Brenda Vezina is the Chief Executive Officer of Kiva Centers. Kiva Centers’ mission and vision are achieved through her dynamic leadership and close community involvement. She has over 30 years of experience working within communities of people who have experienced mental health issues, substance use, and all traumatic experiences as a program creator, administrator, and direct service worker. She was a founding member of the National Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice. Brenda has led the United States in several federal efforts to center an understanding of community-run trauma healing in policy implementation.

Brenda is passionate about Domestic Violence Awareness and is a strong supporter of keeping families together in safe environments. She is also an active advocate in the state of New Mexico with communities wishing to create innovative solutions to enhance personal recovery, voice, and choice.

Aroldo is the Massachusetts Certified Peer Specialist Program Director, responsible for all the logistics for the Peer Certification process for the state of Massachusetts. Including managing and delivering quality training practices to prepare prospective CPS’s the certification process.
Prior to this position, Aroldo has worked as a Program Coordinator and Director of Multicultural Affairs. For the Central Mass Recovery Learning Community since January 2010. Aroldo coordinated all Kiva’s meetings, built Peer facilitators’ teams, and brought Peer Support to different communities, such as the Latino, Brazilian, Young Adult, LGBTQIA, and others.

For these years, Aroldo has been a lead multi-lingual trainer for the Central Mass RLC, teaching different Peer-oriented workshops, such as Trauma-Informed Peer Support Facilitation training, Wellness Recovery Action Plan, Parenting Journey, Trauma and Healing Dialogues, and others.

Aroldo is inquisitive about people’s cultures and has as a priority to understand different values, beliefs, and habits, to help diversify groups with mutual support.

Jasmine Quiñones has been with the Kiva Centers for several years. Jasmine oversees the Kiva Centers Peer-Run Respites and has been a central part of the critical impact they have in communities throughout Massachusetts and supporting the inspiration these Peer-Run Respites offer to communities around the world.

She received the Angel Award in the Massachusetts South County Community Health Networking Area for two years in a row for excellence in community collaboration. She has been recognized by the Salvation Army for her collaborative community work as well as being recognized as an “unsung hero” of the Salvation Army’s Disaster Relief team. Jasmine has had the honor of working alongside ASSMCA Puerto Rico’s Services Administration for Mental Health and Addiction bringing the Kiva Centers model of Trauma-Informed Peer Support to their populations in need. Because of Jasmine’s coaching and dedication to the cause, Puerto Rico will soon be opening peer-run centers inspired by the Kiva Centers model throughout many areas of Puerto Rico. Outside of work, Jasmine is a mother of two wonderful children, who she loves to dote on. The beach is her happy place, where she goes to recharge her soul.

Cole Bassett serves as the Director of Alignment at Kiva Centers, where he ensures that trainings, support groups, and the Worcester Recovery Learning Community (RLC) reflect Kiva’s mission, values, and trauma-informed best practices. In this role, Cole coordinates live training offerings, supports and supervises trainers, provides oversight for the Worcester RLC, and develops systems that bring consistency and integrity across all peer support programming.

Cole draws on his lived experience and background as a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) to guide his work. With training in psychology, disability studies, and public administration, he focuses on creating structures and processes that align programming with Kiva’s values and foster long-term impact.

Through his leadership, Cole advances organizational alignment and sustainability at Kiva Centers. His vision is to strengthen recovery communities by building programs that are consistent in delivery, unified in purpose, and firmly rooted in the lived experiences of those they serve.

Shulamith Acevedo is the Director of Development at Kiva Centers, where she leverages her lived experience and background in health care leadership to advance trauma-informed, peer-led, and equitable systems of care. She began her career as a Peer Bridger, supporting individuals re-entering the community after psychiatric incarceration.

Shulamith was instrumental in developing and securing funding for Kiva’s “Model A” peer respite—an innovative, community-integrated alternative to hospitalization centered on self-determination, healing, and continued support beyond crisis.

In addition to her program development work, Shulamith has coordinated with Brandeis University and the Disability Policy Consortium to study and improve access to long-term support coordinators for individuals dually enrolled in MassHealth and Medicare (OneCare). She has also designed and delivered multiple trainings for the peer workforce and for clinicians seeking to learn from lived experience, including Living with Suicide, Peer Supervision, and Cultural Humility trainings.

Shulamith holds a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership from Brown University. Outside of her professional work, she is a writer, avid hiker, martial artist, and lifelong seeker of joy.

Ydelca Paredes-Alejo, the Worcester RLC Program Director, is a dedicated mental health advocate. She is a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) with experience in corrections and immigration, as well as supporting individuals with developmental disabilities, substance use issues, and trauma. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in an immigrant family, Ydelca is committed to empowering others by tutoring Spanish-speaking individuals preparing for their naturalization tests.

Outside of her professional work, Ydelca is a passionate food lover who enjoys reading psychological thrillers, traveling, and spending time with her beloved Maltese, Lilly, along with her family and friends. Her diverse experiences and genuine compassion make her a strong force for positive change in her community.