Web of Benefit was created in 2004 as a not-for-profit organization by women affected by domestic violence, for women escaping domestic violence, with the "soul" purpose of promoting liberation and personal independence of women in the greater Boston area.
  
To date, Web of Benefit, Inc. has awarded over 150 Self-Sufficiency Grants to survivors of domestic violence for:  housing stabilization, education, computers, child care, transportation, health care and micro-financing small businesses.  These grants were specifically designed to help each woman define and realize her own individual goals and dreams.
  
We are honored to have received multiple grants from The Carlisle Foundation and Verizon Wireless, plus grants from The Linden Foundation and The Agnes M. Lindsay Foundation.




Board of Directors
 



 
Doris Ferrer Roach, J.D., Board President
Founder and Principal of Potential Horizons Realized© (PHR)
  

Doris Ferrer Roach, J.D., Founder and Principal of Potential Horizons Realized© (PHR) is a former senior attorney with a major Fortune 500 Company where she practiced business law for 10 years. Doris left the legal profession to follow her own passion - a passion to make a concrete, positive, and profound difference in the lives of individuals and organizations, by helping others to recognize and realize their potential for growth and transformation.

Doris's diverse experiences as a trainer, teacher, coach, and facilitator are supported by a solid background of professional training, certification, and memberships, including:

  • American Society for Training and Development - Professional Trainer Certification
  • Simmons College Graduate School of Management - Certificate Program for Developing Managers
  • Mediation Works Institute - Mediation and Negotiation Skills Training
  • Northeastern University - Leadership Development Certificate Program
  • Training with Drs. Caroline Myss and Norman Shealey on creativity and intuition enhancement techniques
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Johanna Crawford, Founder and Executive Director
 

Johanna Crawford founded Web of Benefit in January 2004. Web of Benefit reflects her deep commitment to aid and empower survivors of domestic violence, because for many years during her childhood she witnessed her mother's physical and emotional abuse by her father.

Since February 2002, she has volunteered at Transition House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, assisting survivors of domestic violence. During this period, she completed a comprehensive 40-hour training program for counselors. At Transition House, she responds to and manages crisis line telephone calls, screens prospective clients, acts as a housing and social services advocate, and performs client exit interviews.

After attending University of Vermont for several years, she was married, and following the birth of her two daughters, earned her Bachelor of Science degree in finance and management, with highest distinction, from Babson College. Since that time, she has created, bought and/or sold five small businesses in the Boston area, and worked there as a successful real estate broker.

For the past 30 years, Johanna Crawford has dedicated herself to community service in a wide variety of areas. She has devoted her time and energy to organizations and facilities such as the Museum of Science, Glover Hospital, Florence Crittenden House, Franklin Park Zoo, the Noble and Greenough Parents' Committee, Babson College Foreign Students' Committee, the literacy mentoring program at Juniper Hill Elementary School, and the oncology floor of Children's Hospital.

From 1984 to 1986, she served on the Town of Needham Finance Committee, responsible for recommendations regarding the town budget, then exceeding $54 million. During Needham's difficult transition to meeting the provisions of Proposition 2 ½, she served as liaison to the police department, fire department and public works department. She was also elected a Member of Needham Town Meeting.

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Lucy Noyes, Secretary
 

Lucy Noyes has been committed to listening to women, and to helping their voices be heard, for many years. Through employment and volunteer work, Lucy has interfaced with people from many different backgrounds, facing adversity in various ways.

A Women's Studies minor in college, and an active participant in the Women's Center, Lucy helped to organize the annual "Take Back the Night March," which raised awareness about rape and women's rights on campus.

She also worked at a women's clinic as a doctor's assistant and reproductive rights educator. Lucy spent three years working as a Massage Therapist, alongside Physical Therapists, and found joy working with women recovering from injury and illness, or while pregnant.

She received a Masters in Counseling and Psychotherapy in May 2008 from Lesley University. Lucy seeks to combine her goals of gaining knowledge about the human psyche, and helping women and adolescent girls find and express their voices.

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Elizabeth Caton
 

Elizabeth Caton has devoted much of her career to social awareness.   She is currently an administrator of a real estate investment and development fund, with interests in California, Illinois, and Ohio.  In this role, she has specialized in property development and speculation in new markets.  Ms. Caton has also been involved in support of local and national cultural and political action and is currently an active volunteer in the Presidential campaign of Barack Obama.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Caton was a retailing executive at various department stores, and an advisor to independent retailers, specializing in children’s clothing.  She has also been successful in organizing the business offices of interior design and construction firms in California and New Jersey.

Ms. Caton has two sons, Christopher, an economist at Morgan Stanley in Manhattan, and Nicholas, an attorney at Skaddan, Arps in Washington, D.C.  and is married to Dan Caton, President of McGraw-Hill Learning Group.

 
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Anne Goh
  

Anne Goh is Program Manager, Risk Awareness & Training, at Fidelity Investments. In a former role in marketing for about 14 years, Anne worked with various Fortune 500 companies. Her job responsibilities in various industries have spanned different countries where she has gained experience working with people of different backgrounds and cultures.

In her various management roles including as a mother, Anne has counseled mentored and coached individuals both in their professional and personal goals. Anne’s resilience, persistence and hope was the “fountain” she drew on to raise and guide her daughter through years of an emotional disorder to become a responsible young woman today. She finds tremendous satisfaction in helping others achieve their highest potential and fulfill their dreams.

  
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Carole Thompson
 

Carole is the Community Program Director at The Second Step, where she has worked for more than seven years. As the Community Program Director, she provides direct service to approximately 100 survivors per year, oversees community outreach efforts, runs the donations and Holiday gifts drives, and is responsible for creating new programming. Her most recent passion is the launching of a pilot Mentoring Program for survivors of domestic violence.

Before joining The Second Step, Carole worked at Pine Manor College for 16 years, in a variety of roles, including Associate Dean for Student Life.  In that role she was responsible for training and supervising professional and paraprofessional staff, having oversight of the judicial board, Wellness programming, and management of all aspects of residential life, including crisis management. While at Pine Manor, she raised two boys and attended Northeastern University graduate school part-time to earn a Masters in Counseling Psychology with a focus in College Student Development. Carole is married to a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Pine Manor College.

 
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Sean Deane
 
Sean is a recent graduate of Babson College where he received his B.S. in Business Management, with a concentration in Marketing. He began interning with Web of Benefit in the summer of 2007, continuing through 2008. Sean was recently elected to the Board of Directors. The experience he gained in redesigning Web of Benefit's IT operations and managing grant applications helps him become an integral part of our commitment to upgrading our research on client needs and outcomes.
 
P.O. Box 81925-Wellesley, MA-02481-(617)-285-1900