Meet Our Team
Want to get involved? Have an idea and looking to collaborate?
Contact a member of our team below.
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Melissa Goldstein, M.Ed (she/her/hers)
Project Director| Bristol Health Equity Zone
(401) 259-7484
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Melissa Goldstein is thrilled to join the Bristol Health Equity Zone team and is excited to get more involved with her community. Melissa has worked in the field of Special Education for over 25 years. She has been a teacher and a school administrator and is passionate about working collaboratively to help others. Melissa is a volunteer for the local community theaters and is on the Board of Directors for the Bristol Warren Education Foundation. Her other interests include going on adventures with her family and friends, being active outdoors and watching her children enjoy their passions of sports, theater and dance. Melissa, her husband and three children reside in Bristol.
Katie Blais (she/her/hers)
Food & Nutrition Working Group Champion
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Katie believes that access to healthy and local food for all is the key to building and maintaining a vibrant community. Katie has a background in Digital Marketing, Project Management, and Client Services and loves being able to use these skills to help local nonprofits and small businesses. On Saturdays you can find Katie at the Mount Hope Farm Farmer's Market where she manages the market and facilitates the Fresh Bucks program which allows SNAP participants to double their dollars for fresh vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Katie lives just over the bridge in Portsmouth with her husband and two young sons.
Samantha Capacillo, MPH
Physical Activity Working Group Champion
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Despite growing up in the United States Air Force where she moved around often, Samantha Capacillo has always called Rhode Island her home. Samantha has a background in nutrition and public health, previously working as a health educator in the Greater Tampa Bay area where she facilitated classes on diabetes management, nutrition, and fitness. Samantha currently resides in Warren with her husband and two little girls.
Kate Hawley (she/her/hers)
Personal Health & Mental Wellness Working Group Champion
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Kate Hawley has worked as a mental health ally for 25 years in a variety settings as a group facilitator, program developer and manager, and grant writer. She currently is consultant, and yoga therapist and teacher.
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Sarah Barboza (she/her/hers)
Community Health Worker
401-328-4241
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Sarah is very excited to join BHEZ and get more involved in her community. Sarah is a lifelong resident of Bristol and wants her fellow residents to live a happy and healthy life. She is a full-time college student majoring in Sports Management and is also a coach for multiple sports teams at Mt. Hope High school, Kickemuit Middle School, and Barrington Youth Soccer Association. Her other interests include traveling, snowboarding, being active, and spending time with friends and family.
Robin Covington (she/her/hers)
Bristol HEZ Outreach Coordinator
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Robin's goal is to help Bristolians access services and resources to help them live their best lives. Robin is the Sr. Director of Healthy Aging at East Bay Community Action Program (EBCAP) and Vice Chair of the RI Elder Minority Taskforce. Robin enjoys good eats, the beach, and weekend getaways!
Elsa Schloemer (she/her/hers)
Bristol HEZ and Warren HEZ Project Coordinator
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Elsa Schloemer believes that all people should have access to healthcare, quality housing, clean water, sustainable food, and a happy community of friends and family. Elsa studied Public Health at Roger Williams University and graduated in the spring of 2021 with two minors in Communications and Psychology. Elsa interned for the East Providence Health Equity Zone and then worked in East Bay Community Action Program’s Senior Services Department, where she helped elders in the East Bay area get connected to resources they needed such as Food Stamps, Medicaid, and CNA care. She started working as the Project Coordinator for Bristol and Warren Health Equity Zones in August of 2022. She wanted to become involved with Health Equity Zones because the initiative combines her passions for health communications and social justice. The job involves exciting challenges and variety with opportunities to be creative! Elsa loves doing outreach and talking to community members. At the end of the day, she enjoys to playing piano, journaling, and spending time with her friends.
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Jessica Williams (she/her/hers)
School-Based Community Health Worker
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Jess proudly serves as a link between students and their families for many different types of community and statewide resources at Mt. Hope High School and Kickemuit Middle School. She has helped families secure food, clothing, rent assistance, employment, and so much more. Jess is part of the high school's behavioral health team and the middle school's guidance team. After being in education for 15 years, Jess changed careers and she feels it has been a smooth transition due to what she describes as "wonderful support" from her "awesome co-workers at Bristol and Warren HEZ."
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Mack O'Neill (she/her/hers)
School-Based Family Navigator
moneill@ebcap.org
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As a School-based Community Health Worker, Mack is responsible for connecting students in high school and their families with local and statewide resources such as financial support, emotional support and food support. Within the school, she is a part of the Behavioral Health Team who help connect her with students. Mack absolutely loves working with the Bristol HEZ team who are always supportive and encouraging of her work in the community.
Brooke Conneally (she/her/hers)
EBCAP Communications Liason
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Brooke is East Bay Community Program's Communications Liason. Brooke provides Communications support and maintains the Bristol, Warren and East Providence HEZ social media accounts. She has a background in social media management, professional photography and videography, and environmental communications. Brooke graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2021. In her free time, Brooke enjoys reading books at local libraries, hanging out with her cats, and working in the garden with her veggies and herbs.
Backbone Agency:
East Bay Community Action Program Staff
Rita Capotosto
Vice President of Family Development
East Bay Community Action Program
Nadine Taveres she/her
Project Officer, Healthy Equity Zones Initiative
Health Equity Institute
Natalie Chasse (she/her/hers)
Bristol HEZ and Warren HEZ Family Navigator
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Natalie graduated in May of 2022 from Roger Williams University with a bachelor of science in Public Health with two minors in Biology and Dance. Natalie interned for the Bristol Warren Thrive By Five and Beyond, where she worked to help facilitate informational workshops for parents and caregivers, collect community data on their prioritized needs or barriers, and disseminating resource information to community members. She also works as a Certified Nursing Assistant and interned for Roger Williams University Visual Arts Department as a social media and event coordinator for three years. Natalie would like to eventually work as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and participate in community outreach to provide patients with well rounded care. She began working for both Bristol and Warren Health Equity zones in October, 2022 as the Family Navigator with a focus on early childhood development. Natalie wants to empower families to support their children and their educational readiness through her new role; she believes that everyone should have access to affordable healthcare, childcare, and nutritious food. In her free time, Natalie dances at her hometown studio, skis and snowmobiles in the winter, and spends quality time with friends and family.