Wu Announces 2022–2023 Spark Boston Council Members

 Mayor Michelle Wu announced the newly-selected 2022-2023 SPARK Boston Council. The diverse, 40-member group will spend the next 12 months working to connect young adults to leaders in City government, City services, and one another. The SPARK Boston Council will advise Mayor Wu on City policies and programs affecting 20- to 35-year-olds.

“The future of Boston depends on having a well-informed and connected community of leaders in every generation,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This year’s SPARK Boston Council spans many cultures, languages, and corners of our city—all united by a passion for civic engagement. I look forward to collaborating with the new members as we work to make Boston a city for everyone.”

The 2022-2023 SPARK Boston Council members live in neighborhoods throughout Boston and come from a wide variety of cultural and professional backgrounds. One fifth of the Council are native Bostonians, while others grew up as far away as Syria, Venezuela, and Jamaica. The new members come from a wide range of work industries, including public service, higher education, and scientific research. Sixteen members are multilingual. 

“This is a pivotal moment for SPARK Boston, as Boston’s first millennial Mayor appoints her first council,” said SPARK Boston Director Audrey Seraphin. “I am delighted to work with these bright young minds to bring Boston’s largest age group together again, both virtually and in-person, after a difficult two and half years for our community.”

For the first time, new SPARK Council members will be supported by eight returning SPARK captains, who will provide mentorship and organizational assistance critical to the program’s continued growth and success. 

“I am excited to enter this next year on SPARK as one of the new captains,” said returning council member Dianna Bronchuk of Roslindale. “I’ve learned about and engaged with so many new opportunities in Boston through SPARK, and I am looking forward to bringing those to the new council members in this role.”

“It’s such an honor to continue working to better our City, especially now as a captain,” said Anthony Nguyen, a lifelong resident of Dorchester. “I’m excited to help lead the new council to reach our potential as a talented, diverse family dedicated to civic engagement.” 

SPARK Boston, housed in the Mayor’s Community Engagement Cabinet, is responsible for advising Mayor Wu on issues affecting millennial and Gen Z populations and working with City departments and community stakeholders to create innovative solutions. The Council meets monthly with City Hall leaders and creates free programming for their peers including voter resources, events highlighting the City’s on-going initiatives, and professional and social networking opportunities across Boston’s many neighborhoods. 

Over 34 percent of Boston residents are between the ages of 20 and 34 according to the Boston Planning & Development Agency’s Boston at a Glance 2022.

“I’m honored and excited to be a part of SPARK council, where I feel that our voices and lived experiences will make a difference in what public services and policies are prioritized by the city,” said new council member Ki-Wan Sim from East Boston. 

“I’m so grateful to be offered the opportunity to serve on the 2022-2023 SPARK Boston Council,” said Kennedy Avery, new member from Beacon Hill. “Enthusiastic and innovative young people have long been committed to improving the City, and I can’t wait to work with my peers to connect the innovation and energy of young people in the City to the levers of power within City Hall.” 

This year, the SPARK Boston program received 110 applications for the 2022-2023 Council, showing continued robust interest for involvement and engagement. Projects for the 2021-2022 SPARK Boston Council included the creation of the Allston-Brighton Renters’ Garden Contest, the on-going Pint with a Planner series, the Haitian Migrant Household Goods Drive with IFSI, the 2021 Living & Learning Debt Survey, Rat City Arts Fest, and countless voter registration pop-ups and neighborhood social events.

The 2022-2023 Council includes:

Sydney Neugebauer, Allston

 Anthony O’Neil, Allston

 Bianca Beltran, Back Bay

 Kennedy Avery, Beacon Hill

 Janine Jay, Beacon Hill

Olivia S. Harris, Brighton 

 Cristen Mathews, Brighton

Steven Murnane, Jr., Brighton 

Christopher Rockwell, Charlestown 

 Liza Perry, Charlestown

 Abby Jamiel, Dorchester 

Brenna Galvin, Dorchester 

Alexa Monfort, Dorchester 

 Yakeish Gray Sinclair, Dorchester

Tania Jaime Lopez, Dorchester

Taufiq Dhanani, Dorchester

1Emmy Carragher, Dorchester 

Ki Wan Sim, East Boston 

Liz Cory, Fenway-Kenmore

Ashley Garrett, Hyde Park 

Katharine Martinez, Hyde Park 

Jenn Meakem, Jamaica Plain 

 Eryn-Ashlei Bailey, Jamaica Plain

Lendsey Thicklin, Mattapan

Hannah Hooven, Mission Hill

Hannah Schur, North End

2Melissa Mazzeo, North End

Daniel Semeniuta, Roslindale

Melissa Beltran, Roxbury

 Shaikh Hasib, Roxbury

 Jasmine Rose, Roxbury

 Aly Madan, Roxbury

Nohely Vargas, Roxbury 

Kyle Miller, Roxbury/Jamaica Plain

 Rafael Trujillo, Seaport

 Sarah Ballinger, South Boston 

 Nicholas Fils-Aime, South End 

Ihsan Kaadan, West End 

Zachary Kinnaird, West End

Eduardo Sanchez, West Roxbury

The SPARK Council captains for the 2022-2023 term are:

Alessandra Panares, Allston-Brighton

Richard Meinke, Allston-Brighton

 Anthony Nguyen, Dorchester

 Kristyn Berry, Dorchester

Mia Healy-Waldron, East Boston

 Thomas Pelkey, Jamaica Plain

 Dianna Bronchuk, Roslindale

 Caitlin Zeytoonian, South Boston

For more information, please visit boston.gov/sparkboston