MBF Staff

As Executive Director, Beth Lynch oversees the MBF’s operations, grantmaking, and strategic development activities.

Lynch first joined the MBF staff in 2000, serving first as Grants Administrator and then as Grants Manager until 2004. Prior coming to the MBF, Ms. Lynch worked as a Program Associate at the Eurasia Foundation, where she made grants to promote economic and democratic reform in the former Soviet Union. She also served as a Herbert Scoville, Jr. Peace Fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C., where she researched civilian nuclear spent fuel reprocessing in Eastern Europe.

She earned an bachelor’s degree at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley and a master’s degree from Columbia University in New York, N.Y.

Susannah Thomas joined the organization as Development Associate in December 2005. In this role, Thomas manages the Society of Fellows program, coordinates the activities of the Board of Trustees, plans and executes special events, and supports the MBF's grantmaking initiatives.

Thomas came to the MBF with an extensive background in fundraising, nonprofit management, and event planning. She worked for 10 years at CASCAP, Inc., a Cambridge-based nonprofit which specializes in the development and management of affordable housing and supportive services for people with special needs. At CASCAP, Thomas was responsible for the fundraising and marketing efforts of the agency, as well as playing an integral part in the inception and development of several new residential and service programs. Thomas also spent 6 years as a small business owner, managing all facets of a successful retail business in Hingham, MA.

Thomas received a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master's degree from Boston University.

Julianna Brody-Fialkin joined the MBF team in November 2007. As the Program Assistant, she works with both grants and development programs at the MBF.

Before joining the MBF, Brody-Fialkin worked at the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) as Communications and Program Assistant. Brody-Fialkin brings a background in social service delivery to her work at the Foundation, having worked at both the Women’s Lunch Place in Boston and the St. Ambrose Family Shelter in Dorchester.

Brody-Fialkin earned a bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College in Ohio, and returned to Boston where was born and raised.