A message from ABHC's Director

14 views
Skip to first unread message

Anthony D'Isidoro

unread,
Oct 30, 2025, 4:11:08 PM (17 hours ago) Oct 30
to cleveland-cir...@googlegroups.com, Allston - Brighton Google Group, Brighton Allston Community Coalition
 
Our leadership change!
 ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌
Allston Brighton Health Collaborative

Dear ABHC members and friends,

In June 2014, I joined this brand new neighborhood health collaborative as the first hire. 

Over 11 years, we have built a network of hundreds of people and dozens of organizations who work towards a healthier Allston Brighton every day. I am deeply proud and honored that I have been able to lead ABHC over the past decade, and I am ready to pass the baton to a new Director. In December, I’ll be leaving ABHC in the dedicated hands of our team and Steering Committee. Over the next four months, ABHC’s Steering Committee will lead a search for the organization’s next Director. You can find more information about the position HERE. We hope you will share it widely!

I was welcomed into this community by so many of you, and still more of you have continued to support me over the years. Together, we launched Brighton’s first farmers market in 2016, we secured Allston’s first dedicated bus lane in 2019, we made over 2,000 food deliveries through Covid, and about a hundred other milestones along the way. We have built the neighborhood infrastructure that keeps us all better connected and working together. This is the right moment for me to make room for new leadership and growth. 

ABHC is so much stronger because of our members, partners and funders, and because of the brilliant and passionate team who will lead it forward. I am so proud to work with Jessi, Jonathan, Nikhil, Elaine and Bianca. Whoever joins their team as the next Director will strike it rich with a group of people this talented and fun to work with. 

Thank you for being a part of our network, and please come say hello at our Fall Food Harvest Fest next Thursday!

Anna Leslie
Director, Allston Brighton Health Collaborative

A message from our Steering Committee

On behalf of the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative Steering Committee, it is with great respect, affection and sadness that we say goodbye to Anna when she leaves ABHC in December.

Eleven years ago, Anna came to ABHC as a part-time Coordinator with the directive to address the adverse health impacts identified by residents and service providers in the community.  Building on her strongly held beliefs in equity and inclusion in all aspects of the work of ABHC, she built an organization with several hundred members centering the needs of residents and valuing the work of service providers that is known and respected throughout Greater Boston. She expanded and diversified funding that created opportunities for neighborhood residents to train for and become valued community resource connectors and mobility advocates and provided additional financial assistance in the form of Farmer’s Market coupons for market participants. To understand and appreciate the extent and value of Anna’s accomplishments, please visit ABHC's website.

Anna built and supported a collaborative team of committed and passionate staff who, every day, work to address health disparity issues of food insecurity, transportation and mobility inequality, resource connecting, and networking in Allston Brighton.  We are very confident in the abilities of the ABHC team and know they will continue this important work with the support of an Interim Director and the Steering Committee during the hiring process.  

The Steering Committee will begin the hiring process for a new Director in December, and we plan to introduce a new Director in March. More information can be found on the ABHC website. 

We will be hosting a fundraiser to celebrate Anna’s time at ABHC and to support the Brighton Farmers Market 10 year anniversary. Please join us on December 16th to send Anna off to her next adventure - details to come!

Jo-Ann Barbour and Alex Cornacchini

Co-Chairs of the Allston Brighton Health Collaborative Steering Committee


The Allston Brighton Health Collaborative convenes a network of people and organizations who work together to improve Allston-Brighton community health. ABHC network membership is free and open to anyone who lives in, works in, works on behalf of, or cares about Allston-Brighton.
If you are
aligned with our work, please join our network!

ABHC's newsletter distributes every other week.

Barbara Parmenter

unread,
Oct 30, 2025, 5:25:31 PM (16 hours ago) Oct 30
to Brighton Allston Community Coalition, Allston - Brighton Google Group
Anna Leslie has done such great work bringing our community together. When I retired and wanted to get to know people here my own community, one of the first meetings I went to was an Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative meeting, and I have made so many friends starting there through the years. From that day to stocking up yesterday at the Brighton Farmers Market, I have so much for which to thank Anna.

I'm glad there's a strong foundation to keep things going.

And I'm looking forward to next week's ABHC Fall Food Harvest Fest to join neighbors old and new!

Thank you, Anna!

Barbara Parmenter


--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "BACC" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to bacommunitycoali...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bacommunitycoalition/LV3P222MB08864B12290EA62389B16DF6AFFBA%40LV3P222MB0886.NAMP222.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM.

Justin Brown

unread,
Oct 30, 2025, 5:44:54 PM (16 hours ago) Oct 30
to allstonbr...@googlegroups.com, Brighton Allston Community Coalition
Oh I am HERE for piling on the praise for Anna Leslie and her time at ABHC!! 

In my experience as a local climate activist and a better transit advocate, Anna and the ABHC have continually delivered support and direction for those efforts. Coordinating local advocacy for better public health outcomes I imagine is working with lots of people with lots of ideas, some of which are at odds with each other--getting everyone rowing in the same direction takes patience and any eye on the long game. I like to think that Anna has been one of the main reasons our capacity to think big and listen to each other has improved over the last ten years. 

Thank you, Anna!

Justin Brown
Cleveland Circle 

--
To post to this group, send email to AllstonBr...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/AllstonBrighton2006?hl=en
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AllstonBrighton2006" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to allstonbrighton...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/allstonbrighton2006/CAAuyD7Uz5bjiR_sPFxXgoKO1nYyNEO%3DmQZq-Mt3XxW1XuMPMtQ%40mail.gmail.com.

Ricky Meinke

unread,
Oct 30, 2025, 7:08:43 PM (14 hours ago) Oct 30
to AllstonBrighton2006
Anna deserves all the thanks for her service and dedication to Allston-Brighton. A well deserved legacy left in Allston-Brighton! Hope the next chapter is just as successful as this one. 

Thank you for your service Anna!

Ricky Meinke
Rat City Arts Festival

Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages