MEET OUR TEAM
2nd Act is a recovery-friendly workplace that fosters support, wellbeing and growth of individuals in recovery through a focus on harm reduction, prevention, and evidence-based practices. The majority of our staff, board and committees are either in recovery from a Substance Use Disorder or have lived experience with addiction either as a family member or close friend of someone with a Substance Use Disorder.
STAFF
Executive Director
Ana Bess Moyer Bell, MA RDT
she/her
Ana Bess Moyer Bell received her masters degree in drama therapy from New York University and has been a practicing clinician since 2014. She is the founder of COAAST (now 2nd Act) and has almost ten-years experience running nonprofits. She has practiced and taught drama therapy nationally and internationally and is a commissioned playwright. She is currently on the advisory board at the Rhode Island Department of Health helping to create and maintain the medical regulations for the nation's first legal harm reduction centers. She is a senior advisor to RI Governor Daniel J. McKee on substance use, harm reduction, and recovery.
Chief Operations Officer
Karen Snyder
she/her
Karen Snyder grew up in Wooster, OH. In 2002, she received a B.A. in Theater from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA. Karen lived in Boston, MA for 14 years where she first worked with Improbable Players. After moving back to Ohio in 2017, she recognized the need for prevention and recovery theater due to the opioid epidemic and started the Cleveland office of Improbable Players in May 2018.
Education Program Manager
Ryan Beard
he/him
Ryan Beard began teaching drama and improvisational theater to youth a decade ago. He graduated from Arizona State University in 2012 with a degree in Theater Education and Communications. He has taught drama in schools and youth theaters to students from a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds in Arizona, Washington and Massachusetts. He has worked as both a drama teacher and a high school technical theater director.
Development & Communications Coordinator
Ava Mascena
she/her
Ava Mascena graduated from Rhode Island College in 2017 with a BA in Theater and a concentration in musical theater performance. Ava first started working for COAAST (now 2nd Act) in 2019 as a Stage Manager, and joined the 2nd Act team in July of 2022. Along with working in theater as a stage manager, actor, singer and box office manager, she is a skilled potter and teaches pottery classes for children at Mudstone Studios in Warren.
Outreach Coordinator
Morgan Shumway
she/they
Morgan Shumway is a healing arts advocate, performer, and cares about social and environmental justice. Morgan graduated from Miami University of Ohio, in 2019, with a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Performance. Morgan has been a Soprano Chorister for the choir of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Cleveland, Ohio, and has been with Improbable Players, and now 2nd Act, since January of 2020.
Drama Therapist
Amy Larson Lazier, RDT, LMHC, CGCS
she/her
Amy Larson Lazier, MA, RDT earned her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lesley University specializing in Drama Therapy. Amy is a part of the drama therapy department at 2nd Act; creating and running groups, focused on supporting people in recovery while they do their work to support others within the recovery community. Amy utilizes her role as a drama therapist to support actors, directors, and other members of 2nd Act.
CONSULTANTS
Artistic Director, New Works
Elizabeth Addison
She/her
Development Consultant
Rebecca Harris
she/her
Elizabeth Addison is a composer, lyricist, playwright, arts administrator, and Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. Her musical This is Treatment, a story about women helping women recover at an addiction treatment facility, was produced by Northeastern University. She is the former Associate Artistic Director and founding member of The Dreamscape Project Group, an all-female theatre troupe dedicated to developing pieces that address diversity through dance, movement, music and dramatic narrative.
Becca Harris is a Development Consultant with 2nd Act. After a knee injury ended Becca's hopes of going pro (in culinary arts), Becca studied Event Planning and Hospitality Management at Southern New Hampshire University. After graduating, Becca began her non-profit career, working for various non-profits in the Greater Boston area before taking on her current role as an Implementation Consultant at Anthology, helping non-profits adopt new management tools. She also consults for non-profits on management and development, and has been a consultant with 2nd Act for 4 years.
Ohio Associate Director
Colleen Longshaw Jackson
she/her
Colleen Longshaw Jackson is currently the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the City of Shaker Heights, Ohio. Colleen holds a BFA and MFA in acting from Kent State University and is a proud member of Actors Equity Association. Jackson is a Certified Trauma Professional, a certification she uses in conjunction with her theatre work to create inclusive and mindful artistic spaces.
Grants Manager
EJ Harris
he/him
EJ Harris has newly returned to the Greater Boston Area after stops in New Haven, Milwaukee, and Youngstown, OH. He studied theology and classics at Providence College, and met his wife, Catherine, while accidentally making fun of her shoes during a debate round. They became partners in debate, then in life, then in competitive axe throwing, a sport they continue to pursue. He has worked in law, politics, IT, non-profit development and a comics shop, but considers grant writing his best job yet.
Videographer, JaiCG
Joseph Phommasith
he/him
Joseph Phommasith is a MA native who grew up in RI. He has a degree in International Relations from Boston University. In 2012, Joseph started JaiCG — a public relations firm initially based out of Providence. Nowadays, JaiCG is known for video work and is based out of Boston. With change, a few things have remained constant, however: everything is made from the heart and is for the people.
Teaching Artist &
Playwright
Daniel T. Hankins
he/him
Daniel T. Hankins is an actor and musician based in the Boston area. Daniel studied Communications Media, concentrating in Theater at Fitchburg State University until 2020. Joining 2nd Act in 2022, Daniel has been able to connect with many people in the struggle against Substance Use Disorder, performing in 2nd Act's productions of "I'll Never Do That" and "Four Legs to Stand On" in person and virtually in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This has awakened a desire to educate the youth in Harm Reduction in any way he can, using the power of music and theater to aid in his endeavors.
Rachel Tondreault
Teaching Artist
she/they
Rachel Tondreault is an actor and teaching artist in recovery. They started their work with COAAST in 2015, prior to its merger into 2nd Act. Rachel’s experience onstage and love for theatre brought them to an audition for Ms. Moyer Bell’s play Four Legs To Stand On where they were cast and went on to originate the role of Sylvie. Two years into their work with COAAST, they were able to confront their own wounds with substance use and begin a life in recovery. Since this time, Rachel has been able to share their story amongst recovery communities throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Rachel also works as a yoga and meditation instructor for multiple recovery, mental health, and wellness communities. They live in Waltham, Massachusetts with their partner and pets.
Drama Therapist (In-Training)
Cassey Fey, LISW, CCTP
she/they
Cassey is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Cassey currently serves as Program Director at NAMI Greater Cleveland where she oversees the implementation of NAMI support and educational programs. Additionally, she is actively working towards becoming a Registered Drama Therapist through the alternative training program. Cassey is passionate about utilizing the arts to strengthen relationships and build community, as well as a therapeutic tool to process trauma and explore self-expression.
Leandro Castro
he/him/they
Leandro Castro, better known by his stage name "Kufa Castro", is a Queer Afro-Dominican artist based in the city of Providence, RI. Canta Author, rapper, poet and playwright. Kufa has been creating music since 2012. Kufa fuses his history and experience as an afro queer Latinx immigrant in the United States in his music and his poetry. His poetry is the tilling of his experience to keep finding himself, connect to his community, and culture. As a playwright Kufa was co-translator of Rhode Island Latino Arts and Trinity Rep’s production of “The Tempest/La Tempestad” 2018, lead translator and adapter of Comedy of Errors/Comedia de Errores for Brown/Trinity’s MFA Program’s class of 2019 and in the summer of 2019 he was the lead translator and adapter of “Much Ado About Nothing/Tanta Bulla y pa que?”.
INTERNS
All of our year-long internships are paid positions
Outreach & Social Media Intern
Kimstelle Merisma
she/her
Kimstelle Merisma is a junior Theatre and Performance student at Emerson College in Boston. A firm believer in blending all of one’s passions, Kimstelle seeks to combine her love for performing and visual arts with her devotion to community-building in all of her current and future endeavors. Kimstelle is a huge music enthusiast and, at the moment, her favorite song is King by Florence + The Machine.
Development Intern
Paggy Lin Patel
she/her
Paggy Lin Patel is a senior at the University of Massachusetts of Dartmouth. Her internship is through the Community Based Work Study at the University of Massachusetts of Dartmouth. She grew up in New York and then moved to Massachusetts to make new friends. Her hobbies are gym, movie marathons, and food enthusiasts. She is also into volunteering for her community on campus to reach sustainability goals.
ADVISORS & VOLUNTEERS
Website & Grants Volunteer
Sara Reiling
she/her
Sara Reiling grew up in Boston, MA and now lives in Washington, DC. Sara graduated from Davidson College in 2018 with a degree in anthropology. She has been volunteering with 2nd Act since November of 2021.
Digital Consultant
Geoff Capraro MD, MPH
he/him
Geoff Capraro, MD, MPH is a practicing, board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physician with Brown Emergency Medicine and co-Founder of the RI-hatched, now, nationally distributed NaloxBox program to furnish tools to support bystander rescue of people overdosing on opioids in public and semi-public places.
Federal Grant Writing & Program Evaluations Volunteer
Esther Fisk Ramsahai, MPH
she/her
Esther Fisk Ramsahai, MPH obtained her Master of Public Health from Liberty University in 2021, her concentration is in Health Promotion. She became a volunteer for 2nd Act for her practicum in late 2020, supporting us as we worked through the application requirements for a grant through Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S Department of Health & Human Services. She continues to volunteer for 2nd Act. She is also the Director of Innovation for OptumRx.
ACTORS IN RECOVERY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board Chair: Jessica Morrison (Newton, MA): Director of Development, Huntington Theatre Company; former Deputy Director of Development at the American Repertory Theater and Director of Development at Commonwealth Shakespeare. BFA, Boston University.
Board Vice Chair: Olivia Jenkins (Providence, RI): Recovery Housing Inspector with RICARES, Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, community organizer, LGBTQ advocate, visual artist, performer.
Board Treasurer: Joe Kelleher (Newton, MA): Program Director, Hamilton House; supervisor for practicum students in the Addiction Counseling Certificate Program at UMass Boston, and business manager, The Gavin Foundation. BA in Psychology, College of the Holy Cross.
Board Clerk: Rachel Morgan (Harvard, MA): Early COAAST Outreach Coordinator; Human Factors Engineer at Eli Lilly and Co.; BS/MS in biomedical engineering; MS in systems engineering (Focus in human factors).
Joaquin Dos Reis (Cleveland Heights, OH): International Customer Service Supervisor, Moen International; former Program Manager of Global Executive Education, Cleveland Clinic.
Jennifer Johns (Twinsburg, OH): Executive Director at Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio.
Roger Oser (Boston, MA): Principal, Ostiguy Recovery High School, Vice-Chair for the Association for Recovery Schools and Co-Chair of the Boston Youth Service Network. BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a master’s degree from The Citadel.
Khalil Saddiq (Chelsea, MA): Marine Corps veteran, Community Activist, Racial Equity Consultant, Life Coach, currently sits on a committee for the City of Boston to end city homelessness and is a passionate advocate for eliminating homelessness. Cambridge College BA Multidisciplinary Studies focused on early education.
Bradly Widener (Pawtucket, RI): Director of Service & Experience at Trinity Repertory Company, Teaching Artist, Actor, BFA from University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC).
Taylor Cacciola (Providence, RI): Co-Founder of Namra Consulting, Board Director of Central RI Chamber of Commerce, BA, Marketing + MBA from University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.
Kate Kataja (Boston, MA): Board Relations Manager at GBH, former Assistant Director of Development for Trinity Repertory Company, former Artistic Associate at The Wilbury Theatre Group, former resident director at Burbage Theatre Company, BA in Theater from Emerson College, Arts Administration Graduate Certificate from NYU.
COMMITTEES
Governance, Finance, Development, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, and Recovery-Friendly Workplace