Advisory Board

Over the course of his career, Paulo De Barros has consistently gone above and beyond for his community. Legendary for his work to help youth and families from all walks of life, he most notably helped create a network that includes hundreds of successful youth and young adults that uplift the Cape Verdean Community to date. Currently the President of the Cape Verdean Association of Boston, his work sets the stage for the organization as it builds on the past 4 years of positive growth across the City. Under his leadership, the agency has established itself as the lead curator of services for Cabo Verdeans across Boston. Additionally, the organization works to reflect the voice of the art, culture, language and economics through policy, education, business and diplomacy at a Municipal, State and Federal level.

Born in the archipelago nation of Cabo Verde, he studied Amilcar Cabral who later became one of the main influences in his career as a high school student in the United States. His experience in the States was lacking and he exposed the mistreatment of ESL students in South Boston High School, and then pursued a career to rectify the solution from within. A former Boston Public Schools English Teacher, he also worked as a social worker with Cape Verdean families in the Catholic Charities family stabilization program.

After operating a series of focus groups with teens and parents between 1999 and 2001, Mr. De Barros co-founded the Catholic Charities Teen Center at St. Peter’s. Under his leadership, the program grew to serve more than 500 teens annually, with more than 96% of Teen Center members graduating high school in a neighborhood where public school graduation rates are only 41%. Every year, teens entering the program go from at-risk for gang-involvement to firmly committed to a better future. After 15 years as Teen Center Director, Paulo stepped down in December 2017 to dedicate his efforts to the immigrant-serving non-profit, Cape Verdean Community UNIDO later renamed The Cape Verdean Association of Boston.

Mr. De Barros is one of the founding members of the Safe City Collaborative, a partnership between Catholic Charities, Dorchester Youth Collaborative, and DotWell, that brought more than $7 million for programming into the Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood of Dorchester over a five-year period. De Barros was appointed to the Boston Public Schools Committee as a member of the ELL Task Force by the late-Mayor Thomas Menino. He has served as President of multiple boards and committees in the Cape Verdean community and Bowdoin-Geneva neighborhood, including the Strela Negra Soccer Club, Cape Verdean Community UNIDO, New England Luso-American Soccer Association, the National Alliance of Cape Verdean Organizations, and Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets.

In 2010, Mr. De Barros was named City of Boston Crime Fighter of the Year, in 2011, he was awarded the Cape Verdean Presidential Medal of Honor, and most recently, De Barros was named Main Streets Volunteer of the Year in 2016. Mr. De Barros has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BS) in Sociology and Criminology from Bridgewater State University, a Certificate of Human Service Management from Suffolk University, and a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in Non-Profit Management and Public Administration from Endicott College.

Mr. De Barros is married to his wonderful wife of 22 years, Angelina De Barros and they have one son together, Mr. Joshua De Barros.

Amarildo “Lilu” Barbosa is the Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Lilu served as Chief Diversity Officer at Lesley University, and prior to that as director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Student Inclusion. He has experience in the higher education and nonprofit sectors over the past decade, with interests in diversity leadership, intercultural issues, and cultural assets within communities of the African diaspora. He holds certifications in restorative justice, social justice conflict mediation, areas of bias response, and is licensed as an Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI) Qualifying Administrator. Lilu holds a bachelor of science in business administration and marketing, and a master of education in higher education and student affairs administration, both from the University of Vermont. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Human Development and Leadership program at Lesley University, where his research focuses on strategic diversity leadership, professional development, and organizational learning and capacity building.

Carlos Monteiro is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department at Suffolk University. Dr. Monteiro’s research focuses largely on corrections and punishment with a specific focus on recidivism and reentry, more specifically, collateral consequences of criminal convictions. Most recently his work examines correctional environments including a focus on the demands of correctional contexts on staff and officers. His current projects include the first ever longitudinal study of correctional officer wellbeing, a National Institute of Justice funded study. Additionally, Dr. Monteiro is a co-principal investigator leading a unique examination of the social and psychological adjustment of juveniles sentenced to life in prison, with the hopes of identifying a juvenile lifer’s risk factors as they may relate to recidivism. The aim in this study is to conduct interviews with at least 45 juvenile lifers, with a proposed comparative analysis that could help distinguish those who were successfully paroled from those who were denied parole, and are awaiting a meeting with parole. Dr. Monteiro’s broader research is centered in race, ethnicity, and educational access, particularly as those interact to produce disparate outcomes across the criminal justice system and within corrections. Dr. Monteiro earned his Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State University, he earned a Master of Education degree from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. in criminology and justice policy from Northeastern University.

Vander Brito is an Electrical Engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport RI with two years of experience, helping the US Navy and Department of Defense. Specializing in the area of Anti-Submarine-Warfare by providing the US Navy with real-life submarine like targets to train with. He obtained his Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from the University Of Massachusetts Dartmouth in May 2020. Over the years, he has gained valuable experiences in working with the Federal Government and the private sector. His goals and aspiration is to continue growing as an Electrical Engineer and to give back to the community. Vander’s hobbies include doing side projects, playing soccer, and hanging out with friends.

Djofa is on a mission to strengthen the knowledge of Kriolu and Capeverdean culture and to support the officialization of the language in Cabo Verde and the Diaspora. Born and raised in Boston, MA, in a predominately Capeverdean community, she still lives in the Upham’s Corner area. Djofa is a product of Boston Public Schools (BPS), and heavily influenced by her Capeverdean culture and upbringing. Earning both undergrad and graduate degrees from Simmons University, she became a teacher in BPS, now a 20 year veteran, currently teaches Social Sciences for K0-5th grades at the Russell Elementary School in Dorchester, MA. She started Kriolu Basics, an online learning class that provides lessons on how to speak, read and write in Kriolu. She works as the copy editor/writer/poet for Mili Mila LLC., which published the first of its kind, Capeverdean Creole to English Dictionary by Manuel Da Luz Goncalves, and is currently editing the 2nd edition of the Capeverdean Dictionary (English to Creole(Kriolu)) and the first APP for learning Kriolu. [Expected 2023] An active community member with a focus on education and culture, she sat on the DSNI (Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative) board for 6 years, as the education committee chair. Working on such projects as Neighborhood Voices, which collected oral stories of residents in the Dudley Village community in Boston.

Traveling to Cabo Verde annually, Djofa supports education in Cabo Verde, visiting several schools and organizations, speaking to government officials about the importance of honoring the maternal language of Kriolu. Growing up speaking Kriolu, she wants to ensure that children have the resources not only to learn Kriolu, but to learn in their maternal language. December 2022, Djofa published Tiagu and Vovo, a dual language (English and Kriolu) children’s book to honor her heritage and to support the Kriolu language. She is currently working on a collection of dual language poetry and a memoir.

Helder Brandao came to the United States as a young boy from Cape Verde, Africa. He was raised in Dorchester Massachusetts where he attended Boston public schools for his educational career. He then attended the University of Maryland for college. He lived in Maryland for over ten years where he owned and operated a successful insurance agency. Today Helder is back in Boston and is a seasoned business owner where he owns and operates a disaster relief business called SERVPRO. SERVPRO helps customers restore their homes and/or business from disasters like fire and water damage. His most recent business is a restaurant called Estella. It is located in Downtown Boston and he named it after his mom. Helder’s goal is to give back to his community and to be an inspiration to the youth. When Helder is not working he enjoys spending time with his wife and three young boys.

For as long as she can remember, Sonia has always been inclined to take care of children, even as a child. Her passion has always been in social work, from working with teen programs and camps during the summers as a teenager to working as a Social Worker for Catholic Charities and once she completed her degrees from Wheelock and Springfield College, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. Sonia has worked in many capacities to ensure the safety and overall well-being of children and youth by supporting them and their families with strengths-based services. As an advocate for children, she continually urges young people to strive for excellence in their personal and educational goals to become productive and successful adults within their communities and society at-large.

With a passion for her Capeverdean culture and community, Sonia also serves as the Sales & Events Coordinator for Mili Mila LLC., which published the first of its kind, Capeverdean Creole to English Dictionary by Manuel Da Luz Goncalves. Mili Mila describes Sonia as, “our on-task executor. With a passion for details and a commitment to our vision, she makes sure that things get done. From our events, partnerships and sales, Sonia keeps us organized and on track. To our vending stations at festivals and functions, you will find Sonia engaging with our customers and letting everyone know the value of our Kriolu resources, all while having a great time”.

In the near future, Sonia hopes to utilize her years of experience and dedication, to lead and support other social workers entering in this field, especially those working with communities of color, to strengthen child development and family ties throughout the city. In her personal time, Sonia enjoys traveling, spending time with family and trying out new things.