Leadership Team

Overview

UTEC’s Leadership Team represents all programmatic, administrative, fiscal and social enterprise areas of the organization. This inclusive group provides invaluable insights and recommendations in; decision-making, communication with staff, policy development and strategic planning. Their input guides all advancements at UTEC in a cross agency manner designed to best serve our young adults.

Gregg Croteau

Chief Executive Officer

Gregg Croteau

Chief Executive Officer

Hired as UTEC’s first Chief Executive Officer by the founding group of teens and community leaders, Gregg has overseen the growth of the agency from a grassroots safe haven to a nationally recognized youth development agency. Gregg came to UTEC with youthwork experience that ranged from streetwork to program development in Detroit, East Boston, and his hometown of Revere, MA. With an interest in Vietnamese culture ,stemming from his work with gang-involved Southeast Asian youth in the Boston area, he spent two years working and conducting research in Hanoi, Vietnam, gaining fluency in Vietnamese language and history. He has presented at various conferences locally and nationally, and has testified at the state and federal levels, including a 2007 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gang violence through the invitation of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He has received recognition ranging from the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leader Award to the Youth Advocacy Foundation’s Commitment to Justice Award. In 2014, he was honored with the “Greatest Contribution to Social Work Practice” by the National Association of Social Workers–MA Chapter. In March 2015, Gregg was appointed to the Governor’s task force on Economic Opportunity for Populations Facing Chronically High Rates of Unemployment. He is also a Leap of Reason Ambassador. Gregg received his B.A. from Wesleyan University (majoring in East Asian Studies). He then earned his Masters of Social Work, along with associated masters coursework in Southeast Asian Studies, from the University of Michigan.

Terri Steingrebe

Chief Financial Officer

Terri Steingrebe

Chief Financial Officer

Terri’s career has included work in for-profit (technology) and non-profit (Financial Services and Behavioral Health) organizations before coming to UTEC in 2017. Her experience includes finance, and operations management. At UTEC, Terri leads the Finance team and Outsourced IT team and is part of the UTEC Leadership Team. She works with all staff across UTEC. Her favorite UTEC values are Respectful Curiosity, and Think Big and she is an obsessive gardener. Terri holds a BBA in Business from Penn State University.

Sako Long

Senior Director of Strategy

Sako Long

Senior Director of Strategy

Sakieth “Sako” Long has lived and worked in Lowell for over 35 years. Sako grew up in Lowell and, as an immigrant, understands some of the challenges that Lowellians face. Sako started his career in youth development working as an Outreach Worker for UTEC. He spent the next 12 years helping UTEC develop programs to help serve proven at- risk youth. Sako left UTEC and worked for the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association (CMAA) and then Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA). Sako returned to UTEC in 2020 and is the Senior Director of Re-entry and Outreach. Sako also serves as the Board President for Thrive Communities. He truly believes in our community and continues to be active in as many ways possible. In his free time Sako loves to be out on the water, he’s an avid fisherman, loves the outdoors, competing competitively in cornhole, and spending time with his wife and 2 amazing daughters.

Will Vilas-Novas

Director of Workforce Development

Will Vilas-Novas

Director of Workforce Development

Will Vilas-Novas (a.k.a Will from Brazil) joined UTEC in January of 2013. Will’s favorite UTEC’s Core Values are Madd Love and See Beyond the Mask. He enjoys spending time with his family, coaching soccer, and traveling around the world.

Anita Moeller

Chief of Staff

Anita Moeller

Chief of Staff

Anita Moeller started her career in Lowell, MA as a community organizer with the Coalition for a Better Acre. From there she became the founding Executive Director of Acre Family Child Care, a non-profit early education and women’s economic development organization. After 15 years at AcreFCC, she joined the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). During her 16 years at EEC, she held many leadership and management roles including Head Start State Collaboration director and Deputy Commissioner for Program Administration. In her current role as Interim Chief of Staff at UTEC, Inc. Anita combines community-based development with her experience in management as she works to support UTEC in its work focused on social justice and increased opportunities for the young adults and families we serve. Anita’s favorite value is Planting Seeds of Peace.

Leslie Rivera

Assistant Director of Streetwork

Leslie Rivera

Assistant Director of Streetwork

Leslie Rivera is a community advocate and youthworker from Lowell, Massachusetts. Leslie is currently the Assistant Director of Streetworkers at UTEC supporting and coaching the Streetworker team. Leslie has worked in the youth development and community-building field for the last 20 years, the last 15 years at UTEC working with disconnected young adults in Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill. Leslie is a facilitator and culture keeper with experience in gang meditations, establishing gang peace treaties, coordinating community peace events, and street outreach. Leslie has held many roles at UTEC including supervisor of the Streetworker team, a Theory of Change committee member, and supervisor of the Transitional Coaching team at UTEC. Leslie is a trained Peacemaking Circle Keeper and is a Psychology major with ample life experience. She is currently part of the Leadership Team at UTEC and Chair of the DEI Advisory Committee. The community recognizes Leslie as a key person in Lowell as someone you can turn to for any type of help. She is affectionately nicknamed, “The Ghetto’s Angel.”

Sue Gladstone

Major Gifts Officer

Sue Gladstone

Major Gifts Officer

Sue’s career has included work in for-profit (tech, publishing) and non-profit (library, museum) organizations before coming to UTEC in 2017. Her experience includes marketing, fundraising, development and business management. At UTEC, Sue leads the Individual GIving Group and is part of the UTEC Leadership Team. She works with high-end individual and family donors and is also the relationship manager for many corporate supporters and funders. Her favorite UTEC values are contagious passion and a clean slate. Sue holds a BA in Sociology from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from Babson College.

Tamara Soraluz

Chief Programs Officer

Tamara Soraluz

Chief Programs Officer

Tamara Soraluz is a Peruvian immigrant who has worked with young adults for over 10 years. As a social worker and youth worker, Tamara’s favorite value has always been “Assume Goodness” because the heart is always good and young people have always proved this to be true.

Nichelle Sadler

Senior Director, UTEC Training Center

Nichelle Sadler

Senior Director, UTEC Training Center

Nichelle served as a senior program director at UTEC in 2012-2013 and then, in 2018, rejoined UTEC as Interim Chief Program Officer. She is now serving as the Director for the Training Center for Excellence (TC4E), the premier training facility in Massachusetts for addressing gun violence through both a public health and racial equity lens. Between her UTEC roles, Nichelle served as Chief of Staff to District Attorney-Elect Rachael Rollins and Chief of Staff to Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson. Raised in Boston, she actively participated in Boston’s local community centers throughout her youth. Following college, she joined the staff of Boston Community Centers’ Streetworker program where she began her career working high-risk youth at a very difficult time for the city when crime among youth was high. Prior to her work at UTEC, Nichelle was the Boston Area Director for Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, where she oversaw two community-based programs. Nichelle’s experience provides her with the kind of leadership and experience that is needed to undertake community initiatives serving impact young adults.

Anthony Ellis

Director of Transitional Coaching

Anthony Ellis

Director of Transitional Coaching

Anthony is the Director of Transitional Coaching . He is a long time resident of Lowell, working with UTEC for the past 18 years in a variety of roles. He is a graduate of UMASS Lowell with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. Anthony loves helping young adults, seeing them accomplish their goals, and moving on to be successful .

Ricardo Febles

Senior Director of Social Enterprises

Ricardo Febles

Senior Director of Social Enterprises

Ricardo Febles is the Senior Director of Social Enterprises for UTEC. He leads strategic operations of three social enterprises (Mattress Recycling, Culinary and Woodworking), and is responsible for determining opportunities for enterprise growth and expansion. He believes in being a sponge and is always striving to strengthen his skills by embracing feedback and working collaboratively.

Chris Austin

Director of Food Enterprises

Chris Austin

Director of Food Enterprises

Chris entered the food business as a 16 year old dishwasher and hasn’t left the business since. His career has led him from working in various forms of restaurants to being part of leadership teams at Whole Foods Market and Sweetgreen. Chris continues his work with food and food justice at UTEC where he oversees the operations for their food social enterprises. Chris is very proud of his part in launching the Madd Love Meals program that brings healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate food to the Merrimack Valley community.

Leadership Representation

We believe it is essential that the team responsible for making decisions represents the community we serve.