Priscilla Rojas, Chair

2015–Present

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In addition to her role at the BPDA, Priscilla is the Head of Internal Audit & Compliance at Takeoff Technologies. She has 16+ years of international audit and consulting experience with numerous Fortune 500 companies, including Deloitte, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, and John Hancock. Her professional endeavors have helped her gain hands-on experience working in over a dozen countries, throughout Europe, Asia and Australia.

Priscilla holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from DePaul University and is a licensed Certified Internal Auditor (CIA®), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP^®), and Certified ISO 27001 Information Security Lead Auditor.

Priscilla commits her passion and leadership to organizations supporting people of color, women, and the arts. She serves as board Treasurer and Audit Committee Chair for Futuro Media Group, an independent nonprofit organization committed to producing ethical journalism from a POC perspective.

Priscilla also served as a member of the Boston Cultural Council for six years and was recognized in the 2016 Boston’s Extraordinary Women Campaign, highlighting women that do extraordinary work within the Boston community.

Priscilla resides in Mattapan with her husband, Jabes Rojas.

Kate Bennett, Member

2023–Present

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Dr. Theodore C. Landsmark, Member

2014–Present

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Dr. Ted Landsmark has been Director of the Kitty & Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University since 2016. During his seventeen-year tenure as President and CEO of the Boston Architectural College, Dr. Landsmark helped to grow the school from a center into an internationally recognized institution. In August 2014, Ted was named President Emeritus of the college. He brings with him to the board a wealth of expertise in architecture, urban design, civic leadership, and architectural and construction law.

A graduate of Yale with a Ph.D. from Boston University, Ted has established himself as an innovative leader with a passion for public service. He has traveled the world extensively to study cities – from London and Paris to Istanbul and Tokyo – and facilitated planning sessions in New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia.

Ted has served as a trustee or board member for several organizations, including the American Architectural Foundation, Historic New England and Historic Boston, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He was also president of the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

Ted is a longtime resident of Jamaica Plain.

Matt O’Malley, Member

2024–Present

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Matt O’Malley serves on the BPDA Board as an appointee of Governor Maura Healey. O’Malley served six terms on the Boston City Council in the 6th district seat and vacated his council seat in 2022. His district included the neighborhoods of West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, parts of Roslindale and Roxbury, and the Back of the Hill. While on the City Council, O’ Malley advocated for stronger environmental and resilience protections in Boston. He sponsored an ordinance requiring buildings in the city that are larger than 20,000 square feet to reach net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050, which was signed into law in 2021. In addition, he advocated that the City divest from fossil fuels, which was also signed into law by Mayor Wu in 2021. Since vacating his council seat, he has been working as the Chief Sustainability Officer for Vicinity Energy, where he oversees decarbonization efforts and ways to transition from reliance on fossil fuels in 12 U.S. cities. O’Malley grew up in Roslindale and currently lives in West Roxbury.

Raheem Shepard, Member

2023–Present

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Raheem Shepard serves on the BPDA Board as a mayoral appointee. Shepard is the Regional Manager of the North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters for the City of Boston. In this role, he oversees 5,000 members and supervises all personnel and activities throughout the locals within his region. As Council President, he also chairs quarterly meetings with delegates who represent the members and their needs. His appointment to the BPDA Board upholds Boston’s longstanding tradition of including union representation on the Board. As a member of the ZBA, Shepard reviews development proposals that require zoning relief and works with his fellow ZBA members and the Chief of Planning to help advance the Mayor’s goal of rebuilding trust with communities through planning-led development while advancing equity, affordability, and resilience across all functions of the City’s development review process. Shepard lives in Hyde Park.