Our Staff

Phenice became the Director of the Charlestown Coalition in April of 2023. She oversees the Charlestown Family Support Circle, a program designed to identify and intervene with at-risk youth and their families as well as improve the connection among Charlestown service providers to support local youth and families. Phenice came to the Charlestown Coalition from Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus in Arlington, where she was a Clinical Supervisor and Family Clinician working with at risk youth, adolescents, young children and their families. She also worked at the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles, CA. Phenice received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Boston and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California.

Mswati is originally from upstate New York and currently lives in Chelsea with his wife and two sons. He has worked with youth in the Boston area for almost 20 years. Mswati would describe himself as being very driven, and a hardworking person who loves mentoring, motivating and inspiring young people. As the parent of 2 boys over the age of 18, Mswati understands the many challenges that youth growing up in an urban environment face today - especially youth of color. Through education, the arts, music, poetry, sports, film, theatre, civic engagement, social justice, and even the outdoors, Mswati has been able to expose these young people to a world that many of them had no idea existed, or was even accessible. He believes that education, and finding your passion, is the great equalizer when it comes to lifting one out of poverty, or any situation for that matter. That is his main goal at the Charlestown Coalition - To educate and empower Charlestown’s youth.

Mel is a Macro Social Worker devoted to social justice, intersectional feminism and contributing to a more equitable future for the LGBTQIA+ community. She was born and raised in Boston, but shares that the people of South End are what truly raised her. She credits her experience as an adolescent in youth work and development to be the core of who she is and who she strives to be. As the Community Resource Specialist, she will assist in coordinating the local resources through collaboration with partner organizations within Charlestown. In addition to resource coordination, Mel will be utilizing her experience in government policy to source grant funding and inform local legislation through community partnerships. Mel graduated from Wheelock College with a Bachelors of Social Work and Juvenile Justice and earned a Masters of Social Work at Bridgewater State University.

Zaire Richardson is a lifelong Charlestown resident who has an ongoing passion and involvement in youth enrichment programs/services. She has gained her love and experience in this field throughout her very own participation in various youth groups which shaped her to be the person she is today. As a inner city Bostonian belonging to a low class family, Zaire has seen first hand how hard it is for families to navigate educational and clinical systems especially without guidance. This has increased her hunger tenfold to provide more accessible assistance because she is a firm believer that through skill development, civic engagement, contextual therapy, music, and getting outside, even the most “misguided” kid could thrive!

Rachel is a final year clinical social work intern from Boston College. Rachel spent the last five years working in Boston Public Schools as an inclusion specialist in 6th to 8th grade. While in BPS, she was a founding member of her school’s Family Support Team that hosts yearly fundraisers and events to engage and assist the school community. She loves working with youth and is passionate about expanding access to mental health services in and out of schools. Rachel graduated from University of Massachusetts at Boston with a Master’s in Education and from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelors in Spanish and Educational Studies.

Emma is in her first year at the Boston University School of Social Work and is working with the Coalition as an intern for the 2023-2024 school year. Emma has been working for over five years in the legal services field; she started her career working on civil class action litigation on behalf of people with mental health needs incarcerated in California’s prisons and jails and then transitioned into supporting individuals and families accessing civil legal services in Washington D.C. Emma loves building relationships with people and deeply values being a support and resource for people navigating oppressive systems and experiencing some of life’s hardest challenges. She is excited to pivot into social work to support and advocate in a more holistic way for people in the communities in which she has worked and lived. Emma is currently pursuing her Master of Social Work degree and holds a Bachelors’ degree in Political Science and Sociology from Johns Hopkins University.

Julia is beginning her first clinical internship with the Coalition while pursuing her graduate degree at Lesley University for clinical mental health counseling, with a specialization in holistic studies. Julia is in her second year of her three-year graduate program, working toward her LMHC. She completed the second half of her undergraduate education at Lesley University, majoring in holistic psychology and wellness, with a track in expressive arts therapy. Julia graduated from Lesley University with her Bachelor’s in Holistic Psychology in 2022, with the honors of summa cum laude. Julia believes in the power of loving one’s body, mind, and spirit, and finding integration between the three to support mental, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual health. At the Coalition, Julia is hoping to compassionately listen to the needs of others and assist them in empowering themselves to believe in their innate gifts and take care of themselves– in whatever ways feel best and right for them.