Catherine co-founded LightHouse with Josiah S. Litant and they led the organization together for three years. In 2018 Josiah relocated and Catherine stepped up to the role of Executive Director.
Catherine has been a driver in the leading edge of education for more than two decades. Before LightHouse she spent 12 years at North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens as Program Director and was a founding board member for Liberated Learners, the umbrella program connecting centers using the North Star model.
Catherine holds two bachelors degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Masters in Education, Creative Arts in Learning, from Lesley University. She also holds a Montessori Certification from New England Montessori Teacher Education Center.
Dwayne was born and raised in Springfield, MA and has worked in this building for over five years. Positive energy and a very hard worker. Always helping others and always have a smile on my face!
Nate received his BS in Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry from Hawaii Pacific University and completed a Graduate Teacher Certification program for secondary science at The University of New England. He has well over ten years of teaching experience in a variety of settings, including serving as a teacher and advisor at a small private school in Southern Maine. He has a love of the outdoors and serves as a volunteer member on his town’s Conservation Commission. Nate is thrilled to join the LightHouse community of learners and to share his passion for science and the natural world.
Diana grew up in Holyoke and attended Holyoke Public Schools, graduating from Holyoke High before working on her college degree. She began working in health services in 2010 and became a certified HHA in 2011. She loves working with the elderly and now also with adolescents!
She is a bilingual speaker and mother to two wonderful children. Diana manages the administrative side of LightHouse, bringing positive professionalism, deep empathy, and and attitude of active learning to our front desk every day.
Sierra joins our team as a passionate advocate for youth empowerment and social justice. As a dedicated mother of two and an energetic social activist, Sierra has been driving transformative change since high school, and her career reflects a deep commitment to supporting and uplifting young people. Sierra brings extensive experience in youth development, having worked for two non-profits that are nationally recognized. Her work has consistently focused on creating empowering environments where students can thrive.Sierra's approach is grounded in compassion, ancestral practices, experiential knowledge, coming together over food and a belief in every youth’s potential. As an Afro-Chicano woman, Sierra’s unique perspective shapes her approach to advocacy, guiding students to discover their passions and navigate their personal journeys with confidence. She's truly dedicated to empowering youth and fostering an inclusive environment.
My name is Thurman Bear but everyone calls me Blue. I'm originally from Detroit, Michigan, but have lived in Holyoke for the last 3 years. My journey into food preparation started at an early age, helping my mom in the kitchen at home. As I became more curious, cooking shows and the Home Economics offering at my high school helped nurture my passion. My first job was in a pizza place where I prepared a multitude of dishes beyond just the pizza. My curiosity didn't stop there, as I was also interested in where our food comes from. Before moving to Western Mass, worked on a tribal vegetable farm in northern Michigan where I cared for crops from seed all the way through harvest to market. We also ran a small market in town and a hot food counter where we served delicious meals made with our ancestral crops such as: flint corn, different varieties of winter squash, and different varieties of beans. These experiences have led to a deep appreciation of quality, nutrient dense food that also tastes great.
Ailey Verdelle is an accomplished musician, composer, and educator working in the styles of jazz, improvisation and electronic music. A graduate of Hampshire College, Ailey is passionate about the creative arts and the use of music in creating a more compassionate world. In Ailey’s hands, music is a tool for connecting with others, and for cultivating a diverse reality to share with friends, family, and community. Ailey loves listening, reading, cooking, movement, and movies.
Steph joined the LightHouse in early 2021. She graduated from Northern Vermont University with a B.A. in Theatre and Drama. Since graduating, Steph has continued to work and teach in theaters locally and in the Metro West area. Some of her theatrical interests include costume design, playwriting, acting, and directing. Steph is passionate about personalized education and is excited to be a part of the LightHouse community.
Dr. Latoya Bosworth, also known as Dr. Boz, is by nature an artist, by nurture an empath and advocate, and by trade an educator. Dr. Boz began her first job in human services at 19, and since then she has worked with youth and families in several capacities, from crisis intervention to family stabilization. She has collaborated with and consulted for the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Youth Services, after-school programs, Job Corps, summer camps, and community centers. In 2006, she established her own arts and mentoring program, with a special education teacher certification, Dr.Boz taught in alternative high schools for 15 years. She consulted as Behavior Specialist for an inner city public school, is an adjunct professor in Education & Human Services, and is faculty for the Institute for Equity Centered Coaching. She has B.A. in Sociology, an M.S. in Nonprofit and Philanthropy, and a Ph.D. in Social and Community Service. Her research involves young women. Dr. Boz continuously spreads her message of H.E.R.S - health, empowerment, resilience, and self-worth in workshops, as a keynote speaker, and as a life coach, in print, and on stage.
Jill has been working in the nonprofit field for more than a decade, with a focus on development, project management, and partnership-building using a collaborative, community-centric approach. Currently, she leads development efforts at Mass Humanities, whose mission is to create opportunities for the people of Massachusetts to transform their lives and build a more equitable commonwealth through the humanities. She holds an MS in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University and BA in English Language & Literature from the University of Vermont. Jill also serves on the board of directors for Dress for Success Western MA as well as the grantmaking committee for UMass Amherst's Fine Arts Center. She lives in Amherst and enjoys writing and exploring new places.
Josiah co-founded LightHouse with Catherine Gobron and co-directed the organization for the first three years, building it from an idea into a thriving reality. In 2018 Josiah and his family relocated to Minnesota, where he was Vice President of Student Affairs and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Minnesota State College Southeast, a technical and community college. Since 2023 Josiah has served as the inaugural Executive Director of the Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership, a statewide initiative to strengthen educational outcomes for learners of all ages across Minnesota. Josiah remains deeply connected to LightHouse as a consultant, senior advisor, and enthusiastic supporter.
Josiah has been in the field of education for twenty years, as a teacher, mentor, and administrator at all age levels. Prior to co-founding LightHouse Holyoke, Josiah spent a decade working with college-age students at Hampshire College. He has a particular passion for progressive education, with a focus on issues of student identity, inclusion, and advocacy.
Josiah has previously served on a number of nonprofit boards and has proudly consulted as a social justice facilitator with the National Conference for Community and Justice of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
Josiah has a Master of Arts degree in higher education administration from Goddard College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education from Hampshire College.
Sita has 20+ years of experience helping organizations, communities, and networks imagine, learn, and collaborate. She co-founded dpict, a facilitation firm specializing in process design, visualization, sensemaking, and collaborative environments. Her career has involved extensive international work in multi-stakeholder initiatives at the intersection of global systems. When her first child was born, she felt called to direct her attention to local experimentation in service of intergenerational learning, community weaving, and civic engagement. She co-founded Easthampton Co.Lab, a community-based co-working and learning space, and Fort Future, a space for creative, intergenerational learning. She is a member of the Connecticut River Valley Bioregional Collaborative and The Value Web, a global community focused on transforming decision-making. She is on the core team of the Ford Foundation’s Ford Global Fellows program and the Learning Innovations Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (part of Project Zero). She is actively involved in several regional planning initiatives and loves imagining and experimenting with new models for citizen-driven decision-making. She is also a board member of the Co-Intelligence Institute, where she works with others to promote innovations in collective wisdom, co-creativity, and collaborative governance.
Sita is thrilled to support LightHouse and doubly delighted to have her oldest child join the school in fall 2023!
Anthony Scibelli is the Vice President, Operations and Chief Administrative Officer for Cooley Dickinson Health Care (a subsidiary of Massachusetts General Hospital) in Northampton, Massachusetts. Anthony is responsible for all aspects of the support services operations departments (nutrition, housekeeping, facilities, safety/security) as well as human resources, performance improvement, volunteer services, medical imaging, rehab services, lab, oncology services, pharmacy, urgent care, and home care & hospice.
Anthony has been with Cooley Dickinson since December 2014 and is a native of Springfield MA. Prior to joining Cooley Dickinson, Anthony lived in Upstate NY and held the position of Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Support Services and Post Acute with the Mohawk Valley Health System in Utica, New York. Prior to his healthcare career, Anthony worked in various human resources roles in the supermarket industry (Big Y, ShopRite and The Penn Traffic Company).
Anthony earned a bachelors degree in education from Worcester State College, Worcester MA and is a graduate of Lesley University in Cambridge MA with a Masters Degree in Training & Development. In 2012, he obtained a MBA from the University At Albany in Albany NY.
Anthony lives in South Hadley, and serves on the board at the Northampton Survival Center, as well as the Franklin/Hampshire County Regional Employment Board.
