Gary Sidell, Principal: Bell Tower Square Management, LLC

Gary Sidell has worked in Lawrence since 1993, when he joined his father’s apparel company. An MBA from Babson College, he currently runs the entire real estate operation for the family. Over the last six years, he has jumped into his father’s shoes and has become very involved in the community, most notably as a Board Member and Executive Committee Member of Family Service and as a supporter and contributor to the Essex Art Center, Groundwork Lawrence, Notre Dame Academy and Lawrence Community Works. When he is not working in the community, he spends his time being a husband, a father of two, a coach, a Junior Achievement Mentor and a piano player in a professional wedding band.

Jessica Andors: Deputy Director, Lawrence Community Works

Jessica Andors works with Lawrence Community Works (LCW), a nonprofit community development corporation dedicated to the revitalization of this great City. She is part of a team—led by LCW Executive Director Bill Traynor and his wife Deb Fox—that spearheaded the rebirth of LCW in 1999. Since that time, LCW has grown from a staff of one and a deficit, to a $2.5 million organization with over 3,000 resident and stakeholder members and over $30 million invested in affordable housing, family asset building, youth development, and network organizing. At LCW, Jessica has worked as a Community Organizer, Program Developer, and Director of Resource Development, and is now Deputy Director. She lives on Jackson Terrace in Lawrence, in the house where "Casey At the Bat" was written, and loves it.

Jessica graduated summa cum laude from Amherst College in 1993, and received her Master of City Planning degree from MIT in June of 1999, where she was honored for outstanding contributions to the intellectual life of the Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Previously, Jessica had five years of experience in the New York and San Francisco nonprofit sectors, in program coordination, fundraising, and program development. She started her professional life in the City as a summer intern for the Lawrence Office of Economic Development, and has served on the boards of the Lawrence Teen Coalition, the Hope Street Youth Center, and the Essex Art Center (current member and past president); she is also chair of the MA state-wide asset-building collaborative, MIDAS. Jessica is bilingual in English and Spanish.

Larry Yameen, Realtor: Yameen Real Estate

Larry Yameen was born and educated in Lawrence. He has always called Eaton Street home for both family life and work. Larry began working in the restaurant business with his father and stayed for sixteen years. Thirty-five years ago he started his commercial and residential real estate company where he is active today. Larry is clearly devoted to his family, wife, Loretta, three children, four grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Larry’s real passion lies with the Exchange Club of Lawrence where he has served as a member for 35 years and a past president. The Club focuses its mission on Child Abuse Prevention. It feeds more than 600 children a Thanksgiving dinner each year and at Christmas members take over the McDonalds on Andover Street to cook meals for kids and provide a gift for each child at this special event. $20,000 was raised by the Club for scholarships this past year. Larry was also a founding member of the Michael Christensen Family Support Center. The Exchange Clubs of the Merrimack Valley in cooperation with the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council help families at risk throughout the North Shore area, now expanding to Salem, NH.

Laurie Bottiger: Head of School, Esperanza Academy

Laurie Bottiger is bringing her dream of creating a middle school that balances both her nurture and rigor to life. Laurie is committed to providing a holistic, developmentally responsive program. Her belief in equal accessibility to excellent education is evidenced everyday through the academically challenging and meaningful learning experiences at Esperanza Academy. Laurie believes that each girl hosts an amalgamation of undiscovered talents. She is committed to each Esperanza Girl's potential. Laurie has 20 years of middle school teaching experience and has been a middle school administrator for eight years. She has a BS in Elementary Education, an MS Ed. in Early Childhood Education, and Ed Spec in Educational Administration and is a Doctoral Candidate in Middle Level Studies at the University of Kansas. Laurie has been the Educational Director for the Center for Understanding the Built Environment (CUBE), is a national presenter for on topic of Middle Level Best Practices and writes a professional development column for the Middle School Journal. Laurie delights in the fact that she is able to create a school that honors the talents of young women in the great immigrant city of Lawrence, MA. She believes that it is important for her Esperanza Girls to become ambassadors of the city!!

Manuela Su: Manager of Bilingual Training Community Training Group

I was born in Havana, Cuba on January 1st, 1957. My parents are Cuban and Chinese and, in 1969, we came to this country and made Lawrence our home. I attended the Oliver School and then graduated from Lawrence High School in 1975. Knowing that education is important, I continued on to UMASS Amherst and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1984. I have a thirty-one year old son of whom I’m very proud. He recently opened his own restaurant in the heart of Boston.
In 1982, I started working at the Oliver School. I saw a very high rate of teenage pregnancy. It had a huge impact in the city. I felt that I needed to help women understand the importance of education in their lives. I know how hard it is to have a child and going to school at
the same time.
I started working at The Community Group Inc. in 1984 as a substitute teacher and held several positions with the agency as Teacher, Training Coordinator, Co-Instructor of several college courses and Director of a preschool program and School-Age program. I’m currently the Manager of Bilingual Education. Through my different roles in the community I have taken the initiative to help families become stable by being a voice for their needs. During the holidays I’m the first advocate to get donations for the young children of the community.
I presently work with over 75 women who are attending Urban College of Boston planning to receive a bilingual certificate in early childhood education and to later continue with their Associates Degree. I continue to implement training programs to prepare minority women to be licensed as child care teachers. I coordinate all program components including work-based training and classroom instruction necessary to meet state licensing requirements.

My deepest desire is that more Latino Women get educated and have the opportunity to hold leadership positions. In my 25 years at The Community Group I have served as a role model for the community. I dedicate my career to help families in Lawrence succeed by achieving quality education not only for the little ones, but for the teachers who educate them as well! I vow to continue in this field for another 25 years.

Michael P. Miller, Esq.: Attorney, Lawrence Municipal Airport Manager

Michael Miller calls Lawrence home. He attended Central Catholic High School, Clark University (BA) and Quinnipiac College School of Law.

In addition to serving as the Manager of the Lawrence Municipal Airport since 2001, Michael is also engaged in a busy private law practice.

Michael’s volunteer commitments are generously spread across the community. He is actively involved in Creative Living, Inc. in Andover and the Lutheran Creative Living Board of Directors who administer a residential center for adults with developmental disabilities. As a member and past Marshall of The Ancient Order of Hibernians, he has served on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee for the City of Lawrence, as chairman of the St. Patrick’s Dinner Dance Committee, and was Irish Man of the Year in 2004. Michael is also involved with the North Andover Rotary Club, Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Revolving Loan Fund, the Men of Saint Patrick, in Lawrence and the Friends of the Lawrence Public Library. He was recently associated with the Elizabeth Ann Seton Asian Center, Board of Directors, Holy Family Men’s Guild of Methuen and was the former chairman of the Lawrence Veteran’s Memorial Stadium Commission. As a past volunteer legal counsel for the Attorney of the Day program for the Family Court, Michael worked with families without means to provide free legal advise and assistance with court paperwork. He says this work was extremely gratifying because of the immediate difference it made it people’s lives and hopes to return to it again in the future.

Misael Martinez, Director: Movement City, Lawrence Community Works

Misael Martinez, Director of Movement City, has over 12 years of experience in the youth development field, a Bachelor's Degree from Lesley University in Human Services Management, and a Master's from Cambridge College. He started his career serving the young people of Lawrence at the Arlington School through a literacy-tutoring program. He worked as a parent liaison, teacher and truancy outreach worker in the Lawrence Public Schools, where he eventually became the district-wide Parent Education Leader. While working at the schools, he created the Strictly Positive TV program to promote positive community events and also founded the Unity Project in response to the killing of a childhood friend and the community need for constructive youth activities. Misael continued on to the Adelante Youth Center in Lawrence, where he served as the Academic Program Director before leaving to dedicate himself full time to directing the Hope Street Youth Center, a dynamic, grassroots, performing-arts based nonprofit which merged with Lawrence Community Works in 2004. As Director of LCW's Movement City, Misael has grown the program to serve more than 200 youth annually with an array of art, design, and technology-based programs as well s leadership development, social and emotional support, intensive academic mentoring and college preparation and civic engagement. Misael is a bilingual and bicultural Dominican-American resident of Lawrence, and is a loving husband to Judy Martinez and the proud father of Gilome, Nia, Michac, and Alina

Ralph Carrero, Director: Lawrence Family Development Charter School

Ralph Carrero recently became the Director/Superintendent of the Lawrence Family Development and Education Fund and he Lawrence Family Development Charter School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. As the founding president of the Fund and the school, it is a fitting tribute that he continues the rich legacy that his predecessor Patricia Karl began back in 1992. The organization has a deep commitment to the development of youth leadership, new immigrants, and adult educational and training programs. Prior to assuming his new role, Ralph has spent the last eighteen years at the Greater Lawrence Technical High School where he served as he Coordinator of Student Services.
Ralph Carrero migrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic with his parents in 1962 to the City of New York and in 1967 moved to the City of Lawrence where he had lived for 37 years until 2005, with his wife Ana and their three children.

His professional career stems close to thirty years, providing services in counseling, social work, criminal justice and education to residents in the City of Lawrence.

In 1992 Ralph Carrero became the first Hispanic ever elected to serve in public office in the City of Lawrence. He went on to serve three consecutive terms on the Lawrence School Committee for ten years until December 2001.

Ralph has served on many youth serving non- profit organization in the City. He was president and co-founder of the Lawrence Family Development Charter School, which provides a dual Language education development program to five hundred students grades K to 8. He was past president of both the Lawrence Youth Commission and the Family and Education Fund. He helped establish the Latino Scholarship Fund, a non -profit Organization that provides financial support to Hispanic youth seeking to enroll in private high schools and/or Colleges. He has also coached baseball for the Tower hill little league and Senior League.

Ralph has gone on to serve on the Dominican-American National Round -Table based in Washington D.C. which provides advocacy to the United States Senators and Congressmen on the needs of the Dominican Community in the United States.

Sabrina Dorsainvil: Movement City, GWL Green Team

I am 17 years old and attend Greater Lawrence Technical School. I am ranked fourth in my class with a GPA of 3.8 and will graduate in June. Through community projects inside and outside of my school I have learned so much about myself and the role I want to take in this world. I love to be that girl who takes initiative and fights to complete a goal.

I run indoor and outdoor track and have played volleyball. I am proud to have received awards for my sports achievements including the Girls and Women in Sports award. I am a member of the Graphic Communications Advisory Board, a student representative for the School Committee, vice president of the Student Council, a member of the National Honor Society, Diversity Club, and Peer leaders, a two time Student of the Month, a recipient of the Outstanding Youth Leadership Award and the Jewish War Veterans Leadership Award. I participate in my vocational schools Co-op program working at Century Box in Methuen as a pre-press operator.
As a member of the Green Team at Groundwork Lawrence, I am both an environmental advocate and a community leader. I addressed the Lawrence City Council and spoke on behalf of Den Rock Park. I also stood with Lawrence Community Works as they fought for housing vs. liquor store. I participated in the Spicket River Cleanup sponsored by Groundwork Lawrence. As part of the Green Team, I helped plan and participated in service days in Cape Cod, Lowell, Somerville, and Concord, NH by cleaning a rivers, parks and trails with other groups of kids. I joined Movement City as a graphic design teaching assistant, doing the artwork for the Open Mic flyers and working on their planning committee. I free lance in graphic design and see myself as an established artist someday. I was proud to complete a six foot drawing of a soldier for a local church this year.

I know that I am moving in a positive direction. I have been blessed and my efforts have pushed me to take a step of striving for higher education, my future.

Terri Kelley: Artistic Director, Friends of the Lawrence Public Library

Terri Kelley is a native of Lawrence and attended Lawrence High School. She graduated from Emmanuel College, BA, and completed graduate studies at Boston College, MA. From 1962 until 1997, she taught French, Italian, Russian, English, Latin at Lawrence High School. Terri has studied music throughout her life, earning several diplomas in classical piano. She regularly performs as pianist and singer.
As the Artistic Director and Managing Director of an ongoing classical music series at the Lawrence Public Library, Terri produces a series featuring world class chamber music, all free and open to the public. As Director, she seeks and selects performers, works with a team consisting of a writer, artist and publicist (for the brochure), creates a budget, oversees a mailing list, schedules performances, confers with artists about the program, schedules and conducts TV interviews and hosts the concerts to promote the series on WCCM with Bruce Arnold. The series is sponsored by the Friends of LPL and supported by the Catherine McCarthy Memorial Trust. Terri has also been a lecturer for the White Fund since 2002, presenting lectures and concerts on various music related topics. She currently serves as host on Lawrence Cable TV "Books and Authors", a program of interviews with authors of noteworthy books.
Currently an Andover resident, Terri is now privately teaching piano, organ and voice and also enjoys teaching cooking and music classes as a staff member of Andover Department of Community Services.