We are pleased to announce that The Children’s Room has appointed three new members to our Board of Directors: Melinda Brown, Jennifer O’Brien, and Michelle Perez Vichot
“Our three new board members bring a wealth of professional experience and expertise in the fields of finance, legal, marketing, fundraising, clinical social work, and organizational effectiveness,” said The Children’s Room’s Board President, Michael Nagle. “We are proud to welcome each of them to our Board, and confident that they will help us advance our work serving grieving children, teens, and families.”
Melinda Brown
Melinda is an attorney with West Hill Technology Counsel with a focus on representing privately-held technology companies She served for over 20 years as the General Counsel and chief legal officer of public and private technology companies, including a non-profit research and development laboratory. In that capacity, Melinda advised the senior leadership teams and boards of directors of these companies in a wide range of legal areas including governance, commercial transactions, and intellectual property matters.
Melinda shares, “The Children’s Room is dedicated to helping families following the tragedy of the loss of a child or parent. I am honored to support this organization in whatever way I can, and to enable it to continue its important and unique mission.”
© Jules Ko Photography
Jennifer O’Brien
After many years as a donor, Jennifer came towards The Children’s Room in 2016 for the Parenting While Grieving program following the death of her husband, Webster, from cancer in 2015. Her two teenage children are also very familiar with The Children’s Room and have friends who have also been supported. Jennifer and her family have lived in Arlington since 2001. She has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Med in Early Childhood Education from Endicott College. In addition, she is a certified Montessori teacher and has completed significant graduate-level coursework at the Boston Architectural College. She is involved with Community Action Partners, the Broad Institute, and Playworks New England. Currently, she is a Circle Donor and part of TCR’S Boston Marathon team.
Jennifer shares, “I was honored to be asked to serve on The Children’s Room board. This is an organization that I could see was having a very positive impact on members of our community long before I needed direct support myself. I am very happy to be able to give back in this way.”
Michelle Perez Vichot
Michelle, is the Executive Vice President of Operations for Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston. She has been part of BGBC since 1998 when she came on board as a social worker. She received her Master’s in Social Work from New York University where she later worked in foster care. She is a beloved member of the executive team and has worked with many community partners throughout Boston and Chelsea. Michelle also has non-profit Executive Director experience, as well as with being part of the capital campaign process and several strategic planning processes.
Michelle shares, “I look forward to being part of such a committed Board and supporting TCR’s mission in serving grieving children, teens, and families.”
