Gail Fortes Graduates from SouthCoast LEADS

Our Executive Director, Gail Fortes, has graduated from her SouthCoast LEADS Fellowship!

SouthCoast LEADS (Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive Systems Change) Fellows represent a variety of sectors including the business community, public institutions, and a wide range of non-profits spanning the arts, healthcare, recovery, education, and other community services. Through LEADS programming, the fellows build new relationships with leaders in other sectors. These unique connections set the stage for their individual success and spark new types of partnerships to benefit their communities and organizations. Throughout the 10-month fellowship, participants work on a group project to address an issue facing their community and present their solutions to compete for funding.

Gail’s group project, Second Space-the ADU Initiative, tied for second place and was awarded $5,000 in funding. The project developed a targeted communication strategy to encourage optimal consumer and community uptake of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) after recent changes in MA law allow for their proliferation. Our goal is to educate and inform those interested in this housing type, as well as communities grappling with the new regulations, as a means of adding new housing units at a time of housing scarcity and growing prices.

Congratulations to Gail and all SouthCoast LEADS participants for completing their fellowship and positively impacting their communities!