Academy of Women Achievers

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell:

On January 18, 2023, Andrea Joy Campbell was sworn in to be the 45th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, pledging to build economic prosperity and stability for all residents, prioritize the mental health and well-being of children, stop cycles of incarceration and violence and ensure the people across the state have access to the AG’s Office regardless of their zip code, language or ability. 

Growing up in Roxbury, Andrea’s life was filled with instability. When Andrea was eight months old, she lost her mother to a car accident while going to visit her father in prison. She and her brothers bounced around – living with relatives and sometimes in foster care – until her father got out of prison when she was eight years old, and she met him for the first time. 

Andrea and her family relied on public housing and food assistance while her grandmother struggled with alcoholism. Her two brothers sadly cycled in and out of the prison system. She lost her twin brother Andre, when he passed away while in the custody of the Department of Corrections as a pre-trial detainee. 

Through all of this, Andrea persevered. Thanks to loving relatives, community support and a network of teachers who encouraged her, she turned pain into purpose. She graduated from Boston Latin School and then worked her way through college with the help of grants and student loans, graduating from Princeton University and UCLA Law School. 

After earning her law degree, she worked as a legal services attorney for the EdLaw project, defending the rights of children and their families — particularly those with disabilities. 

Andrea also practiced law at Proskauer LLP as an employment attorney, and ultimately left to serve the public as General Counsel at the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission, working across 101 cities and towns to address regional challenges like health care access, transportation, affordable housing, and climate change. 

Andrea served as legal counsel to Governor Deval Patrick, working to improve our education and transportation systems and move forward an agenda of equity across the state. 

In 2015, Andrea successfully ran for the Boston City Council becoming the first woman to represent District 4 on the Council. Her first piece of legislation was the Community Preservation Act, which still generates over $20 million annually for new affordable housing, historical preservation, and parks and open space. In 2018, she was unanimously elected City Council President – the first Black woman to hold the title. 

Petrina Martin Cherry:

Petrina Martin Cherry is a seasoned health equity professional and the Vice President of Community Engagement & External Affairs at Boston Medical Center Health System. In this role, she leads strategic initiatives aimed at advancing healthcare equity, economic mobility, workforce development in healthcare and the life sciences, and addressing social determinants of health. Known for her expertise in building strong, collaborative relationships, Petrina has been instrumental in developing community-based programs that provide access to healthcare to under-resourced communities, including, but not limited to: raising awareness of Sickle Cell Disease, supporting BMC’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, promoting mental health and wellness, advancing access to women’s health, reducing recidivism, and fostering sustainable empowerment in historically underserved communities. 

Petrina elevates the work of Boston Medical Center Health System by successfully creating health equity and social impact programs in partnership with federal, state, and local governments, national organizations, corporate partners, faith-based organizations, community leaders, and community-based organizations. Her efforts have fostered lasting collaboration and trust, advancing health equity across a broad spectrum of stakeholders. 

She was appointed by Mayor Walsh in 2020 to the City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force and by Governor Maura Healey to the Council on Black Empowerment and Mass Cultural Governing Council 

Beyond her leadership at BMC, Petrina serves on the board of directors of The Boston Foundation, The Boys and Girls Club of Boston, Boston Arts Academy, The Urban League of Eastern MA (Emeritus), and the Advisory Board of the American Hospital Association. 

Petrina is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including The Disparities Solutions Center of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Disparities Leadership Program Award, The Boston Celtics Heroes Among Us Award, The American Hospital Association Foster G. McGaw Prize, and The Leadership Brainery’s Change Can’t Wait Medal of Equity Award. 

She earned her B.A. from the University of South Carolina and an M.B.A. from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson School of Business. She is a proud member of the Middlesex Chapter of The Links Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. 

Lisa Hayles:

Lisa Hayles is Director of Sustainability and Stakeholder Engagement at Trillium Asset Management, responsible for integrating sustainable practices across the organization and ensuring effective communication with stakeholders. Lisa joined Trillium in the summer of 2020 and has held roles in the private client and advocacy teams. She has more than 20 years’ experience working across research, advisory, client service and stewardship functions within the sustainable finance industry in North America and Europe. A frequent speaker on gender equality and racial justice, she is co-founder of the Racial justice Investing Coalition and sits on the board of the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility. 

Lisa received her B.A.in Political Science and History from the University of Toronto and a M.Sc. in International Development from the University of Guelph. She also holds a French language Certificate for the University of Toulouse in France.  Lisa is honored to be included among the YW Boston’s Academy of Women Achievers for 2025. 

Allison Picott:

A seasoned nonprofit leader with 30 years of combined legal, nonprofit, and for-profit work and volunteer experience, Allison Picott, brings a unique set of skills and expertise to her work as the executive director of The Lenny Zakim Fund. 

Allison began her professional career as a law clerk to the Justices of the Massachusetts Superior Court, then spent the next five years as a litigation associate with Nixon Peabody and Prince Lobel & Tye. Desirous of a more personally gratifying career, Allison became a major gift fundraiser working for Phillips Academy Andover (her alma mater), the Walnut Hill School, and Boston College Law School. She then successfully combined her legal and fundraising work experience to become a development consultant with The Wayland Group and then as the founder of Advancement Advisers. Since 2018, Allison has worked at the intersection of nonprofit and philanthropy with two Boston-based intermediary organizations: The Social Innovation Forum and now The Lenny Zakim Fund, where has served as executive director since 2022. 

Allison is a graduate of Phillips Academy Andover and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College (Hartford, CT) and a J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She is the first African American alumna to serve on Andover’s Board of Trustees as an Alumni Trustee (2014-2018) and Charter Trustee (2022-Present). Allison also has the proud distinction of being the youngest recipient (at age 29) of Andover’s Distinguish Service Award in recognition of her many years of service and various volunteer roles held at Andover. She currently serves as a director on the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s Board of Directors and as vice president of the Empire Loan Charitable Foundation and has previously served on the boards of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District I, The Friday Forum, Room to Grow, and Women in Development of Greater Boston. 

Melissa Hector:

Melissa L. Hector, MS, MBA is the Director of Equitable and Strategic Initiatives at the Boston Public Health Commission. Ms. Hector led community initiatives under three Mayors in the Office of Human Services for the City of Boston. Since her appointment in 2019, she has worked with internal and external partners to develop a COVID-19 health equity community engagement framework. 

Ms. Hector leads a life committed to service. Prior to public service with the City of Boston, she accepted the offer to serve her community in the AmeriCorps Massachusetts Promise Fellowship for two years at the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health Teens Lead at Work program. Her service led to spotlights in the Boston Globe highlighting youth workers’ rights and increasing youth jobs. She went on to research and implement case management methodologies at the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance where Ms. Hector designed and delivered adult training curriculum based on state welfare and federal USDA policy regulations. 

She is a certified DEI trainer, who received her BA in Media and Culture from Bentley University, MS Global Studies and International Affairs from Northeastern University, and Social Impact MBA from Boston University. Ms. Hector has held tenure roles as Adjunct lecturer teaching diversity inclusion curriculums at Bentley University and Urban College. Ms. Hector grew up in Boston’s neighborhood of Roxbury. She attended Boston Public schools, became enriched in advocacy for social and economic justice through activism as an undergraduate, as a writer for the university’s newspaper, serving as a board member for various student organizations, and as leader in community service learning both locally and abroad. 

Ms. Hector serves on Governor Healey’s Public Education Nominating Council and is a board member of Boston’s Franklin Park Coalition. Ms. Hector has a deep passion for African American emancipation and women’s empowerment. In her spare time, she promotes health awareness and self-confidence through her volunteer run/walk meetup group Curvy Girls Run.