STAFF

Laura Booth – Director, Equal Justice Coalition

Laura joined the Equal Justice Coalition, a collaboration between MLAC, Boston Bar Association and Massachusetts Bar Association, as Director in September 2016. Laura has a long career in social services and advocacy for low-income populations, having worked at the Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee, the office of former State Senator Anthony Galluccio, Women’s Lunch Place, and Heading Home, Inc.  Laura has also participated in a variety of progressive organizing initiatives at community, regional and national levels including the establishment of women’s international peace camps, protesting strip mining, advocating for incarcerated individuals and their families, securing rights for immigrants and promoting LGBTQ rights, among others. Laura completed post-graduate studies in the Women in Politics and Public Policy Program at the University of Massachusetts and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Tufts University’s Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.

Catherine Brady – Bookkeeper

Catherine joined MLAC as its bookkeeper in late 2015. Catherine has been involved in finance and administration in the Boston area since pre-computer days, but after the abacus was in general use.  During the mid-80s to mid-90s she was engaged in national social change campaigns as a grassroots organizer and fundraiser.  Since 2008 she has worked as a part-time contract bookkeeper for several non-profit groups. Catherine and her life partner live in Cambridge, and have a college-age daughter.

Grace Coughlin – Legislative Campaign Associate

Grace joined MLAC in November 2018 as the Legislative Campaign Associate. Grace has a Master’s in Social Work from Boston College, where she focused on community organizing and public policy. Through her graduate fieldwork Grace interned in a variety of settings—including community health centers and government affairs consulting. She lives in Brookline.

Michelle Deakin – Director of Communications

Michelle Deakin joined MLAC as Director of Communications in December 2018. She has spent her career in communications as a journalist, author, and strategic communicator. Most recently, she was managing director of media relations and public information at Harvard Law School.

She has written extensively about legal issues as a writer and editor for the Lawyers Weekly publications, and she has written about many social justice issues as an editor for UU World magazine. For more than a decade, Michelle was a freelance writer and communications consultant, and she is the author of two books about same-sex marriage and social action. A graduate of Williams College, she lives with her family in Arlington, Mass.

Janne Hellgren – Deputy Director

Janne has worked in legal services programs in Massachusetts since 1987 as an attorney and as an administrator.

Danielle Hines-Graham – Operations Manager

Dani joined MLAC in August 1999 as the Executive Assistant to the Executive Director and Secretary to the MLAC Board of Directors. In July 2004, she became Operations Manager while continuing to serve as Board Secretary. Dani ensures all office functions are running smoothly. She also is responsible for the board mailings, meetings logistics and meetings. Previously, Dani worked for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, first with Rep. Shirley Owens-Hicks and later with Rep. Harold Lane. She attended Alabama State University. A Dorchester native, Dani lives with her husband, two daughters and grandson.

Tobey Johnson – Director of Information Technology

Tobey joined MLAC in 2013. Tobey is responsible for managing IT operations for the Central Technology Systems, providing centralized computing infrastructure and applications to legal services organizations with more than 500 users across the state of Massachusetts. Tobey oversees the development, implementation and use of technology in more than 20 offices, leading efforts to improve the effective deployment and use of technology statewide. Tobey also serves as the Chair of the Management of Technology Committee. Prior to joining MLAC, Tobey worked in similar roles in financial services and healthcare, architecting and implementing solutions that leverage the use of technology to improve financial and operational efficiency.

Freddy Matute – Fiscal Manager

Freddy Matute joined MLAC as Bookkeeper in November 2003. After more of 10 years supporting the Fiscal Director by maintaining accurate and timely financial records, processing accounts payable and payroll, providing support to Loan Forgiveness Program Administrators, and more, Freddy became Fiscal Manager in 2014. He directs all aspects of fiscal policy, financial management and planning for MLAC; oversees automated information systems for fiscal administration; coordinates human resources functions; and provides technical assistance to recipient program Fiscal Directors in the area of financial management and associated information systems.

Freddy also works part-time at Centro Presente, a non-profits organization that advocates for the rights of the Latin American Immigrant Community of Massachusetts. He has completed college courses in Business Administration and is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Evan Molinari – Communications Associate

Evan joined MLAC in November of 2016 as Communications and Legislative Campaign Assistant. He assists with social media, digital and print communications, and helps implement the legislative campaign. He earned a degree in History, with a focus on civil rights, from Bates College, and interned for U.S. Congresswoman Chellie Pingree of Maine. He lives in Somerville.

Lynne Parker – Executive Director

Lynne Parker joined MLAC as executive director in September 2018. Lynne has more than three decades of experience advocating on behalf of low-income residents, most recently as executive director of New Hampshire Legal Assistance. A Massachusetts native, Parker holds a BA in political science from Mount Holyoke College, and a JD from the University of New Hampshire School of Law. As a law student, she interned at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, and later worked at Southeastern Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (now South Coastal Counties Legal Services)—both of which are MLAC-funded organizations.

She began her legal aid career representing migrant farmworkers as an attorney at Pine Tree Legal Assistance in Bangor, Maine, and has also worked as a housing advocate. During her tenure at New Hampshire Legal Assistance, Parker served as a staff attorney and later deputy director before becoming executive director in 2014. Throughout her career, Parker has promoted staff diversity and linguistic competence, advocated for the rights of people with limited English proficiency, and conducted outreach to underserved communities.

Michael Raabe – Director of Data and Policy Analysis

Michael Raabe, Esq. joined MLAC in January 2017 after 30 years at Neighborhood Legal Services, Merrimack Valley Legal Services and Northeast Legal Aid, where he practiced law and served in a variety of top management positions.  Michael is noted for his work studying demand for legal aid along with measuring outcomes and impact.  He earned his JD from the New England School of Law in Boston and is admitted to practice in Massachusetts.  Michael lives in Gloucester with his wife, Patricia Levesh.

Patricia Shaughnessy – Support and Training Specialist

Tricia joined MLAC as the Support & Training Specialist in April 2009. Her main responsibilities are user support and training as well as overseeing the Help Desk for MLAC and MLAC-funded legal aid programs. Prior to MLAC Tricia worked at the Boston law firm of Choate, Hall & Stewart. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Jacqueline Sullivan – Technology Support Analyst 

Jacqueline rejoined MLAC in March 2018, having previously worked at South Coastal Counties Legal Services and MLAC.  Jacqueline has over 20 years experience working in the legal services industry. In her role as Technology Support Analyst, Jacqueline supports users of the central technology platform. She provides end-user support of the case management system, Microsoft Office applications, and the VoIP telephone system. She also writes many of the reports used for funding reporting purposes. Jacqueline works closely with the Director of Information Technology and the Support and Training Specialist to design and implement effective technology solutions that meet the requirements of the statewide technology goals, satisfy the needs of the local program(s) and users, and improve the ability to provide services to low-income clients.

Patricia Swansey – Program Director

Pat joined MLAC in 1996 as Program Director. In this role, she oversees the peer-review monitoring process of MLAC’s grantees, to assure their compliance with MLAC’s performance standards. She also  supports the activities of client-eligible board members. Pat received her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Grinnell College, studied at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, and received a master’s degree in management from Brandeis University. Her career path includes service in Massachusetts’ state government as Legislative Aide for the Legislative Black Caucus, Deputy Director for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, Program Officer for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Program Officer for the Urban Initiative Fund at the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corporation.

Tonysha Taylor – Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Tonysha has spent the last decade leading diversity, equity and inclusion work in the field of education and is excited to extend her commitment to race equity work within the legal services community. Tonysha in a native New Englander who graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Barnard College and a Master’s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She enjoys cooking, traveling and mentoring young people.