Staff

Julie is the founding executive of RIZE Massachusetts and leads the foundation’s work researching, investing in, and expanding evidence-based treatment solutions as well as building coalitions across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors to end the opioid overdose epidemic in Massachusetts.

Previously, Julie was a senior director at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation overseeing communication strategy, strategic planning, and administration. Prior to her work with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Julie worked for former Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino in several roles including deputy chief of staff; director of the Office of Arts, Tourism, and Special Events; president of the Fund for Boston Neighborhoods; and executive director of Boston 2004 Inc., an organization created to host the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Julie served as member of the city of Boston’s Office of Recovery Services Substance Use Prevention Advisory Board under former Mayor Marty Walsh and was appointed as a member of the Commission on Methamphetamine Use by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker in October 2021. She also serves her community on several nonprofit boards and commissions.

She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University, has a graduate certificate in public relations from Emerson College, and has completed senior executive programs at Babson University, Bentley University, and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Alanna manages communications and public affairs at RIZE, working collaboratively with our program and development team members on initiatives to help achieve our mission. In this role she oversees content development and brand awareness, and supports the enhancement of relationships with RIZE’s board, elected officials, business leaders, media, and other external stakeholders.

She brings experience in community engagement and government relations in higher education, working previously at Northeastern University and Tufts University. In these roles she gained a broad range of experience in the areas of marketing, communications, local community and city relations, and management of grants, events, and budgets. Prior to her time in higher ed, Alanna served as a congressional staffer in her home district of Middlesex County, helping to build and maintain relationships with constituents and local elected officials. She has also worked as an organizer for several political campaigns and volunteers for Get Out The Vote efforts during election season. She currently serves on the advisory board of an AmeriCorps program, the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship, which delivers academic enrichment and career exploration programming to youth across the state.

Alanna received a bachelor’s degree in Government from Connecticut College and a master’s degree in Media Advocacy from Northeastern University.

Lizzy leads the implementation of comprehensive program evaluation and learning strategies to understand and strengthen RIZE’s impact. She supports the development of evaluation projects, analysis of data and evidence, strategic planning/implementation, and reporting to inform and improve RIZE’s grantmaking. She also manages the Foundation’s portfolio of research grants.

Lizzy has a strong background in substance use research, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. She previously served as Associate Director of Implementation Science on the HEALing Communities Study at Boston Medical Center, which aimed to reduce overdose deaths across Massachusetts through community-engaged research. As a Research Analyst at RTI International, she conducted research on disparities in access to naloxone among people who use drugs. She has also evaluated an overdose prevention center in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work has been disseminated widely via peer-reviewed publications, reports, policy briefs, and conference presentations.

Lizzy also has extensive experience in substance use policy reform. As a Program Associate on the Substance Use Disorders (SUD) team at Community Catalyst, she provided technical assistance to organizations engaged in health policy and advocacy work, such as insurance coverage for SUD and enforcement of parity laws. Lizzy also coordinated a panel of experts appointed to the Rhode Island Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force. As an intern at the Drug Policy Alliance, she analyzed federal legislation, authored policy briefs on drug policy reform, and planned the International Drug Policy Reform Conference.

Lizzy holds an MS in Epidemiology from UC Berkeley School of Public Health, an MS in Behavioral & Social Health Sciences from Brown University School of Public Health, and a BS in Public Health from Brown University.

Maelyn provides administrative and operational support to grantmaking and program processes through database management, grant procedure support, and program event coordination. She communicates with grantees and vendors, offering scheduling and technical support.

Prior to joining RIZE, Maelyn garnered five years of administrative experience in an array of settings. In her previous role, she was responsible for marketing projects, zoning and building use research, and sales support at Apex, a commercial real estate firm. Her background includes publishing and healthcare, and she has prior experience in database optimization, outreach, and event planning.

Maelyn received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Oregon.

Jen manages the strategic growth and implementation of RIZE’s programmatic initiatives, focusing on grants administration, community building and thought leadership. She brings over 25 years of public and private experience in health and human services in diverse settings and disciplines. This includes experience in evaluation, strategic planning, program development and implementation, cross-systems collaboration, and strategic community mobilization. In various roles, she has served at the federal, state, and local government levels, and at community-based non-profit organizations.

Before joining RIZE, Jen served as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services (ORS), the first municipal substance use recovery office in the United States, where she oversaw all substance use recovery policy and initiatives for the City of Boston. In this capacity, she also served on the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund Advisory Council and was instrumental in developing recommendations for the expenditure of the Opioid Recovery and Remediation Trust Fund to mitigate the impacts of the opioid epidemic in the Commonwealth.

Prior to her time at the ORS, Jen served as the Director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Services with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services. In this role, she provided direction and oversight to developing innovative adolescent and young adult substance use programs focused on improving outcomes among this population and their families. Jen also formerly served as the Boston Regional Manager for the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, overseeing substance use prevention, intervention, and support services in Boston’s neighborhoods.