Emerging Leaders Executive Committee

Matt Goulding

Executive Committee Co-Chair

Matt Goulding is an associate in the Corporate Department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Matt’s practice focuses on private equity transactions, representing financial sponsors in deal execution on both the buy and sell side. He has also worked on equity syndication, fund formation, general corporate matters and transactions involving hedge funds.

In addition to serving on the Executive Committee of United Way of MBMV’s Emerging Leaders, Matt is also involved in various community and charitable organizations, including as a member of the Executive Committee of Copley Society Circle, Boston Breakfast Group and mentor with Year Up.

Matt received his law degree from Villanova University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Villanova Law Review.  Matt remains actively involved with Villanova Law School, serving on the Executive Committee of the Leadership Council of the New England Alumni Association Chapter.
Matt is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Rhode Island.

David S. Safaii

Executive Committee Co-Chair

David S. Safaii is a Principal at Windspeed Ventures and has been with the firm since January, 2004. He assists in the evaluation of emerging trends within technology under consideration by the firm and is involved in all aspects of sourcing, diligence and process. He joined Windspeed from the Technology Investment Banking Group at CIBC World Markets where he focused on enterprise software. Prior to his career in investment banking, David assisted in the development of Lehman Brothers' Global Equity and Derivative Trading System and spent two years in the Equity and Fixed Income Sales Department of Oppenheimer.

David enjoys working with the Young Leaders group because "It provides me with the opportunity to further understand and help the community that I am a part of, while meeting and hanging out with like-minded professionals."

David holds a BA in computer information processing from Boston College. David is Chairman Emeritus and Director of Sponsors & Partnerships of the New England Venture Network (NEVN), the largest young venture capital organization on the East Coast. Under NEVN, he co-founded VentureNetwork.VC, the first social network built exclusively for the venture capital community. He is also actively involved with The Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) and was recognized as one of Banker and Tradesman's "New Leaders" in 2008 and Boston Business Journal's "40 Under 40" in 2009.

David also serves on our United Way's Board of Directors.

Marissa Sweazy

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Marketing Committee

Marissa Sweazy is a Director of Digital/Social Media with Aigner Prensky Marketing Group in Boston where she focuses on integrating client marketing campaigns and social media. She also owns Photo Fun Box, a photo booth rental company based in Boston.

Marissa says of her involvement with United Way Young Leaders, “Emerging Leaders is an amazing program with strong goals and focused direction. I enjoy working with professionals on such a noteworthy cause and at the same time the networking events and community service projects are a great reflection of each member’s commitment to this group.”

A native of Illinois, Marissa received a B.A. in Communications from Bradley University.

 

Brianne Barrett

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Marketing Committee

Brianne Barrett is a Vice President & Account Director at marlo marketing/communications in Boston, where she oversees the agency’s consumer products, consumer tech & lifestyle accounts. She previously worked at Arnold Worldwide, one of the nation’s top advertising/marketing firms, where she represented Under Armour Performance Apparel, Tyson Foods and USA TODAY.

In addition to her marketing and public relations experience, Brianne is also co-owner of women’s clothing boutique & e-commerce site, First Date (www.shopfirstdate ).

Brianne holds a B.A. from Boston University’s School of Management.

Bill Bruce

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Education Committee

William Bruce, Jr. is Senior Underwriting Director at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, the largest health insurance company in Massachusetts.  Bill works with an array of employers throughout the Commonwealth developing benefit strategies and projecting health costs.

Prior to joining Blue Cross, Bill worked as a National Accounts Underwriter at Aetna, Inc. in Middletown, Connecticut.

After moving to Boston six years ago, Bill sought an organization that both focused on giving back to the community and offered an opportunity to network with other professionals.  Bill says of Emerging Leaders, “Growing up, I was an Eagle Scout and in college I was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega national service organization.  I was looking for an organization where I could both continue my involvement with community service and further develop my leadership skills.  The United Way Emerging Leaders has been the perfect vehicle to meet these needs.”

Bill, a Connecticut native, graduated from the University of Connecticut with a major in Healthcare Management. In addition to his work at Blue Cross, he is presently an MBA candidate in the Health Sector Management Program at Boston University.

Drew Cortez

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Education Committee

 

 

 

 

 

Drew Christian Cortez is an Associate of State Street Global Advisors, where he has worked since 2006.

Prior to joining SSgA, Drew worked in a variety of roles for State Street Corporation from 2003 to 2006.  Drew also held marketing internships with the Denver Nuggets in 1999 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2000.

Drew, a Colorado native, moved to Boston in 2002. Drew is a new addition to the Emerging Leaders group, which he was initially drawn to after hearing rave reviews of the Youth Ventures program.  He cites the enthusiasm of the Executive Committee as his central motivation to furthering the Emerging Leaders cause.  

He received a BS in Business, with a concentration in Finance, from University of Colorado – Boulder. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and is a member of the Boston Security Analysts Society.

 

Ted Shanahan

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Education Committee

Ted Shanahan is currently an Associate in Summit Partners’ Boston office and has been with the firm since July 2009. He is active in the firm’s growth equity investment activities in North America, Europe and Asia and is involved with all aspects of Summit’s strategy of making $5mm to $500mm equity investments in financial services and technology sectors.

Prior to Summit, Ted worked for UBS Investment Bank where he was responsible for conducting due diligence and advising financial sponsors on raising capital for a variety of investment strategies and transaction types, including leveraged buyouts, distressed/turnaround and growth equity.

He received a BA in government and English, cum laude, from Georgetown University.

In addition to serving on the United Way Emerging Leaders Executive Committee, Ted is also involved in various community and charitable organizations, including as a mentor with United Way Youth Venture.

 

Brian J. Domoretsky

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Education Committee

Brian J. Domoretsky owns a Business Advisory Practice as a Partner with Commonwealth Financial Group in Boston.  He works primarily with business owners and executives to design, implement and manage comprehensive insurance and investment portfolios, providing the necessary integration of business succession, estate and personal financial planning.

Prior to his career in financial services, Brian served as the Policy Director for the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Taxation at the State House.  There his work focused on public finance and the state’s tax laws. He also excelled as a consultant and manager for several local political campaigns.

Brian is a resident of Stoneham, Massachusetts. He remains active in the community, serving on the Town Capital Planning Committee and as a member of the local Chamber of Commerce. He also volunteers regularly through the Boston College Alumni Group.

A graduate of Boston College, Brian received a BA in Economics in 2003.

Francis Bevilacqua

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Fundraising & Events Committee

Fran Bevilacqua manages his own company, Fortis Builders, offering general contracting services for residential and commercial projects. He also owns a real estate company that owns and manages multifamily properties. Fran has more than 10 years of experience in the real estate industry and has built and developed residential and retail projects throughout New England.

He has been a member of the Emerging Leaders group for the past three years and volunteered as a Youth Venture mentor from 2010 to 2011. He believes that being involved in your community is important and volunteering with the United Way is a great way to do that.

A native of Haverhill, Mass., and a Merrimack College graduate, Fran is an active community member in the Merrimack Valley and Boston area.

Dave Krauss

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Fundraising & Events Committee

 

David B. Krauss is a Development Associate at Commonwealth Ventures, LLC, a commercial real estate development firm. Mr. Krauss works on CV’s internal development team to rehabilitate and reposition existing assets in the Greater Boston region. Previously, Mr. Krauss was employed at CB Richard Ellis-New England where he worked on the downtown Boston leasing brokerage team and in the asset management division.

David joined the United Way of MBMV: Emerging Leaders in 2009 as a member of the Sub-Committee for Membership. As a native of Brookline, Massachusetts, David enjoys giving back to the Greater Boston community through the impactful work of the Emerging Leaders. “To ‘Live United,’ we must show up, take responsibility for everyone in our community, and have a great time doing it,” says David.

David started his philanthropic career in 2004 at Duke University where he co-founded “The Sasha Burakow Touched By An Angel Memorial Fund,” an endowment which benefits the Boredom Busters program at Duke’s Medical Center. In 2010, David brought the Boredom Busters program to the Boston Medical Center. Boredom Busters’ mission, “to cure the ‘boredom epidemic’ affecting pediatric patients” is accomplished, in part, by providing a pack of crayons and bubbles to each pediatric patient that enters through the Boston Medical Center’s doors. Boredom Busters is primarily supported by the annual “Fun-Raising Fund-Raiser.”

David holds a B.A. in History from Duke University and played on the Duke Women’s Basketball Practice Squad.

Allison Azar

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Fundraising & Events Committee

Allison is a Senior Associate of Business Development at Cambridge Associates and has been with the firm since 2007. She participates in all major marketing activities within the firm. In addition to her work with prospective clients, she is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on trends in the investment consulting industry. She also leads several firm-wide initiatives, particularly focusing on external communications and brand awareness. Prior to joining Cambridge Associates, Allison worked at Liberty Mutual.

Allison graduated from Bentley University.  She has been involved with United Way Emerging Leaders for four years.

 

Erin Guinee

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Fundraising & Events Committee

Erin Guinee is an Associate Director in Accounting at Vertex Pharmaceuticals.   Erin just celebrated her 1st anniversary with Vertex after being with PwC for 8 years.  While at PwC Erin was heavily involved in their Annual United Way donation campaign and she was also able to coordinate for PwC to be the key sponsor for the 2010 Annual Emerging Leaders Gala.

Vertex will be completing a move to the Fan Pier area across the street from the United Way over the next few years, and Erin is eager to build a new relationship between Vertex and the United Way.  Erin has been involved with the Emerging Leaders for the last three years.

Erin graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a Bachelors Degree in Business Management.

 

Daniel W. Wilkins

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Volunteer Committee

Daniel is an Experienced Tax Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Boston, where he focuses on industry tax consulting services, predominantly in the Telecommunications and Retail sectors. He has also worked on research and development tax credit studies, and special tax deduction/credit studies, particularly in the Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical industries.  At PwC, he serves on the Tax Diversity Advisory Council and is involved in recruiting initiatives.

In addition to sitting on the Emerging Leaders Executive Committee, he plans to continue his involvement in various volunteer initiatives in both Boston and NY. He strongly believe in being involved in various volunteer initiatives, including his experiences with the Lets Get Ready program in Boston and the Pan-Mass Challenge. He was looking for an organization where he could connect with other professionals who focus on giving back to the community, and he is excited to work with the other talented members of the Emerging Leaders Executive Committee to encourage corporate volunteerism in the Boston area.

Daniel is a native of New Windsor, New York, and attended Stonehill College in Easton, where he graduated in 2009 with a degree in Accounting. He attended Northeastern University, earning a Master's Degree in Accounting in 2010. He recently passed the CPA exam, and is awaiting licensure in MA.

 

Jefferson C. Miller 

Executive Committee Member, Co-Chair of Volunteer Committee

Jefferson C. Miller is an associate in Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s corporate bank, providing financing for private and closely-held public companies in New England.

Jeff joined Emerging Leaders in 2009, volunteering as an advisor to the Youth Venture program, which provides seed funding of $1,000 to teams of young adults starting social projects that create positive, lasting change in their communities. Jeff was immediately impressed by the scope of leadership, ingenuity and community engagement demonstrated by youths in their social entrepreneurial ventures.  Jeff continues to befriend these exciting groups of youths and their adult mentors through his participation in Youth Venture.  

In addition to his involvement with the United Way, Jeff coaches with MetroLacrosse and mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Jeff earned a B.A. in Economics from Colby College and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.