MORNING BREW
Unlocking Opportunity: How ESOL Services Transform Lives and Communities.
You're invited to the Boston Public Library Fund’s annual breakfast and conversation event!
Date: Thursday, May 15 | Time: 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
Location: Newsfeed Cafe, Central Library in Copley Square Registration: This event is free- scroll down to secure your spot!
Topic: Unlocking Opportunity – How ESOL Services Transform Lives and Communities.
Public libraries have long stood as vital community hubs, providing crucial support and resources to diverse populations. The Boston Public Library is at the forefront of this effort, especially in expanding and innovating English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services. These programs are more than educational resources; they are gateways to opportunity, fostering inclusion and empowering recent immigrants with the tools for personal and professional success.
Join us for a compelling panel discussion on how the Boston Public Library and community partners are leading the way in integrating ESOL services with workforce development. This event will explore how we’re not only responding to the growing needs of ESOL learners but also setting benchmarks for public libraries everywhere.
This conversation is crucial for anyone interested in the intersection of education, community development, and social equity. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to see how the Boston Public Library is making a profound impact as a free, accessible resource that uplifts and supports our community.
Panelists
Vic Acosta; Director of English for Advancement, Jewish Vocational Services (JVS)
Mr. Vic Acosta is the director of the English for Advancement (EfA) program within the department of Disability and Refugee Services at JVS. For over 80 years, JVS, has been a pivotal force in supporting individuals towards financial independence, through training programs and education, support finding new or better employment opportunities, and opportunities for financial growth. JVS has a reputation for continuous innovation, building person-centered and performance-based models to improve outcomes and increase programmatic effectiveness. JVS is committed to helping individuals from all backgrounds achieve the American Dream. The EfA program Mr. Acosta directs is unique in that is one of the first “pay for performance” workforce development programs in the region aimed at helping low level English speakers attain and sustain work in their communities through a vocationally focused English curriculum and concurrent career coaching and placement. The program has taken on the challenge of helping refugees rapidly move through language and employment while engaging their barriers.
Prior to working at JVS he has worked at organizations engaged with almost every underserved population in the greater Boston area. He was the Executive Director and head of Workforce Development at Back on My Feet Boston which worked directly with Boston area homeless shelters guiding people through substance disorder, re-entry, and housing instability to employment and health. He has also been the director of Career Services at New England Culinary Arts and Training helping found their re-entry program at Suffolk Correctional assisting re-entry citizens attain employment. He has also served in a director capacity for organizations such as Project Citizenship, Common Cathedral, Vinfen, the Arthritis Foundation and Tunefoolery at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center in Boston. Prior to his human services work Vic worked as an electrical engineering manager on NASA satellites and Semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Vic is also the Chair of JVS’s DEIB Council and has studied Social Policy for Service Providers at Columbia University and Immigration Law with Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
Jess Elias; Manager of Community Learning
Jessica Elias has been with the Boston Public Library for over ten years where she serves as the Manager of the Community Learning Department. Leading a team of 20 staff, the team focuses on outreach and engagement for underserved and underrepresented populations in Boston, including ESL learners, immigrants, senior citizens, adults in need of digital literacy, underemployed/unemployed adults, and individuals in need of health and human services. Since joining the library in 2014, she and her staff are committed to growing and enhancing skills in communities for 21st century success, by fostering a library culture built on empathy, curiosity, and a passion for life-long learning. Jessica earned a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2008, and an MS in Library Science from Simmons University in 2014
Monique Tú Nguyen; Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement
Monique Tú Nguyen is the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement and leads the department to advance stability, economic empowerment, civic ownership, and social integration for immigrants in Boston. She is committed to advocating for immigrants in Boston and building community to further equity and belonging. Director Nguyen has extensive experience in community-driven leadership and economic and racial justice. Before this appointment, she served as Executive Director of Matahari Women Workers’ Center for 10 years, advancing the rights and protections for domestic workers, women, immigrants, and their families. She’s also been recognized for her leadership of the MassUndocuFund, a million-dollar COVID-19 cash relief fund for immigrant workers, and for spearheading the successful passage of the Massachusetts Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2014. Director Nguyen is from Vancouver, Canada, and is the proud daughter of a Vietnam War refugee. She speaks English, Vietnamese, and is learning Spanish. She loves cooking, dancing, hiking, dreaming, and scheming about community building.
Jerry Rubin; Senior Advisor at the Project On The Workforce at Harvard, and a Foundation Fellow at the Eastern Bank Foundation
Jerry Rubin is a Senior Advisor at the Project On The Workforce at Harvard, and a Foundation Fellow at the Eastern Bank Foundation. He retired in 2022 after serving for fifteen years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Jewish Vocational Services, Inc. a leading workforce development organization. Prior to joining JVS, Jerry was Vice President of Building Economic Opportunities at Jobs for the Future, a national workforce development and education policy, research, and consulting organization. Jerry founded and was Executive Director of two nonprofit organizations: the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership, a training and consulting organization; and the Coalition for a Better Acre, a community development corporation based in Lowell, Massachusetts. Jerry also spent ten years in the administration of Boston Mayor Raymond L. Flynn leading several housing, economic development and workforce development initiatives. Jerry holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government from Clark University and a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of numerous book chapters, articles, and monographs on housing, economic development and workforce development issues. Jerry is a board member of the Widen The Circle and the Hyde Square Task Force.
Moderator
David Leonard; President, Boston Public Library
David Leonard is President of the Boston Public Library, a thriving 170-year-old institution and one of Boston’s great educational, cultural, and civic treasures. David began working at the BPL in 2009, bringing with him a wealth of experience from the technology, management, and consulting fields. Appointed President by the Library’s Board of Trustees and Mayor Martin J. Walsh in June 2016, David’s focus is on developing the BPL as a twenty-first-century institution that provides dynamic library experiences to the residents of Boston, of Massachusetts, and beyond.
BPL has a Central Library in Copley Square, twenty-five neighborhood branches, and an archival center and also serves as the “Library for the Commonwealth” of Massachusetts. In his role, David oversees a collection of more than 23 million books, maps, manuscripts, and prints, with ever expanding digital access.
Prior to his appointment as President, David served as Interim President for one year. During that time he focused on the completion of the $78 million renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square, which opened in July 2016, as well as a significant number of branch and collections management projects; enhancing access and customer experience; and increasing collaboration with other City of Boston departments and local cultural institutions.
During his time at the BPL David has also served as Director of Administration & Technology, Chief Technology Officer, acting Director of Administration & Finance, and acting Chief Financial Officer. He led the Library’s capital improvement project for the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, worked to modernize the Library’s technology infrastructure—including the migration to the new Integrated Library System and deployment of new pay-for-print systems system wide—and oversaw master planning and design for the renovation of the Central Library in Copley Square.
David’s prior experience spans academia and the nonprofit sector as well as the IT consulting world, with roles in business development, management, and technology consulting. David is currently enrolled in a PhD program in Library Information Science at Simmons College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and mathematics and a master’s degree in philosophy from the University College Dublin. He did further graduate work in philosophy at Boston College and was a member of the 2010 Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.