The Belmont Voice Team
Jesse Floyd
Editor-in-Chief
Jesse has spent more than 30 years in newsrooms throughout the region. Most of that time, almost 27 years, was with Community Newspaper Company/Gannett. He started there in 1996, working up from editor of “The Wilmington Advertiser” to become managing editor of the Northwest Group, guiding the staffs of more than 20 local weekly papers. At heart, Jesse is a storyteller, and finds small-town journalism a rich and inexhaustible fount of great stories.
Mary Byrne
Assistant Editor
Mary has worked in local news since she graduated from Loyola University Chicago in 2016. She accepted her first job as a news reporter at the Danvers [Mass.] Herald. Originally from Reading, Mass., she most recently worked at the Greenfield Recorder in western Massachusetts, covering municipal government, the schools, and all aspects of daily life. Before that, Mary spent a year in Glasgow, Scotland, earning a master’s degree in international journalism, media, and communications. She’s excited to get to know the people of Belmont and tell their stories.
Maile Blume
Reporter
Maile has joined the staff of The Belmont Voice. After earning their master’s in journalism from Emerson College, Maile has covered local issues for The Somerville Times and Neighborhood View. Originally from Honolulu, Hawaii, Maile studied psychology and dance at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., and worked as a case manager, counselor, writing tutor, and executive functioning skills coach. They love telling the stories of community members, whether it be through print, audio, or video.
Martha Gallagher
Ad Sales Coordinator
Martha has led marketing and revenue operations in global advisory and information management companies. During her 28 years in Belmont, she’s been active in the Friends of the Belmont Library and was the co-founder and president of the Belmont Library Foundation. Martha has a BA in Art History and German from Middlebury College and an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons University.
Columnists
Jenny Angel
Gardening and Outdoors Columnist
Jenny has been gardening in Belmont since 2001 and became a member of the Belmont Garden Club in 2019. From 2010 to 2013 she was the volunteer editor for the Belmont Farmers’ Market newsletter, “Roots & Sprouts.” As a Garden Gems columnist, she is excited to delve into Belmont’s horticultural history and current greenspaces and share tips from local experts on diverse aspects of gardening and related pursuits.
Jessica Barnard
Gen X Columnist
Jessica works at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. She is a former employee of Grub Street Writers and is secretly writing a romance novel in her spare time. Jessica received her MA in English from the Harvard Extension School in 2021, so even as a Gen X-er, she can relate to the Zoom graduation generation. While originally from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jessica has lived in Belmont for 15 years with her husband and two children.
Elissa Ely
Seniors Columnist
Elissa is a community psychiatrist.
Dorothy Gilman
Gardening and Outdoors Columnist
Dorothy gardens in Belmont where she lives with her husband, Steve, and their two dogs, Rosie and Jasper. She has six grandchildren — all perfect by definition — and has enjoyed introducing them to gardening. She has an abiding interest in nature and is always amazed by the wonders to be found in her own backyard.
Eric J. Perkins
Gen X Columnist
Eric has spent most of his career at Addgene, a life sciences nonprofit in Watertown, where he has held a number of communications roles and is now the Director of Transformation. He holds BS degrees in Biotechnology and Humanities from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. in Genetics from UNC-Chapel Hill. He has lived in Belmont since 2008, raising three children in the public school system, serving as a town meeting member, and volunteering with several local nonprofit groups.
Board of Directors
Lucia Arno-Bernsen
Secretary
Lucia was born and raised in Belmont and has a BS in Journalism from Boston University. After writing for local papers, Lucia spent 28 years in sales, marketing, and community relations at Time Warner Cable and Comcast. She has served on several PTO school boards, on the Belmont Media Center’s Board of Directors, and as president of the New England chapter of Women in Cable. She is the author of “Bark Once for a Cheeseburger,” and was a contributor to the Belmont Citizen-Herald.
Sarah Caputo
Chair
Sarah is a nonprofit fundraising consultant who works to improve the capacity of educational and nonprofit organizations. Since moving to Belmont in 2008, she has served the town through volunteer roles with the Foundation for Belmont Education, the Community Preservation Committee, Communities for Restorative Justice, and the Belmont Garden Club. Sarah received a BA from Dartmouth College and an MA in Higher Education Administration from Harvard University.
Patty Hurley
Board Member
Will Jason
Board Member
Will began his career as a journalist, covering policy and politics, banking and finance, education, real estate, transportation, and other issues in Massachusetts and California. He later served as communications director for California State Senator Fran Pavley, and in the same role for the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, a Cambridge-based think tank. In 2024 he created the communications consulting practice Jason Communications. Will has two daughters in the Belmont Public Schools.
Libby Liu
Board Fellow
Libby Liu is a second-year MBA student at the Yale School of Management. She holds a B.S. in Corporate Finance and Accounting from Bentley University and previously lived in Boston for a decade. Before business school, Libby worked as a lead financial analyst at Liberty Mutual Investments. During her MBA, Libby interned with Boston Ballet and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on internal strategy initiatives. Passionate about the arts and culture sector, she hopes to foster community connections in Belmont through her work.
Maria Olagunju
Board Member
Maria, a former real estate professional specializing in commercial development, moved to Belmont in 2017. She has an MBA from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business and a B.A. in English and Political Science from Seattle Pacific University. She serves as co-president of the Foundation for Belmont Education and soccer coach for Belmont Soccer, and previously contributed to Treehouse, a nonprofit aiding youth in foster care. Maria, along with her husband and three children, enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and surfing.
Chad Onufrechuk
Treasurer
Chad is a Financial Advisor and founder of Cascade Wealth, an independent RIA located in Belmont. Chad has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Chad graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1999 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He also earned an MBA from the Bentley University Elkin B. McCallum Graduate School of Business in 2011. He also holds a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist (CRPS) designation. Chad has lived in Belmont since 2005.
Bob Rifkin
President
Bob is a retired investment professional who has lived in Belmont for 28 years. Most recently, Bob was a Portfolio Manager for Wells Capital, co-managing over $3 billion worth of small cap equities for mutual fund shareholders and institutional investors. Bob has a BS in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and an MBA from the Yale School of Management. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Kevin Sullivan
Board Member
Editorial Committee Chair
Kevin is an Emmy, Peabody and duPont-winning journalist and media leader with vast experience launching new ventures, including as Executive Producer of the groundbreaking investigative public radio show and podcast, Reveal. Earlier in his career, he was a media consultant in Bosnia and Kosovo, worked as a documentary film producer/director and local TV reporter and producer. Kevin has a BS in journalism and an MBA from Boston University. He now roots for the Marauders Rugby team.
Mariya Treisman
Board Member
Mariya is an attorney and policy advisor who currently serves as the publisher for DailyChatter, a daily newsletter devoted to world news. She began her career at a large New York law firm, served in a variety of legal roles in local and state government in New York and Massachusetts, and was in-house counsel at News Corp. Mariya is a graduate of Colorado College and Duke University School of Law. She lives in Belmont with her husband and two daughters.
Pierre Valette
Board Member
Pierre, a resident of Belmont for 25 years, is an Emmy and Peabody-Award winning director/producer, non-profit board chair & marketing executive. He is currently the president of amplifi, a marketing agency for mission-driven organizations. For ten years, Pierre served as the Executive Producer of the top-rated Arthur children’s series, as well as the spin-off series Postcards from Buster. Before working in children’s television, Pierre produced numerous TV documentaries. Pierre received his BA from Stanford University.
Editorial Advisory Group
Sally H. Jacobs
Sally is a former reporter for the Boston Globe where she worked for close to three decades. She is the winner of The George Polk Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News. She has lived in Belmont since 2007 with her two children and their yoga-loving dog.
Jane Clayson Johnson
Jane has had a distinguished career in network television at ABC and CBS News. She is currently a frequent program host at WBUR. She started her career in journalism, writing and delivering 30-second newscasts at her college radio station. She lives in Belmont
Dick Lehr
Dick is a professor of journalism at Boston University and author of seven books. Lehr coauthored The New York Times bestseller Black Mass. Dick previously reported for The Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigative reporting team and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He lives in Belmont.
Stephanie Leydon
Stephanie is the director of special projects at GBH News in Boston. Earlier in her career Stephanie worked at television stations in Georgia, New Hampshire and WLVI-TV in Boston where she spent a decade as a news anchor and reporter. She lives in Belmont.
Cosmo Macero Jr.
Cosmo, a Belmont High ’85 graduate, spent nearly two decades as a journalist, including roles at FOX 25 News and the Boston Herald, where he served as Assistant Managing Editor for Business news. Since 2006, he has been a public affairs consultant, residing in Belmont with his family.
Frederique Rigoulot
Frederique is a digital producer for GBH Forum Network, and a French journalist who has spent most of her professional career reporting on local news. She is the former News Director at Belmont Community Media, where she created a community-driven show, Belmont Journal.
Jane Rosenzweig
Jane is the director of the Harvard Writing Center and a former staff editor at the Atlantic. Her writing has been published in many newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, and Harvard Business Review.
John Rudolph
John is the Executive Producer & Founder of Feet in Two Worlds. John has four decades of experience as a program host, reporter, editor and producer of documentaries and news reports for public radio. John has reported from around the world, with a focus on immigrants and refugees.
Ben Schreckinger
Ben is a national political correspondent for Politico, based in Washington. He is an alumnus of Plymouth Nursery School, the Wellington, the Chenery, Belmont High and Brown University.
Jason Tuohey
Jason is the managing editor for digital at The Boston Globe. He oversees reporting, publishing, and audience strategy across the Globe’s digital platforms. He launched BostonGlobe.com in 2011, and has overseen its growth into one of the nation’s top news websites. Jason lives in Belmont.
Julie Wu
Julie’s novel, “The Third Son” (Algonquin Books) was listed as one of 10 riveting reads in the May 2013 edition of O, The Oprah Magazine. Julie has a B.A. in Literature from Harvard and an M.D. from Columbia School of Physicians & Surgeons.
Community Volunteers and Advisors
Lotte Bailyn, Sue Bass, Jim Berets, Tess Caputo, Tom Caputo, Holly Chen, Deborah Dumaine, Judith Feinleib, Paul Griffin, Susan Griffin, Jeffrey Hansell, Caroline Huang, Sarah Kirschner, Jane Levin, Erin McNeil, Linda Pinkow, Jane Rosenzweig, Paul Santos, Hal Shubin, Anne Stuart, Robie White, and Susen Wong.