Risa Shames

Risa Shames joined Centre Street Food Pantry Board of Directors in 2018 and is currently both Chair of the Governance Committee as well as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. During her tenure at CSFP Risa has also been responsible for grant writing and coordinating community food drives pre-pandemic. 

Risa is currently the Director of Institutional Giving for the West End House, a youth development organization in Allston. Risa started her career in public health and quality improvement and worked for a range of health care organizations including Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and MassHealth. She pivoted to non-profit consulting and has worked with a variety of clients on communications, development and grant writing. 

Risa has a BA from Wesleyan University and a Masters from the Harvard School of Public Health. Risa and her husband Neil have lived in Newton for over 25 years and have two adult children.