Board of Directors

I am retired from a 30 year career in banking, primarily in the area of compliance and risk  but also in community reinvestment.  I serve on the Salisbury Affordable Housing Trust,Planning Board

and on the AuditCommittee of the New Hampshire  Fund. Affordable Housing, Gender Equality, and Racial Justice are important issues and its critical that we effectively find solutions.   I believe that the YWCA is positioned to make impactful progress in these areas. I have two grown daughters and reside in Salisbury with my wife, Anne.

Julia McDonald is a Senior Manager in the Risk & Financial Advisory practice at Deloitte. She helps her clients address their top IT risks and specializes in the Consumer industry. At Deloitte, Julia also is a member of the New England Women and Allies Group, which strives to empower  allyship and change for women in the workforce. Aside from her experience at Deloitte, Julia loves to spend her free time baking for friends and family’s events and parties. Julia holds a B.S. in Accounting from Elon University. She grew up in Amesbury and now resides in Newburyport with her partner and dog Tinsley!

In her role as Vice President Information Technology Security/Infrastructure Operations, Christine works closely with the SVP/CIO to manage the day to day operations of the Information Technology Department and the security of the Bank’s server and network infrastructure to ensure that the Bank’s technology is safe and protected. Christine holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business Administration from Emmanuel College and is a member of ISC2 (International Information System Security Certification Consortium) and retains the following certifications CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional; Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP), Comp TIA Security+, and Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE). What drew me to serve on the YWCA Board was the mission statement that the YWCA is “dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.” What attracted me to the YWCA of greater Newburyport was the racial justice and affordable housing committees in hopes of serving on at least one of the and I do!

Maricelis Ortiz, (BA Psychology and more than 30 + years of experience) is the Administrator of Children and Family Services for the YWCA Northeastern Ma where she has workked for 25 years . She is responsible for the operation of all Youth Services programming implemented by the YWCA and has special expertise in gender specific programming and agency management.  She works collaboratively with other directors and staff to provide YWCA youth services in a culturally competent, age-appropriate model. She is a bilingual / bicultural member of the community, where she also has a strong presence with community partners. She is married to her high school sweetheart of 33 years. He is a Lawrence Firefighter and together have 4 children, 3 boys and a girl ages 23, 20, 14 and 12. She is currently pursuing her master’s at Bay Path University in Nonprofit Management and Philanthropy.

Jessica Baylor is a Program Officer at the Klarman Family Foundation and has experience across the for-profit and nonprofit sectors in a variety of human resources and philanthropic-related roles. Jessica has a certificate from the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM-CP) and earned a Master’s degree in Organizational Change Management from the New School and a Bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster. In addition to the YWCA Newburyport, Jessica is on the Steering Committee for the Boston Chapter of EPIP (Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy), the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Alliance for the City of Newburyport and serves on the Graduate Council for the Noble and Greenough School. She lives with her family in Newbury, MA.

Bio coming soon!

Deirdre Budzyna is the Coordinator of Early Childhood Education at Northern Essex Community College. She is also the owner of Acting Out productions in Newburyport where she teaches theater to children ages 4 to 16. She speaks at national conferences on the Theory of Multiple Intelligences and Creative Arts in Learning. Deirdre lives in Newburyport with her husband John, her mom Sue, and her teacup Yorkie Princess.  She and John have three grown children: Colin, Erin, and Maggie.

Since 2006, Caswell Restaurant Group has developed and operated durable restaurant concepts that have earned impressive accolades for evocative menus that tell stories through food, inventive international wine lists featuring undiscovered gems from small batch wineries, and exceptional guest service experiences. The company’s reputation as respected culinary leader is the work of powerhouse proprietor and wine aficionado Nancy Batista-Caswell, whose success record is testament to her savvy in designing modern restaurant offerings that match contemporary diner values and preferences.

Rachel is an environmental engineer and social justice consultant. She has over 20 years of experience practicing engineering and has managed drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater projects from planning to design and  construction. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and is a licensed professional in Massachusetts. Rachel is pursuing a Master’s in Social Justice and Community Organizing and is expected to graduate in December 2024. She has six years of experience leading equity and inclusion strategy and is the founder of Liberatory Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in racial justice.

Bio coming soon!

Sophie Lavallee is a student at Newburyport High School, graduating in 2025. With a love for learning and academic interests that lie within the realm of humanities, Sophie hopes to study Public Relations in college. Outside of school, she has been an avid softball player since middle school, enjoys singing, and currently works in downtown Newburyport at The Candy Man. Sophie values learning more about the ways in which she can contribute to

her community, whether that be town-based or globally, as she participates in the Newburyport High School G.L.O.B.A.L Citizenship Certification Program: traveling to Spain, and most recently to Iceland. 

Hannah MacVane is an Account Manager at Matter Communications, specializing in Public Relations and having worked with a variety of companies ranging from non-profit organizations to Fortune 5 corporations. In addition to her involvement with the YWCA of Newburyport, she also serves on the Marketing Committee for the Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center, which strives to empower individuals and engage communities to end domestic violence. Hannah holds a B.A. in Communications from the College of Charleston, as well as Minors in Spanish and Dance, and resides with her husband in Amesbury, MA.

Tsveta is the founder of Talent Masters, an HR and recruitment consultancy firm, and brings to us her expertise from various senior roles in education, social impact and global recruitment. Her background includes serving as the Vice President of Business Development, Partnerships, and Human Resources for Educatius North America and leading Global Sales and Marketing Enablement efforts at Shorelight Education. Tsveta  holds a graduate degree in International Business, is SHRM-SCP certified. Outside of her professional life, Tsveta is passionately involved in supporting causes related to education, health, human talent development, social justice, and equity. In addition to her work with the YWCA, she is a mentor for tech startups and is an active member of several professional organizations including SHRM, NEHRA, and the Boston Club.

Jamie Sokolowski is currently the principal of the Francis T. Bresnahan Elementary School in Newburyport, MA. She has worked in public education for 13 years and prior to that graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a BM in Music Education and earned her MA in Music Therapy and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University.

Jamie is certified in Trauma in Learning Certified through Lesley University, and is a RYT-200 Kripalu yoga instructor and also a Board Certified Music Therapist. Jamie is excited to be a director at the YWCA to support its mission of empowering women, eliminating racism and empowering peace in a community that she loves.