Richard Porcelli, M.A. ’11, director of learning and advisory services at the Boston-based national nonprofit Health Leads, develops learning and consulting solutions that enable U.S. health care institutions to build sustainable patient programs that address social health issues such as food insecurity, homelessness, and education. As a practicing therapist and organizational coach, Porcelli is passionate about working with individuals, groups, and organizations to help them maximize their potential.
Porcelli previously served as the national manager of volunteer engagement at Health Leads. He designed systems and used curricula to recruit and train a national cohort of hundreds of undergraduate volunteers to provide case management services.
“The work I do helping organizations design and implement social needs programs often requires work to look at both why organizations want to invest in that work from a mission standpoint, as well as a diagnosis of what systemic issues have prevented those programs from working in the past,” says Porcelli. “Adler challenged me to look at not only what vision I had for the communities I live and work in, but also what systems create barriers for some while allowing others to flourish. Being part of Adler, where our mission mattered to the work we do, made a difference to me. I think a lot about what community means, and I challenge others to think about how they define that as well.”