Over the past few months, BARCC’s board has worked to hire an Interim Executive Director that meets the needs of our growing organization. We chose to move forward with an Interim role to create the space and time we need to move the most effective, sustainable, and transformative work possible during this transitional period.
Our new Interim Executive Director, Liz Speakman, will help guide this work. Liz will be starting at BARCC full time on May 12th. Liz is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and most recently served as the Director of the City of Cambridge’s Community Safety Department where she led the development of New England’s first unarmed civilian crisis response team to support residents experiencing mental health crises, well-being checks, and housing instability
Previously, Liz was the Coordinator of Cambridge’s Domestic and Gender-Based Violence Prevention Initiative, where she worked alongside city departments and community organizations to design comprehensive, survivor-centered approaches to violence prevention and response. She was a driving force behind the creation of the trauma-informed law enforcement training program that has reshaped the way police respond to sexual assault cases here in Cambridge.
We are so excited to welcome Liz to the BARCC family