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Marcy Goldstein-Gelb Named Interim Executive Director of MA Appleseed

Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, Interim Executive Director

At a time when MA Appleseed’s mission to promote equal rights and opportunities for all has never been more essential, we are excited to announce the appointment of Marcy Goldstein-Gelb as our Interim Executive Director to build on the strong foundation we have established together. This important step will help us further strengthen the organization and ensure we are well-positioned for the future.

Marcy, a member of Interim Executive Solutions Network, brings a wealth of experience and leadership to our team. With a long history of guiding nonprofit legal advocacy organizations, most recently at National COSH (Council for Occupational Safety and Health), she will bring expertise in organizational management, coalition-building, and navigating complex policy landscapes — skills that will be invaluable in supporting our continued growth.

With a background in homelessness prevention, language justice, and community-led research, Marcy joins MA Appleseed’s talented staff ready to face the many challenges in the coming months. From sweeping anti-immigrant policies, the ongoing criminalization of homelessness, and attacks against LGBTQ+ youth, we find ourselves at a decisive inflection point. Grounded in our mission and core values, MA Appleseed will keep doing what we do best: listening to individuals closest to the issues, investigating the root causes of community harm, and bringing people together to advance powerful policy reform that improves the lives of Bay Staters.

As we prepare for the next chapter in MA Appleseed’s 30-year history, this is a moment for reflection and progress, and we are confident that Marcy’s leadership will help us identify key actions to deepen our impact in the communities we serve.

Please join us in welcoming Marcy and feel free to connect with her if you have any suggestions, questions, needs, or concerns. She can be reached at marcy@massappleseed.org.

Together, we look forward to building an even stronger future for our organization and the people of Massachusetts.

Sincerely,

Melanie L. Todman, Board Chair

John A. Shutkin, Vice Chair

 

About MA Appleseed Center for Law and Justice:

MA Appleseed is driven by a mission to promote equal rights and opportunities for Massachusetts residents by developing and advocating for systemic solutions to social justice issues. Through policy analysis and research, coalition building, education and training, community organizing, and advocacy, the nonprofit seeks systems-level change so all Massachusetts families and youth can exercise their legal rights, build pathways out of poverty and crisis, and thrive. Responding to emerging and enduring inequities, MA Appleseed addresses an array of complex issues including self-representation in the civil justice system, language access for immigrant families, the school-to-prison pipeline, and youth homelessness. To explore recent research, find resources, sign up for opportunities to take action, or donate, please visit massappleseed.org.

About Interim Executive Solutions (IES):

IES nonprofit interim professionals are dedicated to strengthening the nonprofit sector by assisting organizations to increase their productivity and impact. IES Partners and their Network Members bring extensive nonprofit leadership experience as well as specialized expertise that can be accessed as needed by nonprofit organizations contemplating or undergoing leadership transitions.

 

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Update from MA Appleseed’s Board of Directors

Happy New Year! I am writing as the proud Vice Chair of Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice. Later this month, I will be succeeding Melanie Todman as Chair of MA Appleseed, and I first want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their partnership and support – Appleseed’s strength comes from our entire community, and it’s only by working together that we’re able to move the dial on urgent social justice issues impacting people across Massachusetts.

As you already know, our much beloved Executive Director Deb Silva departed last month to become Director of the Massachusetts Access to Justice Commission. And now, Maddie Poage, our equally beloved Director of Development and Communications since 2017 (and, briefly, our Acting Executive Director), has informed us that she will be leaving Appleseed at the end of January to assume the position of Communications Manager at Just Vision. As with Deb, this is terrific news for Maddie, and we wish her nothing but the best, but we will miss her greatly here at Appleseed.

In light of these moves, Melanie and I have put together a Succession Committee of our Board of Directors which we are jointly leading to quickly secure a new interim Executive Director. On a longer-term basis, the Succession Committee will be moving forward to hire a permanent Executive Director by way of a careful, comprehensive search process.

These are obviously crucial and challenging efforts and times for Appleseed, but we are well-situated to address them, programmatically, financially, and in terms of our outstanding staff and dedicated Board of Directors. Having chaired and/or served on search committees of about a half-dozen other leadership searches for non-profit organizations, I know this is also an opportunity to strategize about how we can maximize our impact and I’m looking forward to the fresh perspectives and new talent we will be bringing in to launch this next chapter in MA Appleseed’s 30-year history.

If you have any questions – or, indeed, any Executive Director suggestions or recommendations – please don’t hesitate to reach out to me per the contact information set forth below. In any event, we very much appreciate all your support of Appleseed and shall, of course, keep you informed of developments.

All the best,

John A. Shutkin (he/him/his)
Vice Chair of the Board
Massachusetts Appleseed

Email me
414-306-1929

 

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