Greater Boston PFLAG Announces Board of Directors Departures, Welcomes New Members
October 8, 2021, Boston, MA — Greater Boston PFLAG (GBPFLAG) announces the election of new Board members and acknowledges departing members.
We are grateful to Benjamin Meshoulam (he/him) and Nick Whalen (he/him) for their years of service. Benjamin Meshoulam, in addition to serving as Board Clerk, played a key role in supporting legislation advancing LGBTQ+ rights, including legislation updating the state’s landmark anti-bullying law and legislation protecting transgender people from discrimination in a place of public accommodation during his four terms. Nick Whalen, who currently serves on Fidelity Investments Pride ERG, had a great impact over his two terms through his work in driving partner engagement and bringing energy and passion to the Development Committee. We are grateful for their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community and all they have done to advance the mission of Greater Boston PFLAG.
We are excited to welcome two new members, Ila Deshmukh Towery(she/her) and Eugene Zakharov (he/him). We are fortunate to have such talented and knowledgeable individuals joining us as we continue to advance our mission.
Learn more about Ila and Eugene:
Ila Deshmukh Towery (she/her/hers)
Ila brings over 20 years of experience as an advocate for social justice issues in education to Greater Boston PFLAG. Ila has spent her career working to improve youth experiences and outcomes first as a youth worker and teacher and later as a researcher and policy and practice consultant focused on the intersection of equity and education reform.
Currently a Partner at Education First Consulting, Ila leads with an equity lens on a range of issues, including whole child development, and is a nationally-recognized policy and strategy consultant. Ila serves as an advisor to many of the nation’s education leaders and currently sits on the Board of Transforming Education, a national nonprofit focused on advancing whole child development in school systems across the country.
Ila holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science & Education from Swarthmore College and a PhD in Child Development from Tufts University, with specialization in program evaluation, human development (with a focus on race and gender identity development), and equity issues in schools. Ila is thrilled to join the Greater Boston PFLAG to bring her strategic planning and executive leadership experience to her local community in support of Greater Boston PFLAG’s critical mission.
Eugene Zakharov (he/his/him)
Eugene Zakharov is a Director in PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC) Consulting Practice with a focus on helping organizations of all sizes transform their business & operations and position them for growth and efficiency. Eugene works with organizations at all stages of transformation -from strategy to execution- and is excited seeing those ideas and strategies take shape and bring positive organizational benefits.
Eugene is thrilled to be a part of Greater Boston PFLAG and to use his 15+ years of corporate experience and his connections to help Greater Boston PFLAG to continue its strategic growth and organizational change, and to deepen its community impact. Eugene is passionate about Greater Boston PFLAG's mission of creating environments of understanding so that all people can live with dignity and respect.
Eugene draws on his own experience growing up as a closeted gay man in the former Soviet Union where discrimination, prosecution and lack of equal civil rights are still prevalent today. He is excited to be a part of the organization that supports young LGBTQ+ individuals and those that care for them through enabling support groups and helplines, education and advocacy.
We look forward to their leadership as we continue our work as an organization to advocate for and advance equity and societal affirmation of LGBTQ+ people by building and strengthening loving families, safe communities, and a diverse and inclusive society.
Greater Boston PFLAG continues to seek out and welcome more members to join our all-volunteer Board which serves primarily as a governing and fundraising body. We are committed to building an organization and Board that is representative of the diversity of the LGTBQ+ community and its allies. As we work to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, we encourage applicants of every sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sex, age, religion, ability, and class, including family and/or caregivers of LGBTQ+ people of all ages.
For full biographies of the Board of Directors and more information about joining our Board, please visit https://gbpflag.org/board/ or inquire directly at BoardAffairs@gbpflag.org.
About Greater Boston PFLAG Greater Boston PFLAG is a local chapter of PFLAG National and is composed of staff, volunteers, and members throughout eastern Massachusetts. GBPFLAG provides opportunities for dialogueabout sexual orientation and gender identity, and works every day to achieve our vision of a world in which LGBTQ+ individuals are safe, supported, included, and equal in their families, in their communities, and in society. For more information about Greater Boston PFLAG call 781.891.5966, find us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram @GBPFLAG or visit www.gbpflag.org
Greater Boston PFLAG Board of Directors
Debbra Zucker, Chair
Jon Hover, Vice Chair, Interim Treasurer
Alyssa Rayman-Read, Clerk
Meryl Epstein
Maureo Fernandez y Mora
Lori SchechnerIla
Deshmukh Towery
Eugene Zakharov
PO Box 541619
Waltham, MA 02454-1619
781-891-5966
info@gbpflag.org