Leadership Team

Hired as UTEC’s first Chief Executive Officer by the founding group of young adults and community leaders in 2000, Gregg has overseen the growth of the agency from a grassroots safe haven to a nationally recognized youth development organization. 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, he spent two years working and conducting research in Hanoi, gaining fluency in Vietnamese language. He has testified at the state and federal levels – one highlight being the 2007 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gang violence through the invitation of the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. He has had the pleasure of leading coalitions to help advocate for the passage of key bills, as well as new programs in our state budget. He is honored to have received awards over his career as a testament to UTEC’s overall work, but most appreciative of the relationships with young adults and staff that have helped bring UTEC’s values of madd love and clean slate to life in so many ways. Gregg received his B.A. from Wesleyan University (majoring in East Asian Studies). He earned his Masters of Social Work from the University of Michigan, along with associated masters coursework in Southeast Asian Studies. He is a proud son, father, grandfather, grand-dog dad, and third baseman for the Boston Astros (“professionally” amateur baseball league!).

Masiel joined the UTEC team in February 2023. Masiel’s career has spanned 17 years of working in various roles in the accounting and finance field with a focus on non-profit organizations. Her previous leadership positions are serving as the Chief Financial Officer for Lawrence Public Schools for 3.5 years and 2 years before that as the financial controller for the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Previous positions include an accounting manager at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a senior accountant at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn and Queens, and analyst positions at Sappi and PWC.

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.

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 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.

Ana Victoria Morales-Capellán is a highly accomplished policy professional with extensive experience in government affairs, advocacy, and coalition building. As the Senior Policy Director at UTEC, Inc. in Lowell, MA, Ana has successfully advocated for statewide funding for gun violence prevention, re-entry services for returning citizens, and probation services for formerly incarcerated individuals in Massachusetts. She also leads statewide coalitions for innovative justice reform initiatives through a family prosperity lens and two-generational approaches to services provided for families who are justice-involved and for emerging adults. Prior to her current role, Ana served as a Policy Manager at the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund, where she was a lead advocate representing the organization on the Roe Act coalition and built relationships with state-level and federal legislators on outreach for events, community forums, and actions. She also designed and led the endorsement process for all state-level races in Massachusetts. Ana has held several other notable positions, including Chief of Staff for the City of Lawrence, MA, Political Coordinator for the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, and Deputy Political Director for Senator Elizabeth Warren. Throughout her career, Ana has demonstrated a strong commitment to community leadership and activism, serving as a Lawrence Licensing Board Commissioner, Essex Art Center Board Member, Lawrence Mayoral Candidate, and Member of the Lawrence Evangelical Church. Ana is a skilled communicator and is fluent in both English and Spanish. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University in Political Science, Spanish, and Dance.

Amanda Kuffoh recently joined UTEC in mid August of 2022. She serves as the Senior Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/Professional Development. Prior to this role, she was working with Greater Boston Legal Services as a Legal Advocate where she represented clients who needed assistance or representation on matters such as employment discrimination, SNAP assistance, and housing advocacy for marginalized and low income communities. She also worked with the NAACP as an Organizer and D.E.I education liaison where she assisted in the movement of racial justice in the state of Massachusetts. Amanda holds degrees in Political Science, Philosophy and Government. She hopes to assist and guide UTEC in leading the revolution of DEI and social justice.

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.

Jessica joined UTEC in April 2021 as a Special Projects Consultant, and then in March of 2022, she transitioned into the role of Sr. Director of Special Projects. Before starting her own consulting business, Jessica was the Chief Operating Officer for various organizations in the Education, Training, and Development industries. Jessica has over 15 years of experience and has helped organizations and teams expand their skills, learn how to support each other, and put knowledge into practice for overall personal and professional success, thus increasing productivity and effectiveness. She successfully prioritizes and drives multiple concurrent projects while utilizing data and analytics to inform decision-making processes. In addition Jessica was simultaneously and successfully writing, administrating, and reporting on state and federal grants. Over the years, Jessica has also provided consultation for non-profit organizations, helping them identify, create, and implement key new start-up programming and providing guidance and/or creating systems for effective operations.

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 .

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.