2026 SCI Idealist Celebration
2026 SCI Idealist Celebration
Join SCI for an evening of connections and inspiration, highlighted by the presentation of the 2026 SCI Idealist Award, along with the 2026 SCI Rising Idealist!
We are honored to present the 2026 SCI Idealist Award to two visionary leaders: Elsa Gomes Bondlow, Founder of Ripple Acts, Co-Founder of HALO Initiatives, and a Philanthropic Strategist & Social Impact Leader, and M. Scott Knox, Executive Director of The Equality Fund at The Boston Foundation.
These inspirational individuals exemplify SCI’s mission of strengthening communities through the power of connection. By leveraging their social capital to address pressing needs and build trust across differences, Elsa and Scott join our growing list of SCI Idealist Honorees, who serve as models for future leaders.
Read more about their remarkable journeys and the impact of their leadership below.
Meet the 2026 SCI Idealist Honorees
Elsa Gomes Bondlow
M. Scott Knox
Meet the 2026 SCI Rising Idealist
We created the SCI Rising Idealist to create an opportunity to celebrate an outstanding emerging leader each year. While we know that there is not one SCI Idealist who is finished making an impact, the SCI Rising Idealist is just getting started.
D'Andra Evans
Dede was born and raised in Dorchester. Dede is a powerful role model who centers student needs and works tirelessly as an “unsung emerging leader” to support underserved neighborhoods. Dede knows what it’s like for youth in the community and strives to make sure they have the same resources and opportunities that she has had.
She has a great rapport with students, putting their needs in the center of every discussion, and is herself a role model that students want to emulate.
"Dede does not hesitate to leverage her passion for student success by taking on additional tasks and leveraging her social capital to support students... She helps the students recognize their own leadership skills and how they too can help build up their community and their own social capital. Dede coordinated last year with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) student chapter at Boston University to create an introduction to STEM event on campus tailored for EVkids students. NSBE loved it so much that they’ve asked Dede to recreate it this year to include youth groups beyond EVkids."
Her enthusiasm and “camp energy” are inspirational and infectious for students and colleagues alike. Her empathy and leadership skills allow students to place their trust in her and in the opportunities to which she is connecting them, whether on a college visit, a corporate site visit, or hiking one of the tallest mountains of Vermont with the EVkids Camp community.
As a youth, she participated in St. Stephen’s afterschool and camp programs, eventually taking on leadership roles as Mission Trip Lead Student Ambassador. After going to college out of state and graduating with a degree in Community & Nonprofit Management, Dede returned to serve her community, working with high school students at St. Stephen’s for 2 years as a College & Career Coordinator, coaching youth and leading multi-day trips to HCBUs. She also served as a Summer Lead Counselor, and as a Junior Counselor-in-Training Coordinator, coaching HS freshman CITs.
After completing her Massachusetts Promise Fellow program as a Senior Fellow at St. Stephen’s, Dede moved on to EVkids, where she is now in her second year as a College Success Advisor, providing professional college and career readiness advising to EVkids high school juniors and seniors from Dorchester and Roxbury, and as a Camp Co-Director, hosting small groups of EVkids students (ages 12-18) for one and two-week summer sessions at EVkids Camp in the Green Mountains of Vermont.
2026 SCI Rising Idealist Finalists
The impressive and inspiring pool of nominees made the final choice quite a challenge for the Selection Committee! We will recognize all of our incredible finalists as a part of our event to thank them for all they do to cultivate connections and strengthen communities!
Adrianna Boulin
Director of Racial Equity, Social Justice, and Community Engagement at Fenway Health and President of Boston Pride for the People
Bill Cole
Founder and President of Living Local 413
Noah Dhaliwal
Co-Founder and President of Kick It for a Cause, Inc.
Kimberly Mack
Director of Programs and Strategy at Mosaic: Interfaith Youth Action
Amman Malik
Student and Co-Chair/Co-founder of The National High School Sports Analytics Association (NHSSAA).
David McCullough III
Co-Founder and CEO of American Exchange Project
Christy Merryman
Entrepreneur and Community Leader
Jaely Pereira
City Council Liaison, Intergovernmental Relations for the City of Boston
Mariya Taylor
Executive Director & Co-founder, Sahiyo U.S. Inc.
Thank you to our 2026 SCI Idealist Host Committee
Jay Ash
Jean Dolin
Yolanda Coentro
Erin Cox
Karilyn Crockett
Amy Driscoll
Bob Giannino
Kate Guedj
Boston City Councilor At-Large Ruthzee Louijeune
Josh Kraft
Keith MacDonald
Tom Pappas
Imari Paris Jeffries
Marinell Rousmaniere
Eric Schwarz
David Shapiro
Leigh Tucker
Jay Vilar
Corey Yarbrough
Thank you to our Event Supporters!
SCI Innovators
SCI Builders
SCI Supporters
Appleton Partners
Beth Israel Lahey Health
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP)
Keith MacDonald, Consulting for Good
Liberty Mutual
Lindauer
Nonprofit Executives/From Bored 2 Board
