Community Engagement Managers

Kenya Beaman is a Community Engagement Manager and a lifelong resident of Mattapan. She has a Bachelor's degree in Social Work and a Masters degree in Organizational Management and Leadership. Since a child she valued and advocated for her Community. She's been working for the City of Boston since 2015.

Christine Brandao is a community engagement manager. She is a lifelong resident of Dorchester and currently lives in the Savin Hill neighborhood. Christine has worked for the City of Boston Parks Department as an Outreach Coordinator, and before that was the City of Boston liaison for Mid-Dorchester and the Cape Verdean Community.

Jonil is a community engagement manager focused on engaging the Spanish-speaking communities across Boston. He works to facilitate culturally sensitive conversations and ensures that Latinx groups are meaningfully included in the process of planning and building an equitable city. As the son of Dominican immigrants, he cares about ensuring everyone, regardless of the language they speak, can take part in the City's planning and development efforts.

Kristiana is a Deputy Director of Community Engagement. She works with all the community engagement managers, staff across the agency, and community members to support furthering the Planning Department's community engagement efforts. Specifically, her work supports creating new methods for engagement that are inclusive and bring in the voices and experiences of people who have historically not been included. With a background in public health and transportation advocacy, Kristiana thinks deeply about the interconnection between place, movement and how these impact our health and sense of community.

Naoise is a community engagement manager with a special focus on youth engagement. He works to facilitate culturally-sensitive conversation and understanding between community residents and staff and processes across the Planning Department. Born and raised in Boston and a product of BPS, Naoise advocates with the belief that empowering people, in true partnership, is the best path towards more equitable and resilient communities for all.

Mark McGonagle is a Deputy Director of Community Engagement. Mark is a lifelong resident of Boston and lives in the Ashmont area of Dorchester with his wife and two children. Mark has worked with the Planning Department since 2014 and previously worked in youth development and at the Boston City Council.

With over six years of working with the Planning Department, Jason "Jay" Ruggiero has played a key role in helping lead and implement many high-priority projects and planning initiatives. With some of his work including PLAN: East Boston and PLAN: Charlestown, many real estate dispositions and RFP processes, and supporting department transformations like Article 80 Modernization, Jay recognizes the importance of collaboration in achieving meaningful progress and is committed to promoting transparency, fairness, and inclusivity across all the work. Throughout his career, Jay has dedicated himself to building meaningful bridges between communities and government, ensuring diverse voices are heard and included in the decision-making process. Jay grew up in East Boston and continues to live there today.