Amplify POC, a Hyannis-based nonprofit dedicated to amplifying the growth and success of historically excluded communities, today announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Directors.
The new members are Dr. Debra Dagwan, Beverley Roberts, Dr. William Roberts and Sean Gonsalves..
“Amplify POC Cape Cod has done amazing work since our official incorporation as a 501( c )3 non-profit in July 2021. We have developed an ambitious strategic plan through 2025,” said Jeanne Morrison, Amplify POC’s Board Chair. “It is exciting to add these four prestigious, well-seasoned and experienced members of our community to our Board of directors. Keeping true to our mission of racial justice and equity, each represents racial diversity and brings unique talents and expertise that will complement the existing board. I’m confident together we’ll reach new heights and further excel in our endeavors,”
“The directors and I are proud to welcome these four incredible leaders as new colleagues on the Amplify POC Board,” said Tara Vargas Wallace, Amplify POC’s Founder & CEO. “These individuals will add incredible value to the organization with both their professional and personal experiences, as well as their passion and drive for our mission and the communities we serve. It will truly take all of us – ally’s, businesses, nonprofits, foundations, and community members to make an actual impact.”
Dr. Debra Dagwan holds a master’s degree in Education in Health Science and School Administration from Boston University and a Ph.D. in Teaching Administration from Springfield College. She has focused her life’s work on civil rights, racial justice, equality for women, individuals with disabilities, and supporting LGBTQ rights. She taught health awareness including nutrition, first aid health, communicable/ non communicable disease and substance use for 17 years at Falmouth high school. Dagwan has worked for many years in the Cape Cod community as an outreach worker for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and assisted those who are homeless and or experiencing housing challenges to access health services. She was the first Black women elected president of the Barnstable Town Council where she served for 12 years. She also served on the Barnstable School Committee, the Greater Hyannis Civic Association, the NAACP, LWV Cape Cod Area, Barnstable No Place for Hate and initiated the concept of the Zion heritage Museum to ensure Cape Cod’s history is inclusive.
Beverley Roberts is an artist, advocate and business owner (Mijiza Images Inc.), who is originally from Trinidad. Upon migrating to the United States in 1996, she served and was ordained as a minister and advocate volunteering in the inner-city boroughs of Brooklyn and the Bronx. In 2006 Roberts moved to Cape Cod with her husband and son, where she continues to minister at Marston’s Mills Community Church, while also working as an artist and local business owner. She initially started with Amplify as a business member and then became a volunteer on Amplify’s Events Committee as well as a serving as the organization’s representative in the collaboration of The Arts & Justice Collective. Roberts also serves as a committee member for the Cape Cod Foundations Women and Girls Fund.
Dr. William Roberts holds a master’s degree in Administration and Organizational Development and a Doctoral Degree in Counselling/ Clinical Psychology from the UMass Amherst. His clinical and consulting practice serves peoples of diverse backgrounds, and his organizational consulting work is focused on human resource development and change management. In addition, Roberts is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Barnstable who was received a Paul Harris Fellowship in June 2014 for distinctive service and a Paul Harris Fellow in 2018 for his service to District 7950. He is a member of the United States National Governing Body of the Baha’i Faith, the Cape Organization for the Rights of the Disabled, Cape Cod Community College Education Foundation Board, Board of Trustees for Riverview School, and MASS HIRE Workforce of the Cape & Islands.
Sean Gonsalves is a former reporter, columnist and news editor with the Cape Cod Times who won multiple awards for his writing. He nationally syndicated columnist ran in 22 newspapers, including the Oakland Tribune, Kansas City Star and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. His work has also appeared in the Boston Globe, USA Today, the Washington Post and the International Herald-Tribune. His post-newspaper career includes a stint as a senior communication consultant for Regan Communications and Pierce-Cote, advising a variety of business, non-profit and government agency clients on communication strategy. In October 2020, Sean joined the Institute for Local Self-Reliance staff as a senior reporter, editor and researcher for ILSR’s Community Broadband Networks Initiative. Gonsalves is currently a board member for the middle-mile fiber network OpenCape and an advisory board member for FalmouthNet, a citizen-led nonprofit championing an effort to bring fiber-to-the-home service to the town of Falmouth.
The new appointments to the board will join the following founding Board members: Jeanne Morrison, M. ED (Chair), Sunny Fellman (Vice Chair), Amanda Converse, MPA (Treasurer), Amanda Mendes, MSW (Secretary), Tara Vargas Wallace, )Founder and CEO).
To learn more about Amplify POC’s Board of Directors, visit amplifypoccapecod.com
