Join Our Team
If you’re looking to work at an established and growing organization that values children & families, appreciates hard work, and provides excellent support and growth opportunities to its staff, Cooper is the place for you.
Our Board
Rev. Kyle Walden
Board President
Reverend Kyle Walden is the Associate Pastor at the Union Combined Parish, a United Methodist congregation headquartered in the historic Union Church in the South End of Boston. Union Church (formerly Union United Methodist Church and Fourth Methodist Church) co-founded the Cooper Community Center in 1916. As part of his pastoral role, Rev. Walden nurtures community partnerships to ensure that everyone in our community can flourish.
Rev. Walden was ordained in 2023 as an elder in full connection with the Horizon Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. This was after receiving his Master of Divinity from the Boston University School of Theology in 2021, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 2017.
Rev. Walden has served on Cooper’s Board of Directors since 2023, and was elected President of the Board of Directors in 2024. His favorite part about serving on Cooper’s Board is supporting our excellent and accessible child care program’s everyday impact on children and their families!
Jay Fleming
Vice President
Jay Fleming is the Co-Owner and Executive Director of Pre-School Playmates, an organization that owns and operates early childhood education centers south of Boston.
With over two decades of experience in early childhood education, Jay brings a strong background in organizational leadership, operations, and long-term planning. In his role, he focuses on the strategic and business aspects of the schools while working closely with staff to support high-quality, day-to-day programming.
Jay holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Babson College and lives in Hingham with his wife and daughter.
Robert Barney
Treasurer
Bob Barney has lived in the South End since 1984 and lives on Mass. Ave.
Bob retired from Gillette/P&G where he worked for over 25 years in finance, IT and global supply chain operations. During his tenure he worked in over 40 countries with long term assignments in The Netherlands, UK, Russia, and Germany. Bob is currently an independent supply chain consultant for Duracell, a former Gillette business unit.
Bob has also been president of the Claremont Neighborhood Association since 2015. Bob is Project Coordinator for the Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy, member of the South End’s Working Group on Addiction, Recovery and Homelessness, Treasurer for the South End Historical Society, active member of Speak for the Trees Boston, and CAC member of Back Bay Ventilation. Bob wants to ensure our historic part of the South End remains diverse and vibrant for both residents and businesses.
Bob joined the board in 2025 and currently serves as Treasurer and enjoys involvement with an organization that supports our local community.
Sherry Culver
Secretary
As the current President of New England United Women in Faith, Sherry serves as a member of the Hattie B. Cooper Community Center Board of Directors. The Cooper is a National Mission Institution of United Women in Faith, a mission and advocacy organization, supporting women, children and youth everywhere.
Sherry has an MBA and a BS in Industrial Engineering. She currently lives in Natick, MA with her husband, and has one recently married son. After nearly 20 years as Natick Public Schools’ Data Manager, she retired but continues to provide support to schools around the Commonwealth in data reporting and quality. Her prior career was in customer service and support for engineering companies. She has served as an officer on many community and faith-based volunteer organizations.
UWFaith’s mission is to be love in action and to support programs that improve life for women, children and youth. Sherry lives out that purpose through serving on Cooper’s Board and continues the important work started by Hattie B. Cooper over 100 years ago.
Alesha Ignatius Brereton
Board Member
Alesha Ignatius Brereton is a Corporate attorney at a large law firm in Boston, MA, which includes a dynamic pro bono practice supporting those that could not easily access legal services. Her transition into corporate law follows a distinguished career dedicated to social justice and advocacy, marking a unique blend of expertise and experience in both fields.
Prior to Weil, Alesha spent over 14 years combating domestic violence and sexual in such roles as the Executive Director of the Sexual Assault Resource Center in Bryan, Texas, Prevention Director at the Texas Council on Family Violence and President and COO of Break the Cycle, Inc. In 2018, she co-founded Collective Capacity Consulting, LLC and worked with national, statewide, and local nonprofit organizations to support their operational as well as research and evaluation efforts.
Alesha holds a B.A. from SUNY Stony Brook, an M.A. from the University of Memphis, a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. She is admitted to practice law in the state of Massachusetts.
Alesha has served on Cooper’s Board of Directors since 2025.
Marcia Hoyt
Board Member
Marcia Hoyt began serving on the Board of Directors of the Hattie B. Cooper Community Center began when she was elected District President of the women’s mission organization (United Women in Faith) of The United Methodist Church.
Marcia has a BS in Education and had been a preschool teacher for 16 years, before retiring. Her passion for the under-served and particularly children and their families is the Purpose of UWF. She is the mother of three and grandmother of six and lives in Natick MA. Marcia also serves on the Board of Directors of another child care center in Natick.
Marcia believes that Cooper is a special place and she is proud of the work being done and the journey ahead.
Tamara Lawrence
Board Member
Tamara Lawrence (also known as Tia) is a dedicated education professional with over 28 years of experience serving in a variety of roles within the field. For 22 of those years, she has worked closely with children and their families in Boston, demonstrating a longstanding commitment to student development and community engagement.
Tamara earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Tuskegee University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). She went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Special Education from the Boston University School of Education. Over the course of her career, she has served in four schools within Boston Public Schools, two years with Baltimore City Public Schools, as well as Malden Public Schools, gaining extensive experience across diverse educational settings.
Tamara believes strongly in the transformative power of community and its critical role in supporting positive outcomes for young learners. In addition to her professional work, Tamara is an active community member who serves on various boards and regularly volunteers her time to support local initiatives.
Outside of her professional and volunteer commitments, Tamara enjoys building and creating crafts, a passion that reflects her creativity and lifelong love of learning.
Tamara has served on Cooper’s Board of Directors since 2025.
Rev. Moo Lee
Board Member
Rev. Lee (who goes by “Moo”) is the District Superintendent of the Commonwealth East District of the New England Conference of The United Methodist Church. In this role, he is an ex-officio member of Cooper’s Board of Directors.
Rev. Lee was ordained an elder in full connection in The United Methodist Church in 2011 and has served churches in Tewksbury, MA, and Barrington and Warren, RI, and Wesley UMC in Hadley, MA, and Worcester, MA. His Conference leadership also includes serving on the NEAC Council on Finance and Administration.
