Board of Directors

Konique Ballah is the Senior Administrator for Quality and Compliance in the Transplant Service Line at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). In this role, she oversees the Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement Program and is responsible for regulatory compliance.

She previously served as the Administrative Director of Transplant Administration at BWH.

She received an A.B. in Community Health from Brown University and a Master of Public Health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University

In addition to serving on the Board of Families First, she is also a member of the Breakfast Committee.

Michael Caljouw is Vice President for Government and Regulatory Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts where he leads the largest Massachusetts health plan’s regulatory, policy, and legislative agenda.

Mike graduated from Boston Latin School, Williams College, and Suffolk University Law School, where he was an Editor of the Law Review and earned his Juris Doctorate cum laude. He taught at Boston University School of Law and appears often as a guest lecturer and expert on topics of interest to the health care, legal, and public policy community. Most recently, he has lectured and written extensively on federal health care reform and cost containment efforts affecting Massachusetts.

Gary Creem is a Corporate partner and member of the Private Credit and Finance Groups at Proskauer Rose.

He focuses his practice on complex corporate finance transactions, including leveraged sponsor buyouts, acquisition financing, and recapitalization transactions.

Gary routinely represents an array of leading institutional investors in direct, club, and syndicated financing transactions in the middle market and upper middle market, often involving cross-border components. His clients include leading investment banks, institutional investors, private debt funds, and business development companies, and he advises these clients on a range of credit products across the capital spectrum.

“I hope to bring a perspective from the receiving end of the program, knowing the impact it has had in my life and other parents’ lives.”

Mirella, who joined the Families First board in spring 2019, is a medical laboratory technologist at New England Baptist hospital and lives in Boston with her two daughters. A two-time participant in Families First programs, Mirella continues to be part of our parenting program through her work as a Parent Leader.

Ariel Cudkowicz is the co-chair of Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s national Employment Litigation and Counseling Practice Group and serves on the firm’s national Labor and Employment Steering Committee. He is the Associate Managing Partner of the Boston Office. Ariel advises Fortune 100 corporations on compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws and avoidance of litigation under those laws. He received his JD from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester.

Ariel joined the Families First board in 2017. After attending and supporting Families First’s annual Breakfast Benefit for more than a decade, he took on the role of Co-Chair of the Breakfast Committee in 2017 and has increased the event’s success significantly. Ariel lives in Newton with his wife and son.

As an educator, clinician, and social worker, Michelle has worked in the areas of child welfare, early education, homelessness, substance abuse, and domestic violence. In addition to her professional experience, Michelle also brings a belief in the wonder of childhood, the power of healing, and the importance of laughter.

She is currently an Intensive Foster Care Coordinator for the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Michelle holds a Master of Science in Social Work from Simmons College, and she is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker. After serving as a Parenting Educator for many years, Michelle joined Families First’s board in 2016.

Jim is a senior associate in the Boston office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. A member of the Labor and Employment Department as well as the ERISA & Employee Benefits Litigation Team, his practice is focused on the representation of management in a variety of employment matters.  He received his JD from Harvard Law School, an MBA from the University of Illinois, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Millikin University. Prior to law school, Jim worked for several years as a consultant with Arthur Andersen, focusing on clients in the financial services, healthcare, and education industries. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant.

In addition to being a member of the Families First Board, Jim is a member of the Finance & Audit Committee and the Breakfast Committee.

Erin Liang is on the government affairs team at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where she works with Massachusetts elected officials as well as nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining Vertex, Erin worked on a legislative and policy agenda for the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. Erin is a graduate of Wake Forest University, New England Law Boston, and Boston University School of Public Health.

She is also on the board of the Asian American Women’s Political Initiative and co-founded a networking group for women in health policy called the WIHP (Women in Health Policy).

Erin lives in Boston with her husband Sam, her son Oliver, and her dachshund Pixel.

As a Client Service Lead with Slalom Consulting’s Boston office, Quinn Moore directs teams of technology and business advisory consultants serving locally-based companies to build for their future. Defining and delivering solutions spanning customer experience, application development, analytics, and organizational change management, these teams support clients ranging from Fortune 500 to emerging mid-market growth companies. Quinn’s internal operations responsibilities include business development, career mentoring, and corporate citizenship leadership.

Quinn joined the Families First board in 2018. He grew up in western Pennsylvania and graduated from Brown University with a combined Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. He now lives in Jamaica Plain with his two sons.

Judi Remondi is President and Founder of RMS Direct, a consultancy specializing in business-to-business relationship marketing.

Prior to opening her own consulting firm, Judi was Director of Business Strategy in the Technology and Telecommunications Business Practice for Epsilon Data Management, then a subsidiary of American Express.

In addition to commercial clients, she has done extensive pro bono work for several non-profits, including Rosie’s Place (a homeless shelter in Boston), Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, Citizens Schools, the Wheeler School, Reading is Fundamental, Families First, Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), and College Parents of America.

Carolina is the Site Coordinator at Jamaica Plain Community Connections Coalition Tree of Life & Family Engagement Network.

She was born and raised in Colombia, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from San Buenaventua University in Medellin-Colombia. She also holds a certification from the Center of Educational Certification in Boston (CED).

In 2009, Carolina came to the United States as an Au pair and from then on, she has worked with young children and their families.

Adam L. Steinberg is a Principal of Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group, specializing in arranging joint venture equity partnerships, preferred equity partnerships, and high-leverage mezzanine loans. Since joining Ackman-Ziff in 2004, Adam has closed dozens of transactions aggregating more than $2 billion of equity capital. Adam co-heads Ackman-Ziff’s Equity Business as well as Equity Approval Committee, which reviews and approves all new equity assignments.

Ally has long been interested in child welfare, particularly at the intersection of children’s issues and the legal system. Ally earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Development from Cornell University, and graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she participated in the Child Advocacy Clinic and interned with the Child Protection Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.

Ally lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea with her two children, Anne and Henry.

Adebola Yakubu-Owolewa is a lifelong resident of Roxbury, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston Latin School and matriculated at Harvard College, where she earned an A.B. in Applied Mathematics. She worked as a Pharmaceutical Representative for 14 months after college and decided to pursue a career in medicine. She resigned from her pharmaceutical position, took a chance on herself, and enrolled in the post-baccalaureate program at Harvard Extension School to complete her premedical requirements. She also volunteered for three years in the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s Foot Clinic at St. Francis House taking care of homeless people. Adebola went on to earn her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in Forensic Pathology. She works in Boston as a Board-certified Forensic Pathologist.