PCA Workforce Council Members

At all times a majority of Council members must be consumers of MassHealth PCA services. The Council is charged with insuring the quality of long-term, in-home, personal care by recruiting, training and stabilizing the work force of PCAs

How it Works

• The Governor appoints 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the governor's special advisory commission on disability policy.
• The auditor shall appoint:
  • 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the developmental disabilities council.
  • 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the Massachusetts office on disability, and
  • 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers recommended by the statewide independent living council.
• The attorney general shall appoint:
  • 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers or consumer surrogates recommended by the Massachusetts home care association.
  • 1 member from a slate of 3 consumers or consumer surrogates recommended by the Massachusetts council on aging and
  • 1 member chosen at her discretion.

Executive Director of the PCA Quality Workforce Council

Jocelyn Gordon, 

^{The Executive Director of the PCA Quality Workforce Council, is a mission-driven and analytically oriented senior executive and long-term services and supports business strategist with 20+ years of experience spanning across national and community-based health care organizations.}

^{The desire to ensure equity and access to healthcare for underserved communities has guided her career, beginning with a Fulbright grant to evaluate a community-based self-help program for children suffering from chronic asthma in Buenos Aires, Argentina, through her current position as the Executive Director of the Personal Care Attendant Quality Workforce Council. Prior to her work with the Council, Jocelyn served as Strategic Growth and Business Development Director at UMass Chan Medical School’s ForHealth Consulting where she worked to frame and focus strategic growth pathways for the organization, foster collaboration among different parts of the organization, and develop alliances with external organizations in support of the organization’s portfolio.}

^{Prior to joining UMass, Jocelyn led the development and implementation of long-term care risk and care management strategies, product development and claim services at LifePlans Inc.   Jocelyn practiced law at the firm of Goulston and Storrs in Boston, Massachusetts; where she concentrated her practice in business and health care law with an emphasis on health care provider organizations and regulations, corporate transactions, and telemedicine.}

^{Jocelyn is a mom to 3 adult children and holds a Master of Science degree in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, a law degree from the Northeastern University School of Law and is a graduate of Wellesley College.}

PCA Workforce Council Members

Member	Affiliation
Kiame Mahaniah	Dr. Kiame Mahaniah is Undersecretary for Health in the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Chair of the PCA Workforce Council. Before joining the Healey-Driscoll administration, Dr. Kiame Mahaniah served as CEO of the Lynn Community Health Center, where he led the transition into value-based care.  He is a practicing physician in the field of addiction and primary care and has a passion for social justice. An avid teacher and committed mentor, he is an Assistant Professor in the Family Medicine department of the Tufts University School of Medicine.  Dr. Kiame Mahaniah is dedicated pescatarian, and is particularly interested in the intersection of food, wellness and the immune system.
Justin Graceffa	Justin Graceffa currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Mass PCA Workforce Council. In August 2007, Justin fell off a balcony, breaking his C5 vertebrae, which left him paralyzed from the chest down. Prior to his accident, Justin, a musician, attended Berklee College of Music. He graduated after the accident with a degree in professional music studies. After several years in the PCA program, Justin began to realize the importance of having good working conditions, both for PCA’s and the consumers they serve.  Justin’s desire to work for program improvements prompted him to join the Council in 2022 and has been working on different committees ever since. Justin is passionate about representing consumer employers, helping them to maintain their self-direction and live independently in the community. Justin works to support personal care attendants (PCAs) thrive in their jobs through his active participation In the Council’s Labor Management Committee, Training Committee and Recruiting and Retention Task Force. On the Labor Committee, Justin works for fair pay and better working conditions for PCAs. On the Training Committee, Justin focuses on creating programs that teach PCAs new skills to improve caregiving. On the Recruitment and Retention Task Force, Justin works to bring in new PCAs and make sure they stick around. Most importantly, Justin believes in the importance of ongoing education and training for PCAs so they can continue to grow and provide the best care possible.
Chris Hoeh	Council Member Chris Hoeh has been a PCA consumer since May 2017. He served as the vice chair of the council for several years and as a member of the labor management, racial justice and equity, training, and recruitment committees. Chris is involved in many disability advocacy efforts, including: -improving regulations related to accessible housing and workplaces, PT1 (Transportation for Mass Health members), wheelchair warranty and repair, and MassHealth estate recovery. Chris is an active member of the Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, and currently serves as a MA Registered Advocate with the United Spinal Association. He was featured in the short documentary Wheels of Justice about his work with the Disability Law Center to successfully appeal MassHealth rejection of his elevating and standing power wheelchair. Chris was an elementary school teacher with a career that spanned more than 30 years. He was named the 2015 Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year from the National Council for Social Studies, and the 2014 Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Southern Poverty Law Center. He is a graduate of the College of Public and Community Service at UMASS Boston and holds a Master of Education Degree from Wheelock College. Chris has been an active participant in his Jamaica Plain community for decades. He was the founding director of the Jamaica Plain Youth Soccer Academy. He returned to this role a year after his spinal cord injury.
Tom Hooper	Council Member Tom Hooper is the Vice President of Sector Pathways with Commonwealth Corporation. Tom is responsible for overseeing Commonwealth Corporation’s industry-focused programs and initiatives: the Career Technical Initiative, Market Makers, the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, and the Workforce Training Fund Program. Tom’s duties include collaborating with external stakeholders to increase awareness of these programs and explore partnership opportunities, partnering with Commonwealth Corporation staff to identify strategies for scaling programs and maximizing their impact, and fostering strong coordination among programs. Tom’s interests for the Council include increasing the pool of PCAs, expanding career pathways for PCAs, and engaging additional partners such as workforce development boards and community-based organizations.
Dianna Hu	Council Member Dianna Hu is the chairperson of the Boston Center for Independent Living Board of Directors and a consumer employer on the Massachusetts Personal Care Attendant Workforce Council. MassHealth’s PCA Program is in fact one of the main reasons why Dianna has decided to live in Massachusetts, working full time as a software engineer. Born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, with support from her family and her PCAs, Dianna has achieved an independent life with dignity and choice in the community. As part of her disability rights advocacy, she has served on the Riders’ Transportation Access Group executive board, testified at legislative hearings on the need for hybrid/remote participation access to public meetings, and advocated at the State House for the PCA program.
Tamara Huntley	Council Member Tamara Huntley is a self-advocate who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in social work from Bridgewater State University.  She is a licensed social worker who currently works as a Lead trainer for the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council. For over 10 years, Tamara has been training others to learn how to advocate for themselves and define their own future goals.  Her training career began (2005) working with Massachusetts Advocates Standing Strong, the statewide self-advocacy group to create and teach a 3-hour training on recognizing and preventing abuse called Awareness and Action. Since 2019, Tamara continues to work with Easter Seals as a mentor for the THRIVE program.  THRIVE is a woman’s group that focuses on young women with disabilities and matches them with adult mentors.   For the past two years Tamara has served on the Statewide Personal Care Attendant council to ensure consumer employers have a say in their care. As of January 2024, Tamara has become a facilitator for Elevatus working with others across the nation educating individuals with disabilities on the topic of sexuality. Aside from her advocacy work, Tamara is a single mom of two active young teenagers both on IEP’s. She is committed in her role to advocate for change to ensure her children have a bright and prosperous future.
Kristen McCosh	Council Member Kristen McCosh is the Disability Commissioner and ADA Title II Coordinator for the City of Boston. In this role, she leads the City’s collaborative efforts to ensure accessibility and inclusion in all programs, policies, public rights of way, and municipal buildings in Boston. She is responsible for overseeing non-discrimination on the basis of disability so that all Boston residents and visitors with disabilities have an equal opportunity to participate fully in everything the city has to offer. Commissioner McCosh is a well-respected leader in the disability community, where she has been a local and national advocate for over 25 years. She served as Ms. Wheelchair Massachusetts 2007 and Ms. Wheelchair America 2008, promoting disability rights, equal access, empowerment, and independent living. Commissioner McCosh graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Boston with a B.A. in English and Political Science, and she holds an M.A. in Disability Studies from the City University of New York. She is a lifelong resident of South Boston.
Cindy Purcell	Council Member Cindy Purcell is a strong voice in the community regarding issues involving the rights of people with disabilities.  Purcell has lived with a C5/6 spinal-cord injury since 1977 when she was 18 years old. Cindy has many years of professional experience helping people with disabilities including 3 years at the Center for Living and Working helping people to leave nursing homes and chronic care facilities and live independently; and 35 years at Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission as a senior vocational rehabilitation counselor helping individuals with substance use issues, mental health and mobility impairments to “get their lives together” and prepare for employment.    As an ambassador for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Purcell has lectured medical students at UMass Medical School for 42 years on spinal cord injury, complications, sexuality, childbearing and childbirth.  Cindy participates on community boards and organizations including the Center for Living and Working and the State PCA Council. She also served on the District Attorney Joseph Early's Opioid Task Force, the Freedom Forward Re-entry Program with the Worcester County Sheriff's Department and the Worcester Community Connections Council of You Inc. (Advisory Board & Worcester Economic Mobility Task Force). In her spare time, she volunteers at the Rutland Democratic Committee, serves as the Rutland ADA Coordinator and is a member of the YWCA Personnel Committee. In 2020, Cindy received the Katharine F. Erskine Award for Community, Social Services, and Government. The award recognizes women who have demonstrated leadership and reached exemplary levels of achievement in their professions and communities. Award recipients show a commitment to eliminate racism, empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. Cindy has made numerous public appearances annually to educate the public on disability awareness and was featured on ABC’s 20/20 and Amazing Families television programs.  Purcell has contributed to several publications including Our Bodies, Ourselves and Disabilities and Families. Cindy lives in Rutland Mass with her husband Ted and son, Tanner.

Date published:	June 26, 2024