Barney Heath

Barney joined the Metro West Collaborative Development team in January of 2026. Barney comes to the role with more than 30 years of municipal planning and affordable housing experience, most recently as Director of Planning for the City of Newton. Barney has had a passion and devotion to facilitating and advancing affordable housing in each of the communities where he has served. In his tenure as Director of Planning in Newton, Barney helped to enable the reuse of the West Newton Armory for affordable housing, the establishment of the Newton Affordable Housing Trust, Newton’s compliance with the MBTA Communities Act and numerous affordable housing developments. Prior to his time in Newton, Barney served as Director of Planning for the City of Pawtucket, RI for 20 years. And before that, Barney was employed as the Community Development Planner for the Town of Weymouth, MA.

Barney has a master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island and holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of New Hampshire.

Alisa Gardner-Todreas

Alisa is the Chief Operating Officer and also oversees the Affordable Housing Programs offered by Metro West CD. Reach out to her with general questions about the Housing Programs and/or for questions about the organization in general.

Alisa has over 25 years of experience working in affordable housing in the non-profit and public sectors. She served on the Belmont Housing Trust, and she was a long-time Board member and supporter of Metro West CD before joining as a staff member.

Her experience includes asset and project management, housing development, proposal writing, policy development, and staff supervision. She began her career in NYC working for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development before returning to the Boston area where she worked for MassHousing, QCAP, and the City of Cambridge as well as for many years as an independent consultant. She is a firm believer that housing is a fundamental need.

Alisa has BA from Harvard University and a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Tufts University.

Amanda Berman

Amanda joined Metro West Collaborative Development in January 2024 as the Housing Policy & Advocacy Liaison. In this role she engages with municipalities and legislators on affordable housing policy, supports research efforts, and leads educational and advocacy programming.

Amanda is a passionate urban planner with over 15 years of experience. Prior to joining Metro West CD, she was the Director of Housing & Community Development for the City of Newton, where she managed the division responsible for over $3.5 million annually in federal HUD grants. Amanda oversaw city-funded affordable housing projects and managed the city’s Inclusionary Housing program. While living in Los Angeles, Amanda was the Director of Community Development & Planning for Community Arts Resources (CARS), an innovative urban cultural planning firm. She is proud to have been one of the driving forces behind Los Angeles's CicLAvia, the series of car-free, open-street events.
Amanda holds a Masters in Urban Planning and Public Art Studies from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Arts from the Pennsylvania State University.

Barbara MacNeill

Barbara returned to Metro West CD in May 2025 as part-time Operations Associate,
supporting the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer with special projects
and day-to-day operations and assisting Housing Programs staff with rental
assistance programs and lotteries as needed. She originally joined the organization
in 2017 as the Ready Renter Coordinator, a role she held until her retirement in
2024. Before her time at Metro West CD, Barbara worked for over thirty years at
Harvard University.

Chelsea Gaylord

As a Senior Real Estate Project Manager at Metro West CD, Chelsea manages all aspects of the development process for various affordable housing projects in the organization’s pipeline. She can be reached for real estate development questions and project information on 62 Packard Street, Hudson.

Chelsea joined the team in December 2023 after completing a Master’s in Public Policy and certificate in real estate development from the University of Michigan. She brings over eight years of experience in community and economic development to Metro West CD and has spent her career focused on enhancing community well-being, promoting economic mobility, and building more sustainable and inclusive neighborhoods.

Prior to grad school, Chelsea worked in economic development for the City of Colorado Springs where she coordinated real estate development, launched programs to support entrepreneurs, and led community investment initiatives. She also served as a board member for a local CDC where she assisted with the organization’s first affordable housing project. Since then, she’s used her experience in municipal government to help cities and organizations across the US shape their economic development strategies and real estate development efforts.

Chenoa Schatzki-McClain

As a Real Estate Project Manager, Chenoa oversees all aspects of the development process for affordable housing projects within Metro West CD’s pipeline. She is managing the redevelopment of the West Newton Armory and can be reached for questions about that project.

Chenoa joined Metro West CD in October 2025 and brings with her five years of experience in the housing and community development space. Her background includes previous work as a coordinator for housing services programs in Boston, and experience contributing to housing planning initiatives in communities across the country as a consultant. Prior to joining Metro West CD, Chenoa worked as a planner and project manager at a design firm in Boston where she supported planning efforts for institutional and public-sector clients, including work focused on rezoning to spur housing production.

Having grown up in the suburbs outside Boston, Chenoa is particularly passionate about expanding affordable housing locally. She holds an BA from Carleton College, and a Master of City Planning and Certificate in Real Estate Development from the University of California, Berkeley.

Clare O’Reilly

Clare O’Reilly is the Community Engagement Coordinator for Metro West CD. In this
role, she focuses primarily on strengthening Metro West CD’s relationship with its
residents through community outreach and resource sharing. Additionally, she provides
support to individuals that are seeking affordable housing through Metro West CD’s
Ready Renter program.

Before joining the Metro West CD team, Clare was the Community Engagement
Coordinator for a domestic violence shelter. There, she connected clients with local
resources, shared information about shelter services with the public, and ran the
volunteer program. Clare holds a BA in Government and Sociology from the University
of Virginia and is also fluent in Spanish.

Kristen Duffy

Kristen joined the Metro West CD team in August of 2024. She has more than 20 years of asset management experience, including 15 years in the affordable housing industry. Most recently she was a Senior Asset Manager at Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation where she oversaw a portfolio of LIHTC, NMTC and other community development investments throughout Massachusetts. Prior to that, she was an asset manager for a national portfolio of LIHTC properties at Boston Financial Investment Management. In addition to managing a portfolio of properties, Kristen has been involved with asset management training and the development of asset management policies and procedures throughout her career.

Kristen has a BA from Wheaton College and an MBA from Simmons University. As long-time resident of the Metro West region, Kristen brings with her a passion for preserving and developing affordable housing in our target communities.

Merkeisha Dickson

As the Senior Housing Programs Manager, Merkeisha is available to answer any questions regarding rental lottery and waitlist status. General questions about restricted income rental applications and rental assistance programs are also welcome.

Merkeisha began her career in the Homeless Services Bureau where she was a Counselor and advanced to Substance Abuse Case Manager working with individuals who suffer from addiction and mental illness. This work led her to an interest in affordable housing. At Metro West CD she serves as the bridge between tenants, property managers and other supportive service providers.

Robyn Rufo

As the Senior Compliance Manager, Robyn is the point of contact for initial lease up and annual recertifications, Clients should reach out to her for any questions regarding submitting documents for Income & Eligibility Determinations. Additionally, Property Management Companies & Property Owner’s should reach out to her for annual compliance reporting.

Robyn has 25 years experience in administration of programs in the for-profit and non-profit businesses. She has been with Metro West Collaborative Development since 2007 where she has implemented numerous renter and home buyer income eligibility certification efforts.

Sharone Small

As the Director of Real Estate, Sharone is the main point of contact for general comments and questions related to real estate development.

Sharone joined the team at Metro West Collaborative Development as a Senior Project Manager in 2022 and was promoted to Director of Real Estate in 2023. She has eight years of experience in affordable housing development, including all stages of the development process. Before joining Metro West, Sharone worked at Urban Edge Housing Corporation, a Boston-based CDC, in the Real Estate Department.

Sharone has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from MIT and a Masters of City and Regional Planning from the Rutgers Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy.

Stefanie Petersen

As the Affordable Housing Programs Manager, contact Stefanie with any questions relating to affordable homeownership. Do you want to know about how to find an affordable home? Not know who your affordability monitor is or how to contact? Want to sell, refinance, or ask about capital improvements?

Stefanie joined Metro West in December 2020 and brings with her a diverse background in human resources, law, and administration, in equally diverse areas including manufacturing/R&D, county government, and homeowner assistance. She has a BS in Psychology from Sacred Heart University and a JD from Stetson University College of Law. One of her very favorite accomplishments has been serving as a long-time kennel volunteer for Berkshire Humane Society.