In recognition of Black History Month in February, MassLive asked readers to nominate Black leaders doing important work across the state.
The origins of Black History Month can be traced back to 1915, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a historian and author, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History — known today as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, according to the Library of Congress.
In February 1926, Woodson founded the first “Negro History Week.” The month of February was chosen as it contained the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, two key figures in Black American History.
Since 1976 and including this year, every president has designated February as Black History Month, according to History.com.
Here, MassLive is highlighting 10 people — including educators, artists, businesspeople and advocates — identified for their inspirational leadership in their communities and organizations and are being recognized for their accomplishments and commitment to inspire change.
Below are the 2025 Black leaders of Massachusetts nominated by MassLive readers and selected by staff.
Giancarlo Crivelli
Giancarlo Crivelli Courtesy image
Age: 23
Community: Springfield
His story: As long as he can remember, fishing has been a part of Giancarlo Crivelli’s life.
There is immense joy in getting a bite and hooking a fish. But first, fishing required immense patience, Crivelli’s father and grandfather taught him.
He was 12 when both died and fishing “became more than just a pastime,” he said. “It became my way of staying connected to them. Every cast, every quiet moment by the water, and every fish I reel in reminds me of them and the lessons they shared.”
Crivelli, of Springield, is now out to share the thrill of fishing with young people in Western Massachusetts and impart on them a few vital life lessons in patience, responsibility and appreciation for the environment along the way.
Through his nonprofit, Fishing Friends, Crivelli also offers a program to teach youth about freshwater ecosystems and conservation, and another focused on the fundamentals of maintaining and repairing boats. He works with school kids of all ages, community centers and summer camps.
The organization also coordinates clean-up projects to keep the region’s waterways healthy and trash-free.
“I want to make sure every kid has the chance to get out in nature, to get on a boat, to feel the waves and wind, to see the birds fly overhead, to see a dragonfly land on a fishing pole,” Crivelli said.
Fishing is a “simple yet profound” activity, he believes, and through it, young people can learn fundamental skills, respect, responsibility and teamwork — and enjoy experiences that will last a lifetime.
In his words: “If you operate with a heart dedicated to service, you will find that the rewards come not in recognition but in witnessing the success and happiness of the youth you support. That is the true measure of meaningful work.”
— By Will Katcher
Shonté Davidson
Shonte Davidson.Shonte Davidson
Age: 41
Community: Boston
Her story: Shonté Davidson started out working in philanthropy, but after she earned her project management professional certification in 2012, she began wondering about other career paths.
Davidson made her way to the energy sector, where she worked in a variety of roles in distribution and manufacturing. As she worked with companies throughout the industry, however, she began to notice that energy systems and products were not always keeping the needs of minority communities in mind.
“Throughout my career, I often found myself as ‘the only’ — the only person of color in the room, the only woman, or both,” she said.
Davidson said she wanted to do something to prompt companies to make their products more inclusive, equitable and accessible while still relying on their technical expertise. To do it, she co-founded Better Together Brain Trust, also known as BT2 Energy, which focuses on transportation electrification and building decarbonization.
Davidson, who serves as CEO, and her co-founder, Nicole Voudren, started the company in 2023 after taking a business bootcamp for entrepreneurs of color. They specialize in clean energy solutions for buildings and electric vehicle charging installation.
BT2 Energy recently contracted with the city of Boston to install curbside electric vehicle charging stations, and they hope to advance the state’s climate goals for the future in a way that helps all Massachusetts residents.
“At the end of the day, we are an energy company built to serve all,” Davidson said. “What sets us apart is not only our expertise but also our ability to connect with communities that have historically been overlooked in the clean energy transition.”
In her words: “Surround yourself with mentors and local organizations, stay adaptable, and don’t be afraid to create your own opportunities.”
— By Tréa Lavery
Tracy Little-Sasanecki
Tracy Little-Sasanecki is the first Black woman to be president of the Springfield Education Association.Tracy Little-Sasanecki
Age: 60
Community: Springfield
Her Story: Tracy Little-Sasanecki worked as a school counselor for Springfield Public Schools for more than three decades. She is also the first Black woman to be president of the Springfield Education Association, the union representing educators in the Springfield school district.
“As an African-American leader, I feel representation is crucial, as it helps dismantle stereotypes and uplifts the community by showcasing diverse pathways to success. I view myself as a leader in education, an advocate and a community connector.”
Little-Sasanecki said she creates a supportive network that improves educational outcomes and overall well-being for teachers and students.
As an education professional, Little-Sasanecki knows too well the importance of teachers in her community.
“We often bring a culturally responsive approach to teaching, which not only enhances students’ engagement, but community involvement, as well,“ she said. ”Education within Black and Brown communities is a powerful conduit for social justice and equity.”
“Fighting for the common good has always been my passion. Through the lens of the SEA (Springfield Education Association) as president, it has broadened my scope, where I can reach a larger platform to create change within our educational systems.”
As someone who has worked on local campaigns with the late state Rep. Raymond A. Jordan, Little-Sasanecki grew up with a sense that she should “carry the torch for justice.”
In her words: “We have to be mindful to having a sense of belonging which is fundamental to becoming the best version of ourselves. As we work towards a goal, it can teach us valuable skills and lessons that can be applied to every area of our lives.”
— By Alvin Buyinza
Darcia Milner-Watkins
Darcia Milner-Watkins is the Chief Schools Officer for Zone 1 at Springfield Public Schools.Darcia Milner-Watkins
Age: 58
Community: Springfield
Her story: Darcia Milner-Watkins is the chief schools officer for Zone 1 at Springfield Public Schools, supervising and supporting 17 of 35 elementary schools in the district.
Milner-Watkins started working at Springfield Public Schools 34 years ago as a paraprofessional and moved to other roles, including a special education teacher, an assistant principal and a principal.
“In rising through the ranks, obviously the position changed, but the goal never did, and that was advocating for the educational, social and emotional well-being of our babies,” she said.
In her role, Milner-Watkins works closely with the superintendent and school committee to develop and supervise principals and instructional programs to improve teaching and learning.
Her focus also includes increasing diversity, equity and inclusion and racial equity within the district.
She works with principals to resolve student and parent concerns and to evaluate principals in planning and scheduling balanced programs of activities, academic and non-academic.
Milner-Watkins also analyzes student data to inform action plans for students’ needs and improve educator development.
In her words: “Be true to who you are. Being in a world with an overabundance of influences can mold you into who others want you to be, even in education. Be authentic and unapologetically you.”
— By Juliet Schulman-Hall
Arose Nielsen
Arose Nielsen is a Juvenile Court justice in Massachusetts.Arose Nielsen
Age: 54
Community: Holyoke and North Adams
Her story: A native of Springfield born to a Jamaican father and American mother, Arose W. Nielsen was appointed a juvenile court judge in 2017 by Gov. Charlie Baker. Her career in public service dates back well before then, to 2001, when she worked as an attorney representing clients in housing, public benefits and domestic relations cases.
In 2007, Nielsen transitioned to private practice, where her firm, Carvajal and Nielsen, continued to serve those who could not afford legal representation and people of color struggling in the legal system.
She decided to apply for a judgeship to continue supporting her community while “ensuring just, fair, and equitable access to the court.”
“It is important for our Trial Court to have judges and court staff that reflect the culture of the communities we serve, helping to mitigate the disparate impact our justice system has on children and families of color,” Nielsen said.
On top of her official duties in the Juvenile Court, Nielsen is the president of the professional association for judges of color, hosts mock trials for school-aged kids, co-chairs the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative group and mentors attorneys of color on their way to the bench.
In her words: “I hope to be a role model and inspiration for young people who are struggling socially and academically.”
— By Charlie McKenna
Charles Redd
Charles Redd is Berkshire Health Systems’ first diversity, equity and inclusion officer.Courtesy
Age: 60
Community: Pittsfield
His story: In August 2022, registered nurse Charles Redd became Berkshire Health Systems’ first diversity, equity and inclusion officer. In this role, he takes great pride in representing the system’s 4,000 employees and 130,000 patients, while helping to adopt DEI pillars as not just a standalone initiative, “but as a lens through which we examine everything we do.”
“I am driven to make a difference, care for others, and amplify the voices of others — from the frontlines of healthcare to the under-resourced neighborhoods in our community,” Redd said.
Born in Boston in the early 1960s, Redd said his journey to becoming a nurse and, ultimately, a leader, started with his mother, Phyllis Redd King. Although they struggled as a family, his mother always found time to help others, he said.
Redd has served as a frontline nurse for 30 years since graduating from Berkshire Community College’s nursing program. In 2022, he participated in a statewide committee examining health inequities and disparities. There, he learned that Berkshire County ranked 13 out of 14 counties in terms of health outcomes.
“This statistic made me not only want to understand why, but also how I could help change this,” Redd said. Later that year, he became Berkshire Health Systems’ first DEI officer tasked with probing that very issue.
In his words: “We must understand that people have challenges in their life and it is not up to us to judge, but to hold out our hand and offer support and help where we can.”
— By Hadley Barndollar
Dawn Simmons and Maurice Parent
Dawn Simmons and Maurice Parent are the co-producing artistic directors of The Front Porch Arts Collective.Nile Scott Studios
Age: 49 (Simmons) and 45 (Parent)
Community: Boston
Her story: Co-producing artistic directors of The Front Porch Arts Collective in Boston, Dawn Simmons and Maurice Parent are being recognized together.
Simmons is an award-winning director, producer, playwright, administrator, cultural consultant, educator and artistic director. Parent has been an actor for more than 25 years.
Over the last decade, Simmons’ work has been focused on piloting “a Black cultural renaissance in Boston,” she told MassLive.
Through programs such as Line Drawn, The Gender Explosion Initiative and the Do Better Initiative, to her work with The Front Porch Arts Collective, Simmons said she has been working to correct the systematic racism, sexism and homophobia present in the New England theater community.
“Our work primes the population to value and seek out and support more culturally specific arts offerings,” Simmons said. “We are the vanguard rewiring Boston’s racist history to make Boston a top destination for Black talent to work and make a home. We are part of the new cultural place-making in Boston.”
Parent, who spent six years as a performing arts specialist in the Boston Public School system, told MassLive that his passion for the arts “naturally led me to teaching.”
He added that working as an educator has deepened his understanding of the power theater holds beyond the stage.
“Working with young people taught me that art can be a tool for education, empowerment, and social change. It also gave me the confidence and vision to step into arts leadership,” Parent said. “My journey as an actor, educator, and now an arts administrator has been shaped by my belief that representation matters and that storytelling has the power to transform perspectives.”
Simmons and Parent co-founded The Front Porch Arts Collective in 2016. The collective is a Black theater company “committed to advancing racial equity in Boston through theatre,” the organization’s website states.
The Front Porch Arts Collective relies on events, community activism and several education programs to help break down Boston’s reputation as a historically racist city. Some of these initiatives include student workshops, mentorship programs and stage productions.
The ultimate goal is to create an atmosphere where people can see the world through more diverse experiences and foster a higher level of tolerance and empathy to other cultures in their communities.
“The Porch is a place where the perspectives and experiences of Black people are not a novelty, but an integral part of the global conversation,” Simmons said. “Our namesake signifies a communal spirit, inspiring us to serve communities of color and produce art that is inclusive of all communities and welcoming to all audiences, to inspire a more tolerant and inclusive Boston.”
In Simmons’ words: “Find people who believe in you, can help you find and make opportunities, be kind to everyone without being a doormat.”
In Parent’s words: “Never take any meeting, job, or interaction for granted. The seemingly unrelated work you do or the person you meet at an event could end up being pivotal in your journey.”
— By David Cifarelli
Ronald Waddell Jr.
Ronald Waddell Jr.Ronald Waddell Jr.
Age: 43
Community: Worcester
His story: Ronald Waddell Jr. grew up in Swedesboro, New Jersey, not far from Philadelphia, according to The Faces of Worcester. At 15, he moved to Massachusetts to live with his sister after their mom died.
Waddell attended schools in the Bay State before moving to Worcester in 2001, the online magazine wrote. Waddell started out working in construction before working at the Worcester Public Library. By 2019, while working on Worcester Community Action Council, he developed an idea to run a program to “help young men build themselves to be productive members of society,” the Worcester Business Journal wrote in 2022.
Waddell self-funded what became Legendary Legacies, a gang rehabilitation and re-entry program focused on helping young men between the ages of 17 and 24 to “develop the skills necessary to become productive citizens and maximize their God-given potential by providing positive male adult role models through programming efforts,” according to the organization’s website.
“Growing up in an environment where systemic barriers limited opportunities, I experienced many of the challenges my participants face today,” Waddell told MassLive. “I founded Legendary Legacies because I understand firsthand the impact of broken systems and the power of second chances.”
The nonprofit’s work provides a crucial role in the community in addressing “the root causes of inequity, restores broken trust and helps individuals reimagine their potential while building a stronger, safer community,” Waddell added.
Along with his work with Legendary Legacies, Waddell is a certified transformational life coach with the Association for Christian Character Development, a certified gang specialist through the National Gang Crime and Research Center and a certified youth mental health specialist, according to the nonprofit’s website.
“My goal is to ensure that no one feels trapped by their past and that they see hope for their future,” Waddell told MassLive.
In his words: “Most importantly, stay hopeful. Hope is a muscle of resistance — it pushes back against despair and fuels the belief that change is not only possible but inevitable. Lean into that hope, nurture it, and let it sustain you on even the hardest days.”
— By Ryan Mancini
Lynn Wooten
Simmons University President Lynn Wooten.Simmons University
Age: 58
Community: Boston
Her story: Growing up in Philadelphia, Lynn Wooten, the ninth president of Simmons University and the institution’s first African-American president, was taught the importance of academic and Black excellence.
She learned this through her mother, who was a Philadelphia schoolteacher, and her father, who went to college at the age of 14. Wooten was taught about her potential as a leader through the history of role models such as Mary McLeod, Coretta Scott, Martin Luther King Jr. and W.E.B. Du Bois.
“This notion of education was always drilled into me,” she said.
Wooten began her presidency at Simmons in July 2020 amid the pandemic.
Leading through the health crisis wasn’t the only difficulty she has faced. Since then, there has been a war in Gaza that resulted in massive protests and, in some cases, arrests on college campuses across the country, new presidential administrations and the questioning of higher education as tuition increases.
Throughout it all, Wooten said what has grounded her is Simmons’ mission, which originally focused on investing in women’s education to have careers and gain independent work.
“No matter what I’ve seen in the last five years … there’s no sector or no country that does higher education like America does, and we still do this extraordinarily well, but we’ve had to adapt, we’ve had to innovate,” she said.
Since joining the institution, Wooten said she has made strides in creating an academic redesign that focused and merged some majors and reorganized the institution into six schools. The institution also created a new combined undergraduate and master’s degree program last year which takes five years to complete. It is called the Simmons Edge.
Wooten was inspired to become president by Johnnetta Cole, the first African American woman president of the historically Black institution Spelman College.
“I saw the impact I could have, in particular, being a university president and leading a women’s college,” she said.
In her words: “Be a lifelong, life-wide learner. If there’s one thing that really defines who I am. I’m always trying to be my best self through learning. Reading books, studying, learning through people, taking classes — every experience I see as a learning interaction.”
— By Juliet Schulman-Hall
