Join us in welcoming our newest Board member, Wanda Velez-Jusino! We recently spoke with Wanda about why she decided to join our Board.

Wanda has lived in Allston Brighton since she was 5 years old and from talking with her, you can tell how passionate she is about this neighborhood. “It’s just a great place to live!” As a single mother, it was important that Wanda had access to so many different programs within a close distance from organizations like ABCDC, West End House, and Brighton High.

Wanda has lived at Commonwealth Development for over 32 years and she has been actively involved from the start. She attended a job fair through the CDC and landed a job at Boston University around 18 years ago. She also got her and her son their first computer after graduating from a Tech Goes Home program through the CDC. With her son getting older and attending school, being able to get a computer for free was wonderful for her household!

Wanda decided to join the board because she wanted to get more involved and because she sees this as an exciting and pivotal time for her community. “The CDC has been a big part of my life for a while and it’s such an exciting time in the neighborhood.” With new development and beautification projects going on, she wants to make sure she stays involved.

Wanda is even a graduate of one of our Homebuying 101 classes and she is a member of the Affordable Housing Action Committee. We are so lucky to have her as part of our community and we can’t wait to hear her ideas at our next Board meeting!