Our Team

Jessica Howe, Chair

Jessica Howe leads the Global Growth Verticals for Cushman & Wakefield, focusing on coordinating the go-to-market strategies in three specific areas: Logistics & Industrial, Healthcare and life sciences, and Multifamily. She also oversees our Americas Practice groups, focusing on strategic plans, best practice, and authorship and promotion of thought leadership.

Jessica has over 13 years’ experience in the commercial real estate space, managing operational and strategic initiatives. Throughout her career she has worked in multiple service lines and alongside senior leadership. She has proven success in leading company-wide projects that have created new processes to improve efficiency and increased oversight of spending.

Jessica has been involved in community and national organizations such as GLOW Boston, the Greater Boston Food Bank, and Reclaim Our Vote and is a board member at Hildebrand. In 2016, she co-founded the Nate Howe Adventure Fund, which provides full scholarships for Neighborhood House Charter School (Dorchester, MA) students to participate in the school’s annual overnight camp and learning trips.

She has completed the UMass Boston Emerging Leaders program and is a member of Chief, the only organization specifically designed for senior women leaders to strengthen their leadership journey, cross-pollinate ideas across industries, and effect change from the top down.

Michelle Meiser, Vice Chair

Michelle Meiser is a Senior Community Partnerships & Development Specialist at Cambridge Trust, where her focus is loan origination for low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers and supporting CRA activity within the bank’s assessment area. Michelle brings 25 years of experience in the affordable housing, community development, and asset building fields with extensive program management and counseling experience. Before joining Cambridge Trust’s Community Partnerships & Development team she worked at Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, where she led the organization’s homeownership and asset building initiatives, and provided oversight of their resident services and community engagement activities.

In addition to serving on the board of Hildebrand, she also serves on the boards of the Massachusetts Community & Banking Council, and Financial Education Associates. She received her BA from Wheaton College, her MS at Northeastern University, and was an early graduate of Boston University’s Institute for Nonprofit Leadership and Management.

Sarah Holmes, Treasurer

Sarah Holmes is a Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer for Technology at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (BBH& Co.). In this role, she is responsible for the Finance, Workforce Strategy, Communications and Governance functions for the Technology division. Sarah brings over 25 years of experience in financial services in both business and Human Resources positions.

Sarah is a passionate leader of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. She is the co-Chair of the Global Women’s Network and co-founder of the Women in Tech (WIT) community at BBH& Co. Sarah also serves on a number of governance committees including the firm’s Executive Sustainability Council and various Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and business forums. 

Sarah holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MBA from Boston College. Sarah joined the Board of Hildebrand in November 2022 and remains active in women’s leadership and mentoring initiatives via organizations such as City Year and Big Sister.

Rev. Dr. Ellis I. Washington, Clerk

Rev. Dr. Ellis I. Washington feels a strong connection with Hildebrand, given the organization’s history with St. Paul AME Church and the Cambridge community. “I’m proud to follow the path laid out by Reverend Attles and continue his mission of helping some of our community’s most vulnerable families, particularly now during the COVID pandemic.”

Rev. Dr. Washington, a native of Detroit, Michigan, along with being the Pastor at St. Paul AME. Church in Cambridge is also Chair of the First District Self-Help Board. Rev. Dr. Washington attended Morehouse College (Atlanta, Georgia) and graduated from Columbus State University (Columbus, Georgia) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Turner Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta) with a Master of Divinity degree. He has been awarded the Doctor of Ministry from Payne Theological Seminary (Wilberforce, Ohio). Before coming to Cambridge, Rev. Washington provided dynamic leadership to several AME churches throughout Georgia, in Philadelphia, and at Grant AME Church in Boston. Rev. Dr. Washington has served as President of Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity. He appeared on CNN’s Election Center with Campbell Brown and American Morning and CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

He is a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, and Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities. As an aircraft enthusiast, Rev. Dr. Washington is studying to gain a private pilot license. He is a noted community leader, radio personality, freelance commercial voice talent, and a sought-after public speaker. He is married and has one daughter.

Beverly Coles-Roby, Member

Beverly Coles-Roby is a children’s rights activist who was elected to the Randolph School Committee in November 2023. She is an attorney who began her career as an associate with Budd, Wiley & Richlin P.C. She went on to work for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; Department of Children and Families; and the Department of Environmental Protection. Most recently, Beverly served as Executive Director of the Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals. She is also a former Dean of Students at Suffolk University Law School, her alma mater. Before attending law school, Beverly was an English teacher with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Beverly is a member of St. Paul AME Church, where Hildebrand was originally founded, and resides in Randolph. She holds a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School, as well as a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in English from Kent State University.

Jorge Colón, Member

Jorge Colón is an in-house counsel at Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc. (“POAH”) where he is responsible for providing legal advice to POAH staff across all departments in a wide variety of matters. 

Before joining POAH, Jorge worked at the Massachusetts Trial Court, where he supported operations and programs at six Court Service Centers across the state to assist pro se litigants. During his time there, Jorge was appointed by the chief justice of the Boston Municipal Court to be chair of the Spread the Word Working Group of the Language Access Advisory Committee. He also was awarded the 2019 Massachusetts Trial Court Employee Excellence Award. Jorge has also worked as a Homeownership Director at Allston Brighton CDC and as a workforce development program coordinator at the Somerville Community Corporation.

Jorge received his J.D. from the University of Puerto Rico School of Law and has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Puerto Rico. He is a licensed attorney in Massachusetts and Puerto Rico.

Ronald Marlow, Member

Ronald Marlow is the Vice President, Workforce Development & Alternative Education at Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD). In this role, Ron oversees the development and delivery of workforce development and supportive services programs targeted to adults, young adults and youth; English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); two alternative education high schools ABCD operates in partnership with the Boston Public Schools — Ostiguy High and University High; the MassHire Metro North Career Centers system; and the MassHire Boston ABCD Career Center system.

Prior to joining ABCD, Ron served as Vice President of Workforce Development for the National Urban League, Undersecretary for Workforce Development in the Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Labor and the Workforce Development, and as Assistant Secretary for Access and Opportunity in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. A proud alumnus of the ABCD’s Head Start program, Ron holds a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in law, policy & society from Northeastern University.