Staff Directory

Shirronda Almeida

Director, Mel King Institute

Shirronda Almeida, Director of The Mel King Institute for Community Building, assists CDCs in improving their capacity as community resources. Under the auspices of the Institute, launched in 2009, she manages the Professional Education trainings, Resident Leadership Academy, the Community Development Mentoring Program (in partnership with CHAPA) and other Field and Community Building efforts. The Institute partners to offer numerous trainings and seminar series for professionals, AmeriCorps members, Board members, residents and other local leaders in community development.

In 2024 she received Shirley Owens Hicks award for Nonprofit Leadership from the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.  In 2017, she was presented with the Nancy Nye Memorial Award by the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development. Shirronda is a gubernatorial appointee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and on the boards of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, OppCo and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. Prior to her time at MACDC, Shirronda worked in youth development programming, community organizing, prevention and public art programs. She holds a master's degree in education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Simmons University. Shirronda is Reiki Master and a yoga instructor.

Email: shirrondaa@macdc.org
Phone: (617) 379-5923

Victor Nascimento

Leadership Development Program Manager

Victor Nascimento manages the Mel King Institute's Public Housing Training Program, a resource for Public Housing Resident Board Members and supports Leadership Development for CDC Board members in the Resident Leadership Academy. Additionally, he supports the advancement of the MACDC Racial Equity Pledge and contributes to the Association's overall mission.

Victor immigrated to Boston from Latin America in his teens and has been a racial justice and immigrant rights advocate since his early youth. He earned a master's in public policy from the Tufts School of Urban and Environmental Planning and a BA in sociology from Tufts University. Before joining MACDC, Victor worked as an urban planner specializing in neighborhood planning and community engagement for nearly a decade. He has previous experience facilitating workshops for a state department-sponsored local government exchange program and conducting political outreach work throughout Massachusetts. He also has a professional background in the visual arts. 

In his free time, Victor enjoys reading, playing video games, and gardening.

Email: victorn@macdc.org

Kavi Neva

Program and Communications Coordinator

As a new Massachusetts resident with a passion for community building, Kavi sees his role at Mel King Institute as an opportunity to serve and familiarize himself with his new community, while also engaging with the professional side of the nonprofit field after several years of volunteer experience with organizations in New Hampshire, Quebec, and Massachusetts. Kavi began his career at Mel King Institute with a LISC Massachusetts AmeriCorps fellowship and eventually became their Program and Communications Coordinator after finishing his service term. 

Kavi is a recent graduate from Concordia University in Montreal, where he was a Sustainability Ambassador during his final year. He holds a bachelor's in English literature, minoring in human rights studies and also has experience working in healthcare and journalism.

Outside of work, he enjoys riding bikes, playing disc golf, and making clothes out of secondhand materials. 

Email: kavin@macdc.org

Phone: (617) 379 5935

Rodolfo Saldarriaga-Huallpa

Program Support Consultant

Rodolfo Saldarriaga finalized his studies in Community Psychology at the University of San Marcos, in Peru. After working for some years there in community outreach and youth-related work he immigrated to the USA, where he started working as a housing case manager and eventually went back to the scope of community-related work

Rodolfo performs different roles at different organizations concerning housing, leadership development, and community engagement. At the Mel King Institute, his primary focus of work is to support the management of the Resident Leadership Training for CDCs. 

Email: rjsaldarriagah@gmail.com

Phone: 781-790-3967