Chamber Staff
Jen Lawrence
Acting Director
Jennifer Lawrence is a senior organizational leader and consultant with over 20 years of experience across municipal government, nonprofit management, philanthropy, and community-led planning. Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, systems change, and the built environment, with a consistent focus on equity, community-led impact, and institutional effectiveness.
Jen spent over a decade with the City of Cambridge, where she led and managed complex, citywide initiatives spanning sustainability, transportation demand management, and cross-departmental collaboration. Her public-sector experience gave her deep insight into regulatory environments, budgetary constraints, stakeholder engagement, and the realities of implementing policy and planning. This experience enabled her to work in deep partnership with community, facilitating processes that built upon strong history and bridged technical expertise with lived expertise. Previously, she was the Executive Director of Groundwork Somerville, where she honed her skills in equitable community engagement, working alongside residents, youth, schools, and city officials to design and implement programs rooted in sustainability and justice. This grounding in grassroots partnership has carried forward into every leadership role she has taken, shaping her approach to inclusive, community-driven planning.
Jen lives in Somerville and remains deeply engaged in the civic, nonprofit, and philanthropic ecosystems of the region, serving as secretary on the Board of Naveo Credit Union, as a member of the Board of Built Environment Plus, and on the PTA of the Capuano Early Childhood Center of the Somerville Public Schools, where her daughter is enrolled in Pre-K.
Contact Jen at jennifer@somervillechamber.org.Â
Joanne Haley
Bookkeeper/Office Manager
Joanne directs and oversees office operations and systems including accounts payable/receivables, database, and purchasing. Joanne also helps design, produce and manage print and electronic marketing materials and assists with the development and implementation of programs and activities. Joanne brings twenty years of experience as an office manager and bookkeeper in a variety of small business industries. Throughout her career, Joanne has served various organizations and associations connected to the Somerville Public Schools. A graduate of Somerville High School with advanced courses bookkeeping and accounting courses at Bentley College, Joanne and her husband, Rick, live in Somerville and have a daughter, Susan, and son, Daniel. Contact Joanne at joanne@somervillechamber.org