SCI Welcomes Three New Board Members in 2023!
A lot of exciting things happened at SCI in 2023, including welcoming many new team members to our staff, and also to our Board. The SCI Board has grown to 15 members, the largest in our history! These 3 individuals bring a variety of skills and experiences to SCI, and all bring passion for the work that we are doing! We are excited to introduce these three, including one familiar face!
Vasant Narayan
CEO/Founder, GATOThe 2023 SCI Youth Grant Pitch Contest piqued the interest of tech entrepreneur, Vasant Narayan. Through a connection, Vasant got in touch with David and started talking about what SCI is doing and how he could get involved. He is excited to bring his growth mentality to SCI and explore how we can expand our programs!
“Oftentimes the difference between people that fulfill their potential and don’t is their surroundings and people around them…I’ve always been very civic and social minded. I’m a big believer in the power of networking. I like SCI because the mission is to improve the community and strengthen our bond and social capital.”
In addition to his experience as an entrepreneur, Vasant brings experience as an executive with companies of all sizes with a background in areas like cybersecurity, business development, relationship management and more. He also has experience with volunteer roles like mentoring for many years. He current role is Founder & CEO of GATO Marketplace, which offers a new & better way for outdoor enthusiasts to buy & sell secondhand gear.
Amanda Richardson
Regional Field Training HUB Manager, Town of Randolph & SCI AmeriCorps AlumAmanda Richardson may be a familiar face and name to those that have been involved with SCI for a while! In 2008, she did her first year of service with SCI AmeriCorps. One unique aspect of Amanda’s service is that she served the same year as her mother! (Her mom went on to obtain a Master’s degree and is now working as a clinician) She continued with SCI for a second year, and then was invited to stay on the team as a Coordinator. Her experience with SCI spanned communities and built skills that she would use throughout her career, seeing the leadership development objectives of our organization first hand!
“I was integrated in SCI and it’s programs by being connected to individuals. The power of that has been relevant in my life…SCI helped form the future trajectory to where I am now.”
After leaving SCI, Amanda was a Field Director for Youth For Understanding USA for over 7 years, supporting students in their intercultural exchange program. She then worked in government and now is the Regional Field Training HUB Manager for the Town of Randolph. When thinking about judges for the 2023 SCI Youth Grant Pitch Contest, David reached out to Amanda.
Amanda shared that it was a great experience and gave her the opportunity to reconnect with SCI, which led to an invite to serve on the Board! We are thrilled to welcome Amanda back, and she is excited to bring her ideas and support SCI’s mission in any way that she can!
Robert Silverman
CEO, Revere PharmaceuticalsContinuing the theme of connections, a friend of Bob Silverman’s shared about an organization that he sits on the board of. Lucky for us, that friend was long-time SCI Board Member, Frank Tempesta. Frank connected Bob with SCI, and after a few conversations with David learning about the philosophy and the work of our organization, Bob joined the Board!
“I think you have to start at a local level. You have to plant a seed here and plant a seed there and before you know it you have a garden of positivity… What SCI is doing on a local level is great and people get a lot from it. I think it’s what the world needs right now too”
Bob has not had a straight career path, doing a lot of different things in his professional history in the world of Pharmaceuticals. He is now the President and CEO of Revere Pharmaceuticals, which is a Boston-based startup leading the way in the development of new cancer treatments.
