Board of Directors
The members of our Board of Directors are all volunteers, dedicated to making sure Stavros services meet the needs of the disability community of the Pioneer Valley. By law, more than half of them are themselves persons with disabilities, and they use their experiences - in accounting, banking, the law, business, and advocates - to develop plans for the future.
Directors
Glenn Hartmann
President
Glenn Hartmann has served on the board of Stavros, a center for independent living for people with disabilities and hearing loss, for 28 years, and has received the Ted Martineau Award for his activism. Hartmann has volunteered extensively, including delivering durable medical equipment to Haiti and helping six Vietnamese children gain access to orthopedic treatment. He and his wife started Health and Education for Vietnamese Youth, a nonprofit that supports 75 children's education and brings others to receive medical care. Hartmann believes that everyone should work together to care for one another and improve life for all.
Bryan Marshall
Vice President
Bryan Marshall is devoted to the pursue of equity and access for people with disabilities. As the Vice President of the Stavros Board of Directors he works to ensure Stavros continues to be relevant to the communities we serve.
Greta LaMountain Biagi
Clerk
Greta LaMountain Biagi was born in western Massachusetts and has spent most of her life in the Amherst area and in Boston, where she lived for 13 years. She has been an attorney for 20 years, in solo practice for 12 years, and sits on the Board of Directors of Stavros as Secretary. She has been a board member since 2006 and is proud to work with this amazing organization.
Justin Pelis
Treasurer
Justin Pelis, who has lived most of his life in Northampton, has extensive leadership and managerial experience as a business owner, the Executive Director of Look Park, and in the community in various service roles, including Treasurer of the Board of Directors at Stavros Center for Independent Living and the Northampton St. Patrick’s Day Committee. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Springfield Technical Community College in Landscape Design & Management Technology and an instructor in the recently established landscape skills training class for the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office.
Chelvanaya Gabriel
Chelvanaya Gabriel (they/them) is a queer trans non-binary disabled multidisciplinary artivist and resilience facilitator. They currently work at Hampshire College as the sciences lab manager and graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Chemistry & Asian Studies. A prolific self-taught visual artist, they found an Audre Lorde-inspired form of self-care and healing-survival through painting after the 2016 election.
Current exhibitions have included a curated group show “Emergence: QT/BIPOC Aesthetic Abundance” at Pulp Holyoke and a solo show “The Emergent Imaginal” at 50 Arrow Gallery.
They create space within their work, and in community, where stories of wellness, trauma, disability, and neurodiversity, especially of QT/BIPOC folx, can be witnessed and collectively processed. Decolonizing contemplative practices and embodying ancestral knowledge are key elements of their work. With an afroqueerfuturist/disability justice lens, the inquiry “Whose stories aren’t being told here?” informs them as they seek new ways to hold space for all the complex stories that must be told.
Nayana LaFond
Nayana LaFond is a full time multidisciplinary artist and activist who resides with her child in western Massachusetts. She attended Greenfield Community College and Massachusetts College of Art for Photography and then dropped out to become a full time painter. Her paintings can be seen in collections in galleries and museums around the world. Nayana has also been a curator and community arts organizer for over 20 years, including former founding Chief Curator for The Whitney Center for the Arts. She also sits on several arts organization boards, including as an executive board member of Artist Organized Art, and is an advisory board member for Be The Change and The Native Youth Empowerment Foundation. In addition to being a painter and photographer Nayana is also a sculptor. Her sculpture “Zoongide’e” (sculpture about domestic abuse) , a metal, plexiglass and concrete wetu (Wigwam) was on display outside Fenway Park in Boston for the summer and fall of 2022. Nayana’s work often deals with issues related to trauma and violence including her experiences as a Leukemia and Bone Marrow transplant and DV survivor.
Matthew Mattingly
I am retired after working at UMass IT for 20 years, where I directed a group of website and multimedia developers and acquired an interest in digital accessibility. That, and living with a disabled family member, has made me keenly aware of disability issues in general. Besides that, I spend my time making and showing art in the area.
www.Matthewmattingly.com
Audrey Millgate
Zonta Club of Northampton Area, Treasurer. Ahem Temple #84 Daughters of the Nile
Samm Nelson
Samm Nelson, CPACC, (she/her) as the IT Digital Accessibility and Assistive Technology Specialist provides training to UMASS students, staff and faculty on assistive technology tools for education and employment across the diverse learning spectrum. Passionate about assistive technology and web accessibility, Samm gives presentations to the campus community on the use of assistive technology for both persons with disabilities and able-bodied persons
Joanna Rodriguez
Joanna Rodriguez has been a proud resident of Springfield since 1999. A graduate of Commerce High School's Class of 2003, Joanna has always been passionate about sports, both as an athlete and later as a coach. For over 20 years, she has dedicated herself to serving as a Personal Care Assistant (PCA), building strong connections with those she cares for.
Joanna is a devoted mother who has done a tremendous job raising her daughter, taking on the roles of both a basketball and pageant mom. In her free time, she loves spending time at the ocean, attending community events, and cherishing moments with her family. As one of five siblings, Joanna sits uniquely between two sets of twins—one older and one younger—adding to the vibrant dynamic of her family life.
David Robinson
Mr. Robinson is a retired longtime employee of Stavros, a musician, a baseball enthusiast, a grandfather and a husband. He is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. He promotes the mission and vision of the organization and is an active ambassador for Stavros.
Janet Shaw
Janet is a retired longtime employee of Stavros and lifelong advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. She taught hundreds of folks Independent Living skills and rights regarding self determination. She continues as aa member of the board of directors to help insure the continuing operation of Stavros and it's philosophy so that we may continue to provide extraordinary services to our consumers.
Sheila Shea
Sheila Shea, a Western Massachusetts native from a civic-minded family of four siblings, initially served her country in the Army for five years before embarking on a 19-year career as a tractor-trailer truck driver. In 2016, a car accident changed the course of her life, resulting in quadriplegia. Undeterred, Sheila turned adversity into advocacy by volunteering with the Christopher Reeves Foundation and becoming an active member of the Spinal Cord Injury, Western MA Group. Through her inspiring journey, Sheila embodies resilience, strength, and a commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of those facing similar challenges.
Don Vadnais
I am current resident of Chicopee Massachusetts. Along with being a member of the Stavros B.O.D. I have worked with Greater Springfield Senior Services Money Management Program as a volunteer and employee. I have also had involvement as a ember of the Chicopee Commission on disability for many years although not current engaged.