Introducing our new Board Executives

We are excited to introduce you to our new Board Executives, starting on January 1, 2026. We are so grateful for their service and are exciting to work with them in the coming years!

President, Shai Spinola-Ramos

I am a proud fourth-generation Cape Verdean American, born and raised in New Bedford, where I still reside with my husband of thirty years and our adult children, all of whom have chosen careers dedicated to public service. My husband and I are also proud grandparents raising our 16-year-old grandson which makes the YWCA’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program especially meaningful to me. My family is the most important part of my life and the foundation of everything I do.

A NBHS graduate, I graduated from Boston University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Civilization. For the past 20 years, I have worked at LifeStream Inc. in the Employment & Training Division where I currently serve as the Director of Occupational Training and am a member of LifeStream’s Executive Team. In addition to my role at LifeStream, I am the Co-chair the New Bedford Department of Transitional Assistance Advisory Board and serve on the Board of Directors for Mercy Meals. I am also a member of the Direct Care Curriculum Advisory Committee under the Commonwealth of MA’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

I am passionate about empowering others, whether through education, workforce development, or community advocacy, because I believe that when people are given the tools and support, they need, they can achieve incredible things.

Vice President, Corday Silva