Barbara has lived in Arlington since 2000 and has been a Town Meeting member since 2022. She believes that community involvement is important, particularly to make sure that residents have what they need and that our town is inclusive. Volunteer interests include addressing food insecurity, promoting diversity and belonging, immigrant rights, public health, and using technology for good. She is a software engineer and loves helping underrepresented groups to get into technology.

Griffin has lived in East Arlington with his wife and three young children since 2016. He owns and operates Collectively Determined, a health justice practice, where he engages in research and advocacy for marginalized populations in Massachusetts, and for justice and equity leadership nationally at Harvard University and Yale Law School. He’s passionate about ensuring that Arlington is a thriving, accessible, and just community for all.

Marie (She/Her/Elle) is a dual FR/US national, who has lived in Arlington since 2011. She is a dynamic and joyful collaborative executive leader with 20+ years co-creating social impact across nonprofits, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Within the commission, Marie commits to using her experience to turn understanding into action—building collaborative, aligned, and joyful initiatives that honor their commitment to impact, the people of Arlington and beyond.

Having made Arlington his home for the past 14 years, Rajeev has been drawn to involve himself in the town's diverse and vibrant volunteer committees. Engaging in issues that concern the most deeply marginalized people, including the students in town and also to campaign for social justice issues has led him to work with the Human Rights Commission.

Abby has lived in Arlington since 2014.  She has spent her career, including time living overseas, in roles that required cross-cultural awareness, listening, and collaboration. Her work has been to bridge differences across languages, cultures and perspectives. This work taught her the importance of approaching differences with care and balancing perspectives. On the Commission, she commits to using this experience to make sure that everyone in the community feels heard, respected and able to fully participate.

Scott has been an Arlington resident since 1995 with 2 children graduated from APS. He is a 36-year veteran of the Bedford PD, serving the community in various roles including its Jail Diversion Program, Restorative Justice Program, and Drug Treatment Court. He has served as the department’s civil rights officer for the past 30 years, worked on community partnerships including gun violence prevention and buyback programs, and is an active member of the Bedford Rotary Club - promoting service in the community. In serving the AHRC, Scott strives to strengthen the partnerships in town and have Arlington be a diverse and welcoming community. 

Drake joined the Commission in 2019 and has lived in Arlington since 2006. He specializes in building relationships based on empowerment. Drake started Volition Project in 2014 to help brands empower their customers through more sincere and empathetic customer experiences and products. He also coaches entrepreneurial students at Harvard to start their own businesses in a way that generates the same kinds of reciprocity through empathy. Drake helps the Commission communicate its role in the community, build relationships, protect the rights of the individual, and foster the town’s win-win opportunities.

Michelle is a nonprofit and public health professional with more than 15 years of experience supporting communities through programs focused on equity, access, and well-being. She has worked with local and national nonprofit organizations to design and manage initiatives that bring people together, provide direct assistance, and strengthen community systems. She holds a Master of Public Health and is committed to ensuring that Arlington, where she has proudly lived since 2010, remains a welcoming, inclusive community where all residents feel respected, supported, and heard.

Kristen comes to the AHRC with a wealth of international human rights experience from working on these issues in U.S. Embassies overseas.  Kristen also has an American legal background. She is eager to deepen her understanding of challenges in Arlington and bring her experiences to strengthen the AHRC’s outreach and response.

 

Beatrice moved to Arlington in 2019. She taught the history of the Islamic world, particularly Iran and Central Asia, at Tufts for 37 years, and over her life has spent time in many places, most notably France, Germany, Russia, and Iran. She has thus had friends and colleagues on different sides of longstanding and bitter national conflicts. Brought up in a secular household, she has taken as her creed the statement in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” At a time when the rights of almost every person in the U.S. are threatened, joining the Arlington Human Rights Commission seems one way to try to make a difference.

Nadja has lived in Arlington with her family since 2010. She is proud to live in a town that respects and values our many differences and our shared basic humanity. Nadja has been a community volunteer for several years. She is excited to now join the AHRC and contribute to its work to recognize and appreciate diversity, nurture and grow inclusivity, and protect human rights.

Ramsha has spent over a decade working with diverse individuals across three continents, consistently observing that despite our many differences, the pursuit of universal, inalienable, and indivisible human rights reflects a fundamental, shared aspiration to grow and thrive in nurturing and safe environments. Ramsha is dedicated to serving the Arlington community by building authentic relationships, listening to residents’ needs, and offering support whenever required. She believes in collaborative approaches that build trust and sustainable impact.