Carmen Arce
Chief Operating Officer

Carmen Arce is the Chief Operating Officer of The Partnership, a Boston-based organization dedicated to attracting, developing, and retaining professionals at all levels in the careers.

Before joining The Partnership, she served as Director of Personnel and Administration for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, managing executive branch appointments. Earlier, as Project Director at ONE Massachusetts, she trained over 250 community leaders on public policy and community empowerment.

Carmen currently serves on the boards of WBUR – Boston NPR news station, the Massachusetts Conference for Women, and the leadership board of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is also a member of the Governor’s Council on Latino Empowerment. Her past board work includes the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, MassVote, La Colaborativa, Emerge Massachusetts, and Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, where she chaired the inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Global Education trustee committee.

Her honors include the Tufts University’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award, Boston Business Journal’s 2018 40 Under 40, Amplify LatinX ALX100, and the Commonwealth Seminar 20 for 20 distinguished alumni. Business leaders also selected her to be part of a 10-member cohort representing Boston at the Harvard Business School “Young American Leaders Program. The Red Sox also recognized her on the field during their inaugural Women’s Celebration Night.

A native of Mexico, Carmen holds a LL.B from Universidad Panamericana, an LL.M from Suffolk University Law School, and a MALD from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, with a focus on international development. She lives in Watertown, MA with her daughter Pilar.

Anjali Worah
Chief Transformation Officer

Anjali Worah is driving the Digital Transformation changes at The Partnership, Inc. She has 20 years of experience delivering product and technology solutions across multiple industries, including eCommerce, Financial Services, Higher Education, and multiple early stage startups.

Roseann Carbone
Senior Executive Assistant to the President and CEO

Roseann Carbone is the Senior Executive Assistant to the President and CEO, Pratt Wiley, and liaison to the Board of Directors. Roseann provides administrative and scheduling support to Pratt Wiley. Roseann is also the liaison to the C-Suite Program and is responsible for the execution of all of The Partnership’s C-Suite events.

Prior to joining The Partnership Inc., Roseann was at John Hancock for 22 years holding various administrative positions in areas such as Group Insurance, Real Estate Law, IT and Community Relations.

Claire Cooper
Vice President, Business Development

Claire Cooper is the Vice President of Business Development at The Partnership where she works to build and support relationships with employers,talent and business leaders, and connects organizations and individuals to The Partnership’s programs and services.

Claire has nearly fifteen years of experience in partnerships, programs, and community engagement in both the public and non-profit sectors. She has spent the last three years in the business community, serving most recently for the last two years as Vice President of Public Policy and Operations at the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and previously as Director of Partnerships and Programs at the Alliance for Business Leadership. She previously spent three years at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate where she served as Director of Community Engagement and produced dozens of programs with national political leaders and deepened partnerships with youth and educational organizations within Columbia Point. She also worked as a founding staff member at HubWeek where she launched and grew the organization’s partnership network citywide. She also served in the administration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, where she advanced community relations on health care issues. She started her career working in legislative advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights and ACLU of Maine.

Claire has a Bachelor’s Degree in Government & Legal Studies and Religion from Bowdoin College. She is also an alum of The Partnership’s Next Generation Executive Program, Class of 2023. 

Jacquetta Van Zandt
Vice President, Engagement

Jacquetta Van Zandt is the Vice President of Engagement at the Partnership, Inc. Jacquetta is responsible for building, coordinating, and maintaining strategic relationships across the civic, political and business sectors. In this role, The Vice President manages long-term strategic thinking regarding the Partnership’s relationships to build systemic and sustainable influence in furtherance of the organization’s mission.

Prior to joining The Partnership, Inc, Van Zandt honed a political skill set on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. as well as various state and federal campaigns, Jacquetta has been a respected voice at the table to aid in making significant decisions that impact communities of color.

A highly sought-after political strategist, with a special focus on public policy and diversity initiatives, her desire to bring about equal opportunities for women of color has brought her back to Massachusetts. Her goal towards making an impact on her community and to bring important issues to light such as pay equity, financial literacy, socioeconomic development, women’s empowerment, and diversifying the legislature are at the heart of today’s most important issues. She was instrumental force on many campaigns including the successful campaign of Framingham’s first Mayor and only popularly elected woman of color to that post.

Van Zandt along with Lori Lennon launched a growing and popular zoom-cast/podcast called “Politics and Prosecco.” Politics and Prosecco is a one-hour show where guests and hosts engage in topics surrounding current events and its impact on everyday life. In addition to hosting “Politics and Prosecco,” Van Zandt currently serves on the board of directors for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts.

Born and raised in Boston, MA, Van Zandt graduated from Mount Ida College (now part of the UMASS education system) with a B.S. in Criminal Justice. She resides in Quincy, MA.

Stephanie Cerezo
Director of Marketing

Stephanie Cerezo is the Director of Marketing at The Partnership, Inc. She is responsible for elevating The Partnership’s brand, expanding the organization’s reach, and creating lasting connections within The Partnership community. As a Marketer and Project Management professional, she integrates tech solutions into all aspects of her work. She has a background in communications, graphic design, business development, people management and process improvement and is a convener, facilitator and thought leader.

Sharing in The Partnership’s three-prong approach, a commitment to community is one of Stephanie’s core values and her most recent service to her community include: served as the Director of Marketing for ALPFA New York, served on the Women of ALPFA National Strategic Development Committee, Executive Committee Member At-Large of the NAACP Islip Town Branch and as a Big (Mentor) for Big Brothers, Big Sisters; she has also had the privilege to serve on both the 2022 and 2023 Boston Juneteenth at Franklin Park committee.

Stephanie is a first-generation higher education graduate who holds a B.A. from Stony Brook University and an M.A. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. As a proud Puerto Rican woman from New York, her life is committed to the advancement, success, and prosperity of all people of Color in every space and place we inhabit.

Sebastian Patino
Director of Alumni Engagement

Sebastian leads efforts to strengthen the alumni community. He creates opportunities for alumni to connect, collaborate, and support one another — both online and through in-person events. He also champions alumni achievements, facilitates board placement and leadership opportunities, and ensures that the impact of alumni is recognized across the broader community.

Sebastian worked for Teach for America in Charlotte, North Carolina focused on an intensive summer program developing skills to prepare for the upcoming school year. Sebastian focused on integrating diversity and inclusion as a priority through curriculum trainings and class management, as well as outside the classroom through his engagement with community partners. Prior to that, Sebastian served as a Policy Intern to Senator Elizabeth Warren. He managed constituent calls, researched issues, oversaw office administrative responsibilities, and supported special projects as assigned.

Sebastian volunteers for the Elliot Family Resource Center in Everett, MA supporting staff during special events and supporting daily needs such as stocking the food pantry, and providing front desk responsibilities. He also had volunteered at Horizons for Homeless Children in Brockton, MA by engaging with children 0-5 years old by creating a fun and positive environment.

Born in Passaic, NJ, and raised in Malden, MA, Sebastian has his B.A. from Stonehill College, and has studied abroad in Argentina, Vietnam and South Africa. Sebastian is proud of his Colombian heritage. He enjoys to travel, is a movie buff, foodie, passionate about musical theatre, and loves playing with his mixed dog, Dante.

Clare Oumou Verbeten
Minnesota State Director

Clare Oumou Verbeten is a lifelong Minnesotan, racial equity practitioner, political operative and current candidate for the Minnesota Senate. Prior to joining the Partnership, Clare led the City of Saint Paul’s racial equity policies and programs as their Equity Manager. She has an extensive background in electoral politics and organizing, previously serving as a senior director for Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters and Walz Flanagan gubernatorial campaign.

As Minnesota State Director, Clare is leading The Partnership’s expansion to Minnesota, partnering with companies, organizations and leaders in the region to bring our world-class leadership development programs to our Minnesota cohorts.

Clare was born and raised in Roseville, Minnesota. She is the proud daughter of Rama and Hans, a Senegalese immigrant and second generation Dutch American. Clare lives in the Como neighborhood in Saint Paul with her husband, Garrison, and their Goldendoodle, Honey. As a foodie, Clare enjoys cooking, baking and trying out the latest restaurants. She loves RuPaul’s Drag Race and everything yellow.

Rashi Shyam
Director of Digital Transformation

Rashi Shyam is managing the organizational changes within The Partnership, Inc. that revolve around digital technology. She assists the employees in adopting digital technologies, upgrading processes and procedures using new digital technology, and communicating needs of the organization to consulting developers. She also works to streamline communication to The Partnership, Inc. audience. Prior to working at The Partnership, Rashi has held positions managing communities and events at non-profits, and in Human Resources. Rashi has both her BA and MBA at Rutgers University. Rashi works remotely for The Partnership, Inc. and lives in New Jersey with her husband and 2 daughters.

Lesley White
Director of Leadership Development Programs

As the Director, Leadership Development Programs, Lesley is responsible for the execution of the Partnership’s signature leadership development programs.

Lesley is an accomplished professional who has spent most of her career employed in both the hospitality  and destination marketing industries.

Community Service has long been a part of her life. She served the Boston community as a mentor with Big Sister of Greater Boston for 6 years and continued to serve the organization for a further ten years as a founding member of the Diversity Board, ending her service as Vice President. Lesley is a member of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 

Lesley holds a Certificate in Women’s Entrepreneurship from at Cornell University in conjunction with Bank of America  and is a META Certified Community Manager.

Lesley’s interests include cooking, reading and wine tasting. Her greatest passion is travel – favorite destinations include Morocco, London and South Africa.

Tiana Bellamy
Deputy Director of Business Development

As the Deputy Director of Business Development, Tiana is responsible for managing and executing the Partnership’s expansion into Minnesota. This includes recruiting high potential professionals of all backgrounds in Minnesota to The Partnership’s Leadership Development programs, helping design programming to best build and sustain the Minnesota Partnership Community, and facilitating forums for leaders to share best practices and stay abreast of thought leadership within the field.

Tiana is a lifelong Twin Cities resident, DEI practitioner, Youth Advocate, and Innovation Leader. Prior to the Partnership, Tiana served her community as the first Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Coordinator for the Saint Paul Public Library System. Tiana brings a focus on human centered design and collectivism to her work, and is dedicated to supporting anti-racist interventions in systems and institutions that serve the people of Minnesota.

Tiana is a 2022 Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy Fellow and an African American Leadership Forum network member. Tiana has had the opportunity to share her professional expertise at multiple professional conferences. Most recently, she presented on racial healing and community engagement strategies at the 2021 Governmental Alliance for Racial Equity’s Annual Membership Meeting and the 2022 Minnesota Library Association Conference.

In her free time, Tiana can be found attending art and music shows, spending time outdoors, and trying new fitness classes. Tiana lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota with her sister and her cat Bubblegum.

Shivani Sheth
Senior Manager, Operations

Shivani Sheth is the Senior Manager at The Partnership. Inc. Shivani works with the President and Chief Operating Officer of The Partnership. Inc. to generate and maintain monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reports. She is responsible for maintaining the books of accounts, invoicing, coordinating with annual audit and matters related to board convenings.

She has excellent attention to detail and analysis skills that has increased the accuracy of our books.

Originally from India and prior to working at The Partnership. Inc., Shivani has held position as a corporate legal executive at a multinational corporation.

Shivani graduated from Mumbai University with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce and has a professional degree as a Company Secretary from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. She resides in Boston, MA with her husband.

Isaiah Fontaine
Leadership Development Program Associate

Isaiah Fontaine is a Leadership Development Program Associate at The Partnership, Inc. He works with the Assistant Vice President of Leadership Development to draft program correspondence, engage as the producer for Zoom meetings, and provide support for all Partnership programming. He actively monitors online engagement and supports all current participants. He is also involved in providing accessibility to Partnership programming for all individuals of all abilities. 

Prior to joining The Partnership, his background was in digital marketing and brand management. Most recently, he was a digital marketing manager for Kreyol, a women’s high fashion brand founded in Boston. 

Born in Worcester, MA, and raised in Randolph, MA, Isaiah has his B.A. from Babson College. Outside of work, he has interests in foreign affairs, investments, music, and basketball.