Student Services Director
Elise conducts weekly information sessions for prospective students, handles all enrollment information and coordinates NECAT’s relationship with community partners like Access to Recovery (ATR), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and MA Hire Career Centers. Elise also coordinates new student orientations and all student volunteer activities. With NECAT since 2014, she previously worked in student recruitment at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Boston.
Email: ebrandwein@ne-cat.org
Career Services Director
Jim oversees NECAT’s Career and Student Engagement Program, a newly launched dedicated space and resource of employment support for current students and alumni. He is NECAT’s connector to Boston employers, balancing the needs of graduates with the specific skills required by local employers. He has grown our employer partnerships to include Boston’s most highly regarded restaurants, hotels, colleges and medical facilities. Jim also recruited Career Readiness partners Tech Goes Home and Working Credit, two highly valued and complementary additions to NECAT’s program offerings. With NECAT since 2022, he previously worked for Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corp as a Workforce Development Program Manager. He is also an instructor of Financial Strategies at Tufts University.
Email: jcarey@ne-cat.org
Maintenance
Bobby is NECAT’s Building Maintenance Manager. He has been with NECAT since its opening in 2013, responsible for ensuring that NECAT remains a beautiful and clean environment for students and guests. He has the distinction of being NECAT’s first and longest tenured employee.
Email: rcorry@ne-cat.org
Executive Director
Joey is responsible for overseeing the mission and vision of NECAT and ensuring that resources are in place to accomplish its goals. She implemented NECAT’s trauma informed approach to culinary training, increased career services and has worked toward building NECAT’s reputation as a recognized leader in workforce development in Boston. Since she joined NECAT in 2016, she has expanded NECAT’s programming to include locations at Suffolk County House of Correction for adults ready to be released, and at the East Boston YMCA for Spanish-speaking and bi-lingual adults. Joey’s background includes communications, public relations and non-profit leadership.
Email: jcuzzi@ne-cat.org
Lead Culinary Instructor
Chef Chris is the lead instructor for students who are in the practicum stage of their training in NECAT’s kitchen. He’s been with NECAT since 2021. He also piloted and teaches NECAT’s program behind the walls at Suffolk County House of Correction (SCHC). Chef Chris is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University with extensive experience as a chef and instructor. Students benefit from his knowledge and creativity, as well as his flawless kitchen orchestration, charismatic cooking demonstrations and elegant desserts.
Email: cfaison@ne-cat.org
Grants Manager
Barbara manages NECAT’s portfolio of grant submissions and reports related to private, corporate and government grant-making sources. A talented writer with significant experience in public relations and marketing, Barbara’s background helps her capture NECAT’s mission, programmatic goals and graduate success stories. She also manages NECAT’s social media platforms. With NECAT since 2022, she previously worked as a public relations consultant and writer for government agencies and nonprofits. She is a graduate of Boston University’s School of Communication.
Email: bpjohnson@ne-cat.org
Culinary Instructor
Niurka is the culinary instructor for our Spanish speaking culinary training program at the East Boston YMCA. Niurka is bilingual, a NECAT graduate and also employed at the Newbury Hotel. Chef Niurka joined NECAT in 2022.
Email: nlebron@ne-cat.org
Culinary Instructor
Chef Instructor Pascale teaches introductory culinary classes and ServSafe at NECAT. Students are with Chef Pascale during their first seven weeks of training when they are introduced to culinary terminologies, cooking techniques and the expectations of working in a professional kitchen. A graduate of UMass Boston and Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, she has varied experience as a chef, caterer and instructor. A Mattapan native, she pulls her culinary experience from her rich Haitian background and Boston roots. Chef Pascale has been with NECAT since 2022.
Email: pmartineau@ne-cat.org
Development Director
As a senior staff member and leader of NECAT’s fundraising and marketing communications programs, Nancy is responsible for donor management, fundraising, events, communications, NECAT’s website and strategic partnerships. She has 25 years’ experience generating millions of dollars, acquiring thousands of customers, and strengthening donor loyalty. Nancy has spent most of her career working in technology in Silicon Valley and working with lifestyle brands and nonprofits. She’s taken that experience to NECAT where she is developing revenue generating opportunities for NECAT and its students that capitalize on NECAT’s talented chefs and beautiful facility. She has been with NECAT since 2022.
Email: nmcgeoghegan@ne-cat.org
Wellness Program Manager
Harry joined NECAT in March 2023. A social worker by profession, he brings a good mix of both professional experience and social capital to our work. Most recently, he was employed by the Department of Transitional Assistance as a Full Engagement Worker supporting families to increase mobility in all areas of their lives. He’s also worked as a Family Intervention Specialist at Youth Villages and Life Coach at Roxbury Youth Works. A native of Boston with roots in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan, Harry is a graduate of Salem State University and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work degree.
Email: hregis@ne-cat.org
Advisor/ Life Coach
Big Time provides great insight, direction, and an abundance of resources to all NECAT students. He is connected to city and other social service resources from years of advocacy and direct intervention work for City of Boston After-School Programs. He founded the nonprofit Youth in Crisis where he helps shape and alter young people’s minds while steering them away from violence and showing them how to be role models in their own communities. For decades, he has worked with innovative streetworker programs to reduce youth violence in the city. Since 2019, Big Time has helped NECAT students and alumni on their path to stability and success by connecting them to the resources they need in the immediacy of difficult personal situations.
Email: aseymour@ne-cat.org
Career Services Manager
Lisette is a Career Services Manager, teaching career readiness skills, counseling individual students on career choices and working one-on-one with students who are behind the walls at Suffolk County House of Correction (SCHC), helping to set employment goals in the immediacy of release. She has over ten years of experience in the nonprofit industry and is passionate about helping people become better versions of themselves. A graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, Lisette earned her Master’s degree and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Cambridge College. Lisette joined NECAT in 2022.
Email: lwilliams@ne-cat.org
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.