Our Board

Sarah Jenness, President

Sarah Jenness grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts and moved to the East Fens in 2014. For her undergraduate education, Sarah attended Bryn Mawr, a women-centered college, as a Posse Scholar. During college, Sarah developed an interest in a variety of social justice issues, particularly those related to inequities in education, and independently majored in Sociology of Education.

After finishing her bachelor’s degree, Sarah completed an AmeriCorps Year of Service working at a charter high school in Chelsea, MA where she tutored students who faced a variety of structural challenges including homelessness. Sarah then began working at Simmons College, where she took evening classes to earn her master’s in Public Policy. While working at Simmons, Sarah learned about Fenway Forward and began volunteering with the Organizing Committee in 2017. Sarah joined the Committee because she was interested in meeting her neighbors and because she believes that increasing access to truly affordable housing is one of the most important issues in Boston. Sarah currently works as a Program Manager at Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national non-profit that works to transform education and workforce systems to ensure economic advancement for all. In her free time, Sarah enjoys supporting local restaurants, listening to political podcasts, and singing in a community choir.

Dolores Boogdanian (Dolly), Vice President

Friends know me as Dolly. I am a 45-year resident of Boston and have been engaged in community-driven projects for much of that time. The trigger for my civic engagement came in the early 1980s, when institutional expansion and condominium conversions began squeezing out long-term residents. I saw the power of citizen action when the Rent Equity and the Institutional Expansion Boards were created and when residents’ pressured institutions to have Master Plans and I saw the value in progressive political action that resulted in greater scrutiny of bank financing for condominium conversions. I also saw the critical importance of an engaged citizenry that feels responsible for and has a stake in what happens in the neighborhood.

I remain active in the Fenway community. I have served as president of the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Association and was on Fenway Forward’s Board. With housing prices skyrocketing (and no end in sight); continuing pressure from college students on the existing housing stock; a building boom that foretells greater demands on housing and city services, and a seeming lack of political will to or ability to put Boston’s house in order, the role of citizens and particularly of Fenway Forward remains more essential than ever.

I hope to contribute to the organization’s role in sharing community voices in housing creation, job creation, and fostering truly sustainable growth in our city of Boston.

Ali Abdullah, Treasurer

Ali Abdullah has been a volunteer on the Fenway Forward Finance and Investment Committee since 2023 and recently joined the Board of Directors in Spring of 2026.

Ali has worked in affordable housing industry for 15+ years. Since 2023, he has lead the Community Development Finance group at Beacon Bank. Ali has lived in the East Boston neighborhood for seven years. He lives with his wife and two kids, a two-year-old son and a five-year-old daughter. Ali is originally from Pakistan and holds a B.A. from Earlham College and MBA from Boston University.

James Smith, Clerk

After raising 6 children and a career as a private investigator-starting and owning his own private investigation firm, James and his wife Rosalie retired to the Fenway 12 years ago. Living in a Fenway Forward building in the West Fens, James is a Building Captain, and has managed the Peterborough Street Food Pantry for the last 10 years where he has come to know most of his neighbors. James was born in Dallas, grew up in South Boston. He was a boxer at English High School and a member of the track team. James attended University of Massachusetts where he studied management and music, performing as part of the Elite Chamber Singers and the Jazz Ensemble. James remains a passionate performer of music.

Ric Crafts

Ric has been a resident of the Fenway since 2019. He is a retired real-estate investor with over twenty-five years of experience in property management and development. He also currently serves as a building captain.

Cecilia Esteves

Cecilia Esteves has lived in the Fenway neighborhood since 2015. She first got involved with Fenway Forward by volunteering at Fenway Porchfest and is an active member of the Neighborhood Engagement Committee. Originally from Connecticut, Cecilia attended college there and spent the early part of her career in New York City before moving to Boston, where she quickly came to see the Fenway as the best neighborhood in the city for its walkability, cultural institutions, and vibrant atmosphere.

Cecilia holds degrees in genetics and public health and works in rare disease research. She is naturally detail oriented and data driven, qualities that shape how she approaches both her work and her community involvement. She is committed to helping keep the Fenway vibrant, welcoming, and affordable for its residents and is eager to support initiatives that strengthen community connections.

Eric Daniel

Eric Daniel worked for more than 30 years at Houghton Mifflin Company where he was executive editor for mathematics. Eric finds Boston a wonderful place to enjoy classical music and theater and studied Tai Chi for many years at the Chinese WuShu Research Institute in Chinatown. He has a B.A. from Lehigh University and an M.A. from Boston University. Eric has been a stalwart volunteer of the Urban Village Committee for more than five years where he has read and commented on hundreds of pages of technical development proposals. He has helped set up and clean up at numerous meetings, events and fundraisers, maintaining his signature affable, calm, and cheerful demeanor.

Robert Parker-Mason

Robert Parker-Mason serves as a semiconductor Reliability Engineer at Analog Devices, Inc. and also as a Finance Consultant for the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color. Robert earned degrees from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and Morehouse College. He is interested in helping Fenway Forward develop co-op home ownership initiatives to foster intergenerational housing and a neighborhood with strong families as its backbone. Born and raised in the Fenway, Robert has firsthand experience of the challenges and opportunities of the community. With his educational, professional, and leadership background, he feels well-equipped to collaborate with fellow board members and staff in designing and implementing initiatives resulting in a thriving, inclusive community.

Cathy Van Bui

Cathy Van Bui is a resident of 71 Westland Ave and moved to Boston five years ago. While she did not know anyone in the city, she considered herself lucky to find housing she could afford in the Fenway area which gave her easy access to everything she needs: grocery, health clinic, work, etc. About 2 years ago, Cathy started volunteering with Fenway Forward. She says that her experiences have been amazing and feels connected to so many people in the neighborhood. She hopes to contribute even more in tangible ways and make the neighborhood an even more vibrant and diverse place.

Martin Ward

Martin Ward is a retired attorney who attended Georgetown University, and clerked in Washington DC. He practiced law in the federal government as well as in private practice. He was appointed to a bi-national panel on the Canada/U.S free trade agreement. Martin later moved to Boston, passed the Boston bar, began private practice here and volunteered as a Boston Bar Association Advocate, representing indigent defendants in criminal cases. He also devoted time to representing those involved in imports and exports to the United States in various state and federal courts and agencies. After returning to government service one more time, he retired from the Department of Homeland Security. In 1987, he married Cindy Brophy, the love of his life, and became a Fenway resident. Now a widower, Martin looks forward to working to further affordable housing and increase community in the Fenway.

Mark Winkeller

Mark Winkeller has been a volunteer member of the Fenway Forward Housing Committee since 2022. Mark’s career has been in real estate, both in the for-profit and nonprofit arena. He recently retired after 22 years serving as Executive Director of Caritas Communities, a nonprofit housing developer and manager that provides housing to almost 1,000 low and extremely residents throughout greater Boston. He has a Ph.D. in social welfare planning from Brandeis University.

Tadesse Zerihun

Previously a volunteer intern with Fenway Forward, Tadesse Zerihun has over 20 years of international work experience as a team leader, managing humanitarian and recovery projects devised for under-privileged communities of post-conflict countries located in Africa, Central and Southern Asia, as well as the Middle East. He is passionately interested in providing support to facilitate links with institutions that offer technical skills and capacity building to help get individuals ready for employment. He feels that his prior experience prepared him well to help Fenway Forward achieve its mission. He believes Fenway Forward can make a lasting difference with collaborative efforts toward affordable housing and building community.