Cambridge Community Safety Department Community Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) Team

The City of Cambridge's Community Safety Department (CSD) provide residents with an alternative police response that prioritizes issues of mental and behavioral health in some of the city's most vulnerable communities. The staff has extensive experience in social work, mental health counseling, developmental psychology, emergency medical services, and other areas.

Meet the members of your Community Safety Department:

Marie Mathieu, LICSW, Interim Director, has spent her 15-year career working in various systems. Prior to joining the CSD, Marie worked as the first social worker for Cambridge Public Library and also as an advisor at the Boston College School of Social Work. Marie prioritizes person-centered approaches and community partnerships in all her work. She earned her bachelor's and master's of social work from Andrews University and enjoys communicating in Haitian-Creole and Spanish. Marie is responsible for providing clinical and programmatic leadership for the Community Assistance Response and Engagement (CARE) Team and assists in the overall functioning of the Community Safety Department.

Patty Contente, LICSW, Interim Assistant Director of Clinical Services, has worked in community mental health for 30+ years. She has played a leadership role in program development and collaboration with stakeholders and has successfully implemented programs to address overdose response, suicide prevention and jail diversion. Patty is an experienced trainer and is certified in a number of national programs including: Blue Courage, Resiliency Advantage, Recovery Coach Academy, Mental Health First Aid and most recently Trauma Informed Care for the Criminal Justice System.

Kelly Fineran, LMHC, Assistant Director of Clinical Services, received her bachelor's degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in NYC where she lived and worked for 10 years. After returning to the New England area for graduate school, she received her master's degree in counseling and forensic psychology from William James College. Over the last 15 years of her career, Kelly has worked as a crisis clinician, correction clinician, outpatient therapist, and most recently a co-response clinician embedded in police departments. Kelly has a strong clinical background in crisis management, de-escalation, and risk assessment.

Andrew Lovley, Assistant Director of Administration and Operations, has over 10 years of professional experience developing and directing operations for a variety of early-stage startups, nonprofits, and social impact organizations. Andrew supports operations across the Department, including staff performance management, data collection and reporting, budget oversight, inventory and resource management, as well as all internal processes and systems.

Kara Blue, Community Partnerships & Engagement Manager, holds her bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University. She joined the Department during its formation in early 2023. Over the last 12 years, Kara has worked in domestic and sexual violence services through Transition House and BARCC and has also consulted locally as a trauma-informed training consultant.

Vaness Ashtin, Administrative Coordinator, was born and raised in Revere, Massachusetts and received her bachelor's degree in English from U-Mass Boston. After many years in the hospitality industry, including time as an assistant pastry chef in a prominent South End restaurant, Vanessa made a shift to administrative coordination and has spent the last few years in education and healthcare.

The CARE Team has undergone extensive training that was developed with input from behavioral health experts in the community. In addition to technical training on critical disciplines like CPR and conflict mediation, the responders are also equipped with in-depth knowledge around issues such as suicidality, gender violence, homelessness, and boundary setting.

Meet the Care Team:

Jeffrey Alger grew up in Hopedale, Massachusetts and has been working in the field of public safety and emergency medical services for over 16 years. Most recently, working in the Emergency Department at Cambridge Hospital. He has also served as a firefighter, EMT and 911 dispatcher.

Kellie Foxx-Gonzalez, LCSW, is dedicated to supporting the Cambridge community using a person-centered, trauma-informed and psychodynamic approach. They earned their bachelor's degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies at Columbia University and their master's in social work at Boston College. Prior to joining the Cambridge Safety Department, she has worked extensively in mobile crisis response and intimate partner violence prevention and response.

Matthew Gomes majored in Psychology at Florida State University and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling at U-Mass Boston. Prior to joining the Cambridge Community Safety Department, he worked as a Research Assistant in the Flavell Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, where he looked at serotonin-signaling to understand how neural circuits sustain behaviors. In addition to a background in neuropsychological research, he has experience as a hotline crisis counselor and lead social justice and advocacy-based community organizations.

Evie Lueders-Booth, LICSW, a Cambridge native, holds a bachelor's degree in human services from UMass Boston and a master's degree in social work from Simmons College. Her background is primarily in youth work, both in school and in out-of-school-time programming. Evie has also worked in youth and community employment as well as family care coordination. Evie looks forward to merging her passion for mental health access and her love for the Cambridge community.

Dimitri Virgile was raised in Medford, holds a bachelor's degree from Sacred Heart University in Health Sciences and a master's degree in biomedical sciences from Quinnipiac University. He started his professional career working as an EMT-Field Training Officer for 7 years and has experience working in hospital/primary care settings as well.

For more information about the Community Safety Department, please visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/communitysafety, email info@cambridgesafety.org or call (617) 349-7200.