Justin Pasquariello is CEO of the East Boston Social Centers and has been building a community joy movement for more than ten years. This movement is based on a synthesis of research from undergraduate, graduate and audited courses, conferences, work with leading experts, review of literature, and lived experience--and is informed by an expert advisory board. He gave a TEDx talk about this work in 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QcBbCH5QB4 and this work has been featured in podcasts, including this one: https://www.shahfoundation.org/catalysts-for-change/ep69-justin-pasquariello , and more.

Justin's work and career path has been deeply informed by his experience as a former foster youth who was adopted into an open adoption at age nine. His birth and adopted families, friends, teachers and others all came together to support him--and he wants to build systems to support all children in similar ways.

Founded in 1918 to welcome and support immigrant families, East Boston Social Centers continues to proudly embrace welcome in all we do. Our core services range across educational, social, and recreational programs to support the diverse community of East Boston. By providing services and programming for children, families, and individuals of all ages, we bring our neighbors together to create a stronger, more connected, joyful community. Before his current position, Justin was Executive Director of Children’s HealthWatch, a data collection, research and policy center with the mission to improve the health and development of young children by informing policies to address and alleviate economic hardships (hunger, unstable housing, etc.). Justin serves on the board of Silver Lining Mentoring, an organization he founded that empowers foster youth to flourish through committed mentoring relationships and developing life skills.

Justin is married to Vanessa Fazio and they are proud parents to Rocco and Skye. His LinkedIn page is https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-jp-pasquariello-3949011/