Samuel Acevedo has served as the Executive Director of the Boston Higher Education Resource Center (HERC) since its founding in 1999. Sam is also on staff at the Congregación León de Judá (CLJ) which served as the fiscal conduit for the Boston HERC until 2018. Sam is a founding Co-Chairs of the Boston School Committee’s Opportunity and Achievement Gap Task Force; and recently served on the Superintendent Search Committee which helped select Brenda Casselius. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Stetson University (1985); and a J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School (1993). Prior to his current role, Sam served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel litigating juvenile delinquency cases in New York City’s Family Court until joining the staff of Congregación León de Judá in 1999. Sam also serves on the board of the Ten Point Coalition, Boston Trinity Academy, and the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for Urban Ministry and Education (CUME). He and his wife, Marina, were married in July of 2001.

Carolina De Jesus serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Higher Education Resource Center after serving as the Passport to College Program Director between 2012 and 2022. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in Business and Communication and a Master’s in Education from Lesley University.  Carolina also completed a certificate in Leadership & Management in Nonprofits at Boston University.  She has extensive youth education experience, including as a college access coordinator at Middlesex Community College, an after school coordinator at Citizen Schools, and an ESL teacher in South Korea.  As a first-generation college grad herself, Carolina has always been passionate about helping young people discover the greatness that lies within them and helping them to unleash those gifts and talents that will change the world.  In her free time, Carolina is a missionary in Latin America and she loves to read, learn, and eat great food.  If she could choose a place to live in eternally- it would be the beach!

Erin Diaz serves as our Chief Operating Officer, rejoining the Boston HERC team in 2017 as the Director of Operations. She was also the Adult Education Program Director from 2006 to 2008. In the interim, she was a leader in several non profits including as a Campaign Director at Corporate Accountability and a health organizer at Unite Here Health. She brings over 10 years of experience in non profit management, development, and community organizing to this role. She holds a B.A. in Spanish from Gordon College and an M.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University. As a mom to two young kids, she is passionate about making sure all young people have the opportunity to discover their passions and live them out. 

Rachel Condry joined the Boston HERC team in June, 2021. Rachel graduated from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 2011 with a dual Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Sociology. For over a decade, she has served in the non-profit sector, including direct service with underprivileged youth and managing programming servicing at-risk families. She is honored to serve in her role as the Boston HERC’s Director of Alumni Success, where she has an outlet to care for her staff, cast programmatic vision and, ultimately, impact young lives. In her free time, Rachel enjoys volunteering at her church, spending time outside, and singing way too loudly in the car.

Isabelle Min joined the Boston HERC team in the fall of 2021, starting as a Passport Coach at Fenway High School and Dearborn STEM Academy. To her directorial role, she brings experience in church and educational nonprofit administration and youth and young adult development. In her free time, she enjoys consuming either food or books, and she's always interested in a good story. She holds a bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from Mount Holyoke College.

Robert Barrett joined the Boston HERC team in 2017 and serves as the organization's Operations and Data Manager. An alum of Boston University, Robert left home in New Jersey to earn his Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education and became the first in his family to complete a college degree. During his time at BU, Robert studied abroad and student taught in London, England, was a student leader for Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship, consumed hundreds of burritos in the Towers dining hall, and won a miraculous floor hockey intramural championship. A strong believer in the power of summer camps and experiential learning, Robert spent 13 summers working at camp, including multiple years as a Camp Director and Out-of School Time Administrator for the Dorchester YMCA. When not at HERC, Robert can be found leading mission teams to Haiti and Puerto Rico, cheering on the BU Terriers hockey team, or enjoying coffee and a good book at the closest Caffe Nero.