Philanthropy Dialogue: RIA, Inc. & Young Man with a Plan
Tuesday, September 30 | 6:30 PM | Zoom
Join us for the first Grantee Zoom Dialogue for the 2025-26 grant season! On September 30th, 6:30-7:30 pm, current TPC grantees, RIA, Inc. and Young Man with a Plan will present to TPC about their work, communities, and impact. RIA provides wraparound community services to support survivors of the commercial sex trade and associated trafficking and exploitation. Young Man with a Plan delivers holistic mentoring that helps Boston's Black and Latino achieve college, career, and life success. Together, Heather Wightman, the Executive Director and Founder of RIA, Inc, and Marcia Felth, the Development Director for YMWAP, will share about some of the opportunities and challenges they are facing, the partners they work with, and success stories from their communities.
Dialogues are a way to learn more about how our TPC collective giving supports our grantees and how individuals can go beyond the check. We also explore some of the local and national issues that our nonprofits are facing. Come with your questions. TPC friends and guests are welcome.
Heather Wightman, Executive Director and Founder of RIA, Inc.
Heather Wightman, MSW/MPH, is the Executive Director and Founder of RIA, Inc. (formerly RIA House, Inc.) She has more than 25 years of experience managing and designing multifaceted federal, state, and local human service programs related to violence prevention. Having received her MSW in macro social work practice and MPH in social and behavioral sciences from Boston University, Wightman is committed to social justice and the advancement of human rights. She is also trained and practiced as a Massachusetts Sexual Assault Counselor. Wightman is highly active in local women’s and civil rights organization. She served on the boards of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, YWCA, and Matahari: Eye of the Day, and was appointed to the MetroWest Commission on the Status of Women in 2014. More recently Wightman was awarded the 2019 Serif & Heljo Protopapa Community Service Award, the first of its kind in memory of two justice fighters. As a former Peace Corps volunteer in Central America, she is proficient in the Spanish language.
Marcia Felth, Director of Development, Young Man with a Plan
Marcia's 20 years of experience in corporate and nonprofit program development, consulting, and grant writing proved valuable when she was engaged to lead the 2015 design and launch of Young Man with a Plan (YMWAP), a holistic mentoring program engaging young Black and Latino men across 8 Boston schools. For the past 10 years Marcia has worked closely with Executive Director Dr. Jay Simpson to build YMWAP. She currently serves as Director of Development. Marcia received her BA from Barnard College (first generation) and her M.Ed from UVM. She has been certified as an executive coach from the Center for Creative Leadership and as a writing group leader from the Amherst Writers Program. Marcia also leads a seniors poetry group in Newton and helps Boston high school students write compelling college essays.