IMPACT Board of Directors

Elizabeth (Beth) Yancy Bostic is the Board President. Beth has over 15 years of experience as a Special Education Advocate, serving Massachusetts and New Hampshire families and as well as those relocating to Massachusetts from other states. As a parent of children with special needs, she understands the often daunting task of securing and coordinating appropriate academic, medical, functional and recreational supports and services.

Beth was a Project Manager for a training and consulting organization before starting her own advocacy practice as a Special Needs Advocate more than 15 years ago. She was trained as a Special Education Advocate/Parent Consultant through the Federation for Children with Special Needs and is a frequently requested trainer for their workshops. She regularly participates in workshops, conferences and continuing education programs to support her commitment to being current on special education laws and advisories as well as the latest educational innovations and best practices for her clients. She is also a certified as a John C. Maxwell Coach, Teacher, Trainer and Speaker.

Beth is a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation for Children with Special Needs, a LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) Fellow at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMASS Medical School where she is studied Disability and Healthcare Policy, and completed her MBA at Suffolk University. She is the past President of SPaN (Special Needs Advocacy Network), a network of special needs advocates in Massachusetts, as well as a member of the IMPACT: Ability Steering Committee, COPAA (Council for Parent Attorneys and Advocates) and P.I.C.K. (Parents of Infants and Children with Kernicterus). She was previously a member of the ArcMass Board and the Reading Special Education Parent Advisory Council.

Having studied abroad, worked in the diversity and inclusion field for over 20 years, and partnered with local community based organizations, she has a particular passion and affinity for meeting the needs of under-served and culturally and linguistically diverse families.

Keith Jones is the Board Vice President. Keith is an African-American activist, entrepreneur, and father living with cerebral palsy. Keith advocates for quality independent living for persons with disabilities. He also strives for equal access to housing, education, and voting rights – for all. In addition to his human rights work, Keith is the founder of SoulTouchin’ Experiences and has earned an Emmy award for his song “Rising Phoenix,” a documentary about the Paralympic Games.

Jorge Ledesma is a JD candidate at Yale Law School. He graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Social Studies from Harvard University. Born in Colombia and raised by a single mother, he studies the particular role of disability in low-income communities of color with a focus on policing and mass incarceration. In 2019, Jorge earned Harvard’s John Palfrey Prize as “the most distinguished scholar in the senior class who is the recipient of a stipendiary scholarship.” He spent his postgraduate years as a Special Assistant in the Suffolk County (Greater Boston) District Attorney’s Office, leading an accessibility-based policy project and developing community engagement initiatives. He completed an MPhil in Comparative Social Policy at the University of Oxford, where he was a Marshall Scholar.  

Yuki Nishizawa, a mother of two amazing children, is a teacher with 20 years of experience working with students who are neurodivergent/differently abled. She holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Lesley university, currently serving as a Transition Specialist at Brookline High School. Yuki finds joy in enhancing the lives of those who require special assistance, while bringing pedagogical approaches in her classroom and beyond. Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, where a pathway for employment for people with disabilities exists, Yuki maintains high expectations for each and every student she encounters and advocates to build more inclusive communities.

Rania Henriquez holds a B.A. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In 2021, Rania was one of the recipients of the 21st Century Leaders Award, which “recognizes graduating seniors who are academically accomplished and have enhanced the reputation of the flagship campus.” Rania is a graduate of IMPACT’s Women of Color Core Class. Currently, she is the Communication Specialist at Elevated Thought, an arts and social justice organization based in Lawrence, MA. Rania is passionate about co-creating accessible spaces that prioritize learning, justice, and creativity. 

Bonnie Tai is a graduate of the Adult Women’s Basic course, the parent of a graduate of two IMPACT courses, and has organized IMPACT courses for middle-school and college students. As a survivor of gender- and race-based violence, she has advocated for social justice for most of her adult life—as a middle-school teacher, in college admissions and student support services, as a teacher educator and program evaluator, and for over twenty years as a faculty member and administrator of Educational Studies  at College of the Atlantic. Bonnie has served on the boards of a community school, education foundation, education non-profit, and chaired the board of a domestic violence prevention organization. She currently serves on the board of Unified Asian Communities and as a County Advisor for the Maine Community Foundation.