced English learners as well as a Beginners English class for Russian speakers, and formalized a process for matching students and tutors that resulted in hundreds of successful partnerships.

Lynn is the Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at William James College in Newton, MA. Prior to joining William James College, Lynn was the Director of Development at Wondermore, Inc., also in Newton, MA.

Lynn and her husband, Peter, raised three children who attended Needham Public Schools. From 2010 - 2020, Lynn was active volunteer in the Needham Public Schools, most notably with the Mitchell and Pollard PTCs and with the Needham High School Athletic Boosters and the Friends of Music.

Lynn holds a B.A. in Economics from Wesleyan University, and an M.S. in Accounting and an MBA from Northeastern University.

Robert Dermody

Past President

Robert J. Dermody was born and raised in Needham, MA. After graduating from Needham High School, he attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. Robert then pursued a Master of Architecture degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Robert is very active in the Needham community as a Town Meeting Member, and with the Exchange Club. He also serves on the Design Review Board, and Community Preservation Committee.

Robert is a Professor of Architecture at Roger Williams University in Bristol Rhode Island, and is a licensed architect in Massachusetts. I

n his spare time, Bob is a volunteer docent with Boston By Foot, and a BayWatcher for the Coalition for Buzzards Bay. His grandmother, Frances K. Dermody, was the first Executive Director of the Needham Community Council, a position she held for 25 years.

Community Volunteer Resources

We are in the process of creating a community wide volunteer resource guide that will allow you and your family to find opportunities to help in Needham. Please check back again soon.