United South End Settlements' (USES) announced the appointment of diversity, equity and inclusion champion and strategist Carmen Duarte as Board Chair, along with the election of five new Board members and leadership appointments as USES celebrates its 130th anniversary. Duarte, who works as VP of diversity, inclusion and social impact at Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions, succeeds outgoing Board Chair Julia Johannsen, who served in the role for more than 10 years.
"On behalf of the entire USES community, I'm proud to welcome Carmen into this role along with all of our new Board members and officers," said USES CEO Jerrell Cox. "Since joining the Board in May 2021, Carmen has been a fierce advocate for building connections across our community and supporters. She has the enthusiasm and know-how to help further our economic equity and inclusion efforts and develop even stronger relationships with the corporate community." Added Cox, "I also wish to thank Julia Johannsen and the rest of the departing Board members for their years of friendship and tireless work on behalf of USES. We have been blessed with strong, passionate leadership for many years under Julia's stewardship and know she will remain a part of the USES family in the years to come."
Duarte is an experienced leader across several disciplines including communications, marketing, human resources and change management. Prior to her current role at Intact, she was the company's VP of marketing and communications, and previously held a similar role at OneBeacon Insurance Group. Duarte additionally serves on the Board of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation's Boston Chapter and is a Trustee of the Intact Charitable Trust.
The Board also welcomed five new members for the upcoming year: Silvia Buonamici, Gabriela Cruzado, Aaron Dushku, Michael Mazzello, and Laura Nielsen and made the following officer appointments: former South End Community Health Center clinical social worker Jennifer Coplon has been named Development Committee Chair; Watermill Group Principal Anabelle Skalleberg has been named Finance Committee Chair; Pegasystems Senior Director Bandita Joarder was named Vice Chair and continues in her role as Nominating and Governance Committee Chair.
In addition to Johannsen, USES wishes to recognize the extraordinary tenure of Ken Kruckemeyer, who rotated off the Board after an unparalleled 40-plus years of service. Kruckemeyer was recognized earlier this year as a driving force behind many of USES' most significant projects and as an impactful connector of the organization's mission across generations of Board members. Also rotating off the Board are King Boston Executive Director Imari Paris Jeffries and Finepoint Capital Partner Kevin Koslosky.