Leadership
Radhames Nova President & CEO - Operations
Radhames Nova joined Junior Achievement of Greater Boston (JA) in October 2016 as President & CEO. He is responsible for the organization's overall strategy and operations.
Prior to joining Junior Achievement, Rad served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), the largest Latino professional organization in the United States, where he was responsible for overseeing some of the organization's largest national corporate partnerships and a pilot partnership between JA and ALPFA. He was the Executive Director at the ALPFA Boston Chapter from 2011 to 2015.
From 2002 to 2006 Rad served as Director of Development at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence, Massachusetts, raising $1.8M annually for operations and leading the organization to a record breaking $8.5 million capital campaign to build a new facility. Prior to that, he served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa. Beyond the nonprofit sector, Rad has held positions in the financial services industry at Fidelity Charitable Services, SCS Financial and Metropolitan Real Estate Equity Management. After five years working in the investments industry, Rad returned to his mission-driven career when he joined ALPFA in 2011.
Rad obtained his B.A. from Middlebury College and his MBA from Boston University. He serves as a board member at two of his alma maters, Central Catholic High School and Middlebury College. In March 2020, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and Massachusetts Secretary of Labor & Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta nominated Rad to the MassHire State Workforce Board.
Born in the Dominican Republic, he immigrated to Lawrence Massachusetts in 1989 and lives in Salem New Hampshire with his wife Alexandra and their three children.
Meredith Traquina Chief Development Officer - Development
Meredith Traquina (she/her/hers) joined Junior Achievement of Greater Boston in September 2025 as Chief Development Officer. She is responsible for the organization's advancement efforts, building meaningful partnerships that will ensure the sustainability of JA's work for decades to come.
Prior to joining Junior Achievement, Meredith served as Director of Development at Minds Matter Boston, a college access organization supporting low-income youth of color. There, she oversaw all fundraising activities, from major gifts and grantmaking to events and corporate partnerships. In her first year, Minds Matter Boston successfully grew revenue by over 44%, funding the organization's burgeoning alumni support programs. Before joining Minds Matter in 2022, for seven years, Meredith led the Corporate & Foundations Partnerships team at City Year Greater Boston - a multinational organization supporting students at historically under-performing and systemically under-resourced school systems on the path to a high school diploma. Meredith also volunteers as an Advisory Board Member at EPIC, a service-learning organization for young adults with disabilities. She is an active member of the Bates Boston Business Networking Steering Committee, which she formerly chaired.
Meredith received her B.A. From Bates College and MSW from Boston College. Meredith was recognized as Distinguished Young Alumni of the Year by Bates College in 2019. A Massachusetts native, she lives in Boston with her husband and enjoys trying new recipes, running along the Esplanade, and reading.
Paulo Frade Vice President, Finance & Technology - Operations
Paulo Frade joined Junior Achievement of Greater Boston (JA) in August 2000 and is Vice President of Finance and Technology. In his role, Paulo oversees all finance, information technology, and human resources activities. He is responsible for managing all accounting and finance functions, including management of internal controls systems, development of the annual operating budget, preparation of all financial and management reports. He also oversees cash management, the internal audit, and ensures legal compliance throughout human resource management.
Prior to joining Junior Achievement, Paulo served as Field Operations Supervisor at the U.S. Census Bureau.
Paulo obtained his B.A. from the University of Massachusetts. Born in Brazil, he immigrated to the United States in 1992 and currently lives in Central Mass with his wife Damila and their nine children.
Deirdre O'Connor Mitchell Chief Operations Officer - Operations
Deirdre O'Connor Mitchell began her tenure with Junior Achievement of Greater Boston (JA) in March 2016 as a Program Manager. During this time, Deirdre helped create a new Programs Strategy for implementing JA programming to maximize impact for students. From 2017 to 2022 Deirdre served as Vice President of Programs. Through a robust strategic planning process that led the way for deeper school partnerships, the Education Team has worked diligently at building strong relationships in some of the highest need school districts in Massachusetts, where JA is integrated into schools. Starting in July 2023, Deirdre is now the Chief Operations Officer overseeing the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as Education, Operations, Events, Marketing, and Alumni Engagement.
Prior to joining Junior Achievement of Greater Boston, Deirdre worked at the JA of New York office as a Program Manager where she managed relationships with key Board accounts and individual volunteers. Deirdre has spent her career in non-profit program management and national service, managing an afterschool meal program for at-risk youth with the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, DC and a service year with AmeriCorps*NCCC.
Deirdre obtained her B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University and an M.P.A. in Emergency and Disaster Management from Metropolitan College of New York. She lives in Central Massachusetts with her family.
George Moore Chief Technology & Information Officer - Board Member
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