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Who We Are

Our Vision

A world where all adolescents and young adults are supported in developing the social and emotional skills they need to be successful in school and in life.

Our Mission

To innovate in the creation and delivery of behavioral health services responsive to the needs of adolescents, young adults and their families and communities.

Leadership

Nadia Ward, Director

Nadia Ward, M.Ed, Ph.D.

Director of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise
Professor of Practice, Education Department
and Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology

1-508-421-3870

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Nadia L. Ward, M.Ed., Ph.D., came to the Mosakowski Institute from Yale University, where she served as  Associate Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology) and the Deputy Director of Clinical Training in Clinical and Community Psychology, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; and the Director of Urban Education & Prevention Research and Senior Evaluation Consultant with YaleEVAL at the Consultation Center at Yale.

Her extensive work in the area of academic achievement for racial and ethnic minority students has spanned more than 20 years and has included training and consultation to universities, public school systems, and private organizations; curriculum development; program development; implementation; and community-engaged research and evaluation.

Dr. Ward has worked extensively with high-risk as well as high-achieving urban youths and their families in a variety of capacities. She has designed and evaluated academic enrichment and competence-enhancing substance abuse and violence prevention programs in school and community settings.

Additionally, Dr. Ward is a leader in comprehensive urban school reform efforts where she engages schools and communities in the development, implementation, and evaluation of systemic interventions designed to improve school climate, academic performance, and educational trajectories of low-income and minority youth.

Dr. Ward’s areas of expertise include school-based mental health, substance abuse prevention among youth, social-emotional learning, academic achievement, educational disparities, urban school reform, education policy, and school-based prevention.

Dr. Ward has presented at regional, national, and international conferences on topics related to systemic school reform, educational disparities, social-emotional learning, educational aspirations and attainment among urban adolescents, and school-based prevention. Her research has been published in recognized peer-reviewed journals. She has appeared on National Public Radio (NPR), CNN Money, and has been quoted in the New York Post, U.S. News & World Report, and SHAPE magazine. She has received numerous awards for her research, teaching, mentoring, and service to the community.

Aaron Haddock

Aaron Haddock, M.Ed., Ph.D.

Director of Behavioral Health Initiatives, Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise
Associate Professor of Practice, Frances L. Hiatt School of Psychology

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Aaron D. Haddock, M.Ed., Ph.D. has worked in school and community settings as a teacher, school psychologist, program evaluator, and consultant. Dr. Haddock’s areas of expertise include social-emotional learning, child and adolescent behavioral health, and school-based prevention and intervention.

By linking his extensive experience in multi-tiered systems of support, program evaluation, academic achievement, and education policy directly to issues of social justice and education, Dr. Haddock leverages the reciprocal relationship between research and practice to promote positive outcomes for all youth.

Dr. Haddock received his doctorate degree in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and completed his clinical internship at Yale University. Dr. Haddock also holds a M.A. in School Psychology from UCSB, a M.Ed. and Teaching Credential from Antioch University, and a M.A. in Liberal Studies from Columbia University. He is the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to Vienna, Austria, where he attended the University of Vienna and taught in a local school.

Jane and William Mosakowski Distinguished Professor of Higher Education

2013-2017

John O’Brien is the immediate past president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care and a national leader in advocating for the health of vulnerable populations. He formerly served as CEO of the Cambridge Health Alliance and commissioner of health for the City of Cambridge, and is a past chair of the board of the Massachusetts Hospital Association. He continues to serve on several boards of directors in the health field. He played a leadership role in helping to strengthen and catalyze the Mosakowski Institute’s work on issues of health and well-being. O’Brien holds an A.B. in economics from Harvard College and an MBA in health care administration from Boston University.

2007-2009

Richard Freeland, the former president of Northeastern University, is nationally known for his leadership in practice-oriented education, emphasizing the importance of connecting classroom learning with real-world experience. While at the Institute, Freeland helped Clark to design its signature Liberal Education and Effective Practice (LEEP) initiative. He left the Mosakowski Professorship in 2009 to become Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education, a role he filled until 2015, and currently serves on Clark’s Board of Trustees. Freeland received his bachelor’s degree in American studies from Amherst College and his doctorate in American civilization from the University of Pennsylvania.

Staff

Joe Arangio, M.P.A., M.S.Joe Arangio Headshot

Director of Strategic Planning and Development

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Joe Arangio, M.P.A., M.S., has led operations, program design & delivery, and strategic planning across education’s public and non-profit sectors at the graduate, post-secondary, and K-12 levels.  Prior to joining Clark, he spent more than a decade working in international education.  Joe holds an M.P.A. from Harvard University, an M.S. from Boston University, and a B.A. from Salve Regina University.  Joe has also earned a certificate from the University of Southern California.

Letisha Amuwo

Letisha Amuwo headshot

Administrative and Executive Assistant

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Letisha Amuwo, is a lifelong educator who began her career as an AmeriCorps Fellow in New Bedford, MA where she supplemented classroom texts with missing BIPOC voices. After continuing her teaching career in Boston, she transitioned to government policy work that focused on providing more access, representation, and retention for teachers and families of color. Letisha holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she double minored in Afro-American Studies, and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies.

Shelley Grover

Shelley Grover, MBA

Research Associate

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Shelley Grover, MBA, a graduate of Clark University returned to her alma mater in 2019 to join the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise. Shelley serves as a Research Associate, where she oversees the project management of research initiatives for the Mosakowski Institute, coordinates research studies, and assists with various special projects.

Shelley holds a BA in Psychology and an MBA with a focus in Marketing from Clark University, which lends itself to the unique work of the Mosakowski Institute, creating a strategic alignment between the Institute’s focus on developing behavioral health interventions for adolescents and young adults and the development of marketing campaigns to highlight and communicate these important goals.

William Mosakowski and wife Jane

Our Benefactors

William S. Mosakowski ’76 and Jane Mosakowski ’75

William Mosakowski ’76 is president and CEO of Public Consulting Group, a national leader in providing consulting services to state and local government that dramatically improve financial and operational performance.

Lee Gurel

Our Benefactors

Dr. Lee Gurel ’48

Dr. Lee Gurel ’48 is a generous and enthusiastic supporter of Clark and the Mosakowski Institute. Lee grew up in Worcester and went on to a distinguished career as a research psychologist.