Barr Staffing Updates

Since a February 2023 message from Barr President Jim Canales, we have welcomed several new colleagues at the Foundation. We wanted to introduce them all here – and also to acknowledge two colleagues assuming new roles.

In May, Kelly Perkins joined the Foundation’s IT team as Senior Business Solutions Analyst, having previously served in Senior and Business Analyst roles at Fidelity Investments and The Crosby Company, a family office in New Hampshire.

Also in May, Andrea Prado Tuma joined Barr as Senior Learning & Evaluation Officer, working primarily with Barr’s Education Program. For the previous six years, Andrea was a researcher at the RAND Corporation, after completing her Masters and PhD at Northwestern University, and several years designing and evaluating education programs at a nonprofit in Mexico City.

Three new colleagues joined us in July:

Cassandra (Cassie) Bruny joined as Program Associate for the Sector Effectiveness & Learning and Evaluation teams. Previously, Cassie was admissions coordinator and graduate support associate at Our Sisters' School, a tuition-free, all-girls middle school in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where she also serves on the Scholarship Committee at SouthCoast Community Foundation.

Jess Rose became Senior Program Officer on Barr's Education Team, leading the Catalyze New Models strategy, which aims to transform high schools across New England into places where all students thrive. Jess came to Barr after nearly two decades in public education in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Starting as a classroom teacher, she has been a leader at the school, district, and state level – most recently as Assistant Superintendent for Lincoln Public Schools (serving students from Lincoln, Boston, and Hanscom Air Force Base).

Barr’s Education Team also welcomed Manjula Karamcheti as Program Officer. Working with Jess on the Catalyze New Models strategy, Manjula brings over 20 years working in and for public schools in Massachusetts and nationally. Her specific experience includes high school counseling, district leadership, and higher education - where she focused on educator preparation and development.

Cassie’s arrival allowed John Dello Russo to pivot into a new role as Program Associate focused on Waterfront, Racial Wealth Equity, and Special Initiatives. A member of the Barr team since 2019, John initially worked solely with the Sector Effectiveness team, but soon took on increasing responsibilities supporting the Waterfront Initiative, Barr’s COVID-related grantmaking, developing and launching the Racial Wealth Equity Initiative, and supporting the Learning & Evaluation team on various projects.

Lastly, in October, Pam Jensen shed the “interim” from her title and was appointed Vice President, People & Talent. Pam will continue providing in-house expertise fully focused on Barr and its evolving needs for all facets of the talent development pipeline. She brings to Barr over 20 years as a senior human resources executive and consultant, and deep experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.

We look forward to opportunities you’ll have to meet and get to know these terrific colleagues. With open searches for a Digital Communications Manager and an Administrative Assistant, and a new Communications Officer joining us in November, we're excited about more introductions we'll be able to make in the months ahead. When new opportunities open up to join our team, we always post them here on Barr’s blog and on Barr’s LinkedIn.