Our Leadership Team
Facing a problem as big as the housing crisis requires an incredible team. We’re grateful to have some of the most committed leaders guiding our organization.
Karen Gately grew up in Mission Hill. She is a mission-driven leader with a collaborative leadership style and entrepreneurial spirit. She fosters the rich legacy of “a strong sense of community where people know and care about each other.” Karen believes RTH is not just a place to live but a neighborhood where residents are supported and encouraged to develop to their full potential. Responsible for overseeing all facets of the organization, Karen drives the mission, operations, and engagement with the board of directors. She is a passionate leader, interested in improving the quality of life for RTH residents. Driven by the importance of the RTH mission, Karen believes RTH needs to be positioned to take advantage of initiatives that will meet the housing and resident service, education, health needs, and goals of the community, while being able to increase and build systems to support anticipated growth in real estate development and property management.
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Prior to working at RTH, Karen held an array of leadership roles with increasing areas of responsibility at the YMCA, in a variety of diverse socioeconomic, multicultural, and multilingual communities in and around the Greater Boston area. Under her leadership, RTH has expanded its portfolio to 1,114 units of housing and developed a 28,000 sq. ft RTH Community Center with a full-size gymnasium, a youth center, meeting rooms, and a wellness center. More recently, Karen led RTH’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and drove the coordination of safety initiatives to safeguard the health and wellbeing of residents.
When she is not busy working, Karen enjoys walking, volleyball, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Amanda Pelcher joined Roxbury Tenants in May 2022 and serves as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). She oversees the finance functions of RTH which include financial reporting, real estate development functions, budgeting, audit facilitation, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
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Amanda has spent her entire professional career working with Community Development Corporations (CDCs), which started in public accounting before going out on her own in 2018 to serve CDCs in the CFO role. Amanda is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends, and is an avid CrossFitter.
Scott Amaral is the Director of Resident Services, and began working at RTH in 2001 after graduating from Simmons University with a Master’s degree in social work with a concentration in Gerontology. He worked at RTH for four years until moving on to other opportunities to broaden his working experience in senior housing, and returned to RTH in 2013 in his current role.
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He also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Westfield State University. His role as Director of Resident Services is to oversee social work services for the approximately 2,000 RTH residents, providing them with information about and access to local services and resources. He seeks to enable residents to enhance the quality of their life by encouraging and empowering them toward self-sufficiency. He works to address concerns about leave violations, collaborates with management when a resident is at risk of eviction, and offers support with the goal of preserving their housing. He has a keen interest in horticulture and landscape design and has practiced with professionals that have worked with Fredrick Law Olmstead. He is musician and has studied classical piano and organ. He has performed in classical choral and barbershop groups, and loves to cook for family and friends.
Roxanne Haecker
Director of Community Education & Workforce Development
rhaecker@epitomestaging.com | (617) 232-4306 ext. 603
Roxanne Haecker has been working for Roxbury Tenants of Harvard since 2010, first managing special projects, and now as Director of Community Education and Workforce Development. She works closely with other RTH departments to provide programs and services that interrupt the cycle of poverty and support families’ efforts to become self-sufficient.
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She champions RTH’s dual generation approach based on three pillars: economic support (affordable housing and homeownership, internships), education (afterschool and summer enrichment programs, tutoring, scholarships for college, job training, ESOL), and social capital (peer support, contact with family, friends, and neighbors, participation in community). Prior to working for RTH, she worked in the public health field on studies of elderly abuse and women’s health. In her free time, she studies folklore and mythology and enjoys spending time with her family.
Laura Adams is the Director of Senior Services. She holds a BA from UMass Boston in Human Resources and Marketing, and a Certificate of Gerontology. She is a member of the Sigma Phi Omega society.
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She is responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the senior department. She is a lifelong resident of Roxbury Tenants of Harvard and has worked at RTH for twenty years. She loves working in her community. Her goal is to enhance the quality of life for seniors and help them live in their own homes for as long as possible. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.
Denise Watson
Director of Youth and Family Engagement
dwatson@epitomestaging.com | 617-232-4306 Office: ext. 401, Front-Desk: ext. 400
Denise Watson is the Director of Youth and Family Engagement Programs and has been with Roxbury Tenants of Harvard since 2021. She is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the after school, family engagement, middle school, and summer enrichment programs. She has a BA in Elementary Education, Psychology, and Special Education, and is certified by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care in the areas of Lead Teacher, Infants, Toddlers, Pre-School, Director 1, and Director 2. Denise loves working with children of all ages and empowering them to achieve success.
Byron Rounds
Director of Physical Education/Sports & Aquatics
brounds@epitomestaging.com | 617-232-4306 ext. 205
Byron Rounds has been the Aquatics Director at Roxbury Tenants since 2021, and is responsible for running the RTH aquatics programs for all ages, helping members achieve their fitness goals through swimming. He believes that being strong is a mindset and that all personal change starts from within. He comes to RTH with experience in the Army, the American Red Cross, and YMCA. He has a BA from the University of South Carolina and is currently pursuing his MDIV at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He enjoys swimming, running, outreach, and service, and is the proud father of four wonderful children.
Candice Cole is the Director of Teen Programs at RTH, overseeing a wide range of programs catering to youth aged 13-19. With a Master’s Degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Suffolk University and a Bachelor’s of Science in General Management Studies from Bridgewater State University, Candice brings a strong educational background to her role. Prior to joining RTH, Candice worked in the non-profit sector, serving in a variety of roles, such as College Readiness Advisor and Academic Counselor with the Suffolk University Upward Bound program, a Workshop Facilitator with the Salem State University Upward Bound program, and a Student Financial Services Counselor with Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Candice’s primary focus as the Director of Teen Programs is to prepare youth for success through program development and implementation, teamwork, supervision, and professional development of teen program staff. She is dedicated to modeling and teaching RTH’s core values, building strong relationships, and empathetically listening and communicating with both the teens and her RTH team.
Passionate about working with youth, families, volunteers, and staff, Candice brings extensive experience in recruitment, counseling, and facilitating workshops to her role. She is a self-starter who thrives in a team environment, enjoying the collaborative process of breathing life into new ideas. With her creativity and resourcefulness, Candice is committed to positively impacting the lives of the teens she serves at RTH.
Lori Taylor
Executive Assistant and Project Manager
ltaylor@epitomestaging.com | 617-232-4306 ext. 107
Lori Taylor has been with Roxbury Tenants of Harvard since 2003. She supports Executive Director Karen Gately in all areas of day-to-day operations, and spearheads special projects including Mission Park Garage Capital Construction/Repairs. She comes to RTH with experience in both design and property management, and is excited every day to tackle the challenges of making RTH a great place to live!
Irving Burday has been with Roxbury Tenants since 2021 and oversees the organization’s Information Technology area. He is responsible for directing day-to-day technology operations, as well as leading key efforts such as website development, reporting and data analytics, and infrastructure upgrades. Prior to working at Roxbury Tenants, he served as a Chief Information Officer at several firms in the nonprofit, healthcare, and financial services industries. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with his family.
Nichelle Jenkins began working for Roxbury Tenants in June 2021 and quickly transitioned into her current supervisory position as Welcome Desk Coordinator. She works closely with staff and residents to ensure everyone has the necessary program information. Before coming to RTH, she spent 23 years working for International Travel Company as a supervisor in the Client Services Department, assisting their finance team with managing accounts and travel arrangements. The company provided guided tours and study abroad programs for teachers and students around the US. She loves working with people and planning events. She spends her free time with her family, especially her 2 grandchildren, with whom she travels, finds new places to eat, and watches movies.
Juan Castillo-Then joined Roxbury Tenants of Harvard in 2014 and is responsible for managing and maintaining the technical environment including key software applications and business systems. Juan is focused on bridging the digital gap for all residents in the community so that they receive equal access to technology, the internet, and digital literacy training. He is fluent in Spanish and in his free time, he enjoys finding new places to eat and attending concerts.
Jun Jie Xu is an IT specialist who has worked full-time for Roxbury Tenants since 2019. He has lived in Mission Park for many years and knows the dynamic technological layout of Mission Park well. As a CompTIA A+ certified technician, one of his main focuses at RTH is making sure staff and residents get all technical problems resolved. Jun was born in China and he immigrated to the United States in 2005 with his family. He is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and can help translate for Chinese residents of Mission Park who have a language barrier. In his free time, Jun is an amateur guitarist and he loves spending time driving and gaming.