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Richard Chavez
Richard Chavez, has worked in banking for more than 25 years. He currently serves as a Senior Vice President and Senior Lender for Enterprise Bank and Trust Company, and manages a portfolio of close to $100M. He has received the President’s Club and Gold Club recognition multiple years in a row for exceeding sales goals. Prior to Enterprise Bank, Richard worked as a Senior Credit Analyst at First Essex Bank in Lawrence and Grove Bank in Chestnut Hill. Richard has active on many non-profit Boards in the Greater Lowell community including, Big Brother/Big Sister, Lowell Rotary, Lowell Portuguese Language School, and Coalition for a Better Acre.
He has been a Counselor and Advisory Board member for the Lowell Small Business Assistant Center, and the Co-Founder for United for Latin America, and volunteer at St. Baldrick’s and for Latin Connections at Middlesex Community College.
Richard gives of his time generously and serves as Chairman of the Loan Committee Program at Community Teamwork’s Entrepreneurship Center. He received the “People Who Make A Difference Award” from Middlesex Community College and the Community Bank Heroes Award by Banker & Trademan.
Cathy Mercado,
Executive Director, Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership
Cathy, an MVHP homebuyer and lifelong resident of Lowell, assumed the position of Executive Director in 2022, after having joined the staff in 2015. Her personal experience as a first generation homebuyer instilled in her a desire to assist others through housing advocacy, motivating her to make a career change.
Cathy’s extensive involvement in the community and leadership development is evidenced by her roles on numerous boards, including The Center for Hope and Healing, Abundant Housing Massachusetts, Acre Family Child Care, Common Ground Housing, and Fortaleza, among others. Furthermore, she serves on the Policy Leadership Council for Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), and the Executive Committee of Lowell Development & Financial Corporation. She is also the co-founder of Lowell Housing Coalition and a committee member of the Massachusetts Homeownership Collaborative.
Cathy’s professional development includes certifications such as the HUD Homebuyer Counselor Certification and completion of the Core Program at Tufts University’s Institute for Nonprofit Practice. Additionally, she has completed the LEADS Executive Education Fellowship and earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Middlesex Community College
Stacey L. Thompson
Stacey Thompson is the first Black person and woman of color elected to the Lowell School Committee and the first Black woman elected to any municipal office in the City of Lowell. While Stacey has broken through race and gender barriers, she identifies seeing the changes in engagement in young people and finally having City leadership declare racism a public health crisis as two of the most rewarding aspects of her roles as a member of the School Committee and DEI Consortium-Lowell.
The proud daughter of a 45-year veteran educator and a teacher of 11 years herself, Stacey greatly values the power in the student-teacher relationship. From Stacey’s experience of being a first-generation student and an educator, she knows that consistency, encouragement, and realness play a huge difference in the life of each student.
In addition to her work on the School Committee, Stacey has contributed her time in various ways to make Lowell a better place to live and work for all individuals and families. She currently serves as a board member for the Lowell Telemedia Company in service of its mission to empower and connect all residents, businesses and organizations in the city. She worked directly with Lowell Lines and Lowell Votes organizations to spread awareness to people surrounding the new voting systems and has advocated for financial wellness curriculum, an enhanced district incident reporting system, and cultural and linguistically sustainable practices within the Lowell Public School System. Stacey has also offered her time as a keynote speaker at UMass Lowell, Lowell Public Schools, National Association for WorkfLorce Development Professionals, and The White House.
Stacey holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology Pre-Law from Boston College. In addition, she is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, MBTI Certified Instructor, Certified Educator in Personal Finance, and Certified in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace. Most recently, Stacey became a LEADS Fellow, through Harvard University and she was awarded the 2021 Institute for Nonprofit Practice Changemaker of the Year Award. Stacey is also is playwright and director of the Drama Ministry at her church.
Stacey lives in Lowell and is the Director of Workforce Learning and Development for Lowell Community Health Center.