Margaret Leahy Wirth, Chairperson
Margaret Leahy Wirth was born and raised in Upham’s Corner and continues to live in the neighborhood with her family. She is the Chairperson of Upham’s Board as well as its Personnel Committee, and has served on the Board since 1978. Margaret is also a registered patient at the health center.
She received her BA in Sociology from UMass Boston, worked at the Upham’s Corner Branch of the Boston Public Library for 15 years, and was an employee and volunteered for the Boston Public Schools for 15 years.
Margaret and her husband, Richard, are founding members of the Bird Street Community Center. She also volunteers at the Animal Rescue League of Boston and serves on the City of Boston’s/DSNI WAG (Working Advisory Group) to develop Upham’s Corner into an arts and innovation district.
Tanya Cabral, Secretary
Born, raised, and still living in Upham’s Corner, Tanya Cabral is a graduate of Madison Park High School and Katherine Gibbs Business School, from which she earned an Associate’s Degree. She was elected to the Board of Directors in 2008.
As a lifelong member of the neighborhood, Tanya is dedicated to the strong relationships she has fostered through love and service to the Dorchester. And, as a single parent, she is proud to have raised two strong, young Black men in this community.
Upham’s Corner Health Center has played a major role in her life as she, her great-grandparents, her parents, and now her children have been or are current patients.
Toney Jones, Treasurer
Toney Jones has resided in Upham’s Corner for more than 15 years, and has served on the Board of Directors since March 2021. He has a BA in Community Planning and Legal Advocacy from UMass Boston.
As a real estate and development professional, Toney has over 20 years of experience managing and developing professional relationships in public services, real estate transactions, property management, and civic engagement in Dorchester communities. He provides property management services for a 68-unit, single-room occupancy building in North Dorchester.
Christopher Beares, Esquire
Christopher Beares has been a member of the Upham’s Corner and Jones Hill neighborhoods since 2005, and has seen the great work that the health center provides to the community. Chris is an attorney and provides his perspective on furthering the work performed at the health center.
Maria Figueroa
Maria Figueroa has been a patient of the health center for 40 years and was elected to serve on the Board of Directors in 2017. Her affiliation with the health center spans generations beginning with her parents, children, and now her grandchildren.
Maria started working at the health center in 1984 as a receptionist, and advanced to an accounts payable clerk. She left the health center in 2012 and now works in the Business Office for the Match Charter School. She resides in Brockton and has always been very proud of the health center.
Clara Lennox, M.D.
Dr. Clara Lennox’s education and experience as a physician provide her with a firsthand, medical perspective when the Board of Directors discusses issues with serious clinical implications. Her strong roots in the Upham’s Corner community, established as a young girl raised in the neighborhood, enable her to place herself in the shoes of the patients the health center aims to serve; her passionate viewpoint is invaluable. One of Clara’s parents was an original member of the Upham’s Corner Health Committee, playing a role in the health center’s development.
Dai Morehouse
Dai Morehouse has a multi-faceted connection to the health center – not only was she born and raised in Upham’s Corner, she came to the health center for all medical needs as a young person; now, as a married adult, she chose to raise her daughter in Upham’s Corner and she and her family continue to receive services at the health center.
Dai’s experience as a community member and a health center consumer inform her experience as a Board of Directors member. Her insights are complimented by her previous experience as a health center employee. Before moving into the corporate environment, Dai worked at Upham’s for 25 years, starting as a medical records clerk, transitioning to medical records supervisor, and ending as the medical reception supervisor.