Our Team.

Meet Our Team

We are proud of our committed and diverse staff driven by our common goal to change the future of our youth.

Empower Yourself MA Global Economic Symposium
Cedric Turner
Executive Director / Founder
Cedric Turner is a proud Boston English High alumnus, who went on to earn a degree in economics from Miami University (Ohio). After working a number of years in the financial industry, Cedric successfully launched his own business, Universal Benefits Services (UBS) in 1993. Mr. Turner is a certified entrepreneurship instructor who has received numerous awards for his commitment to teaching financial literacy. A registered financial advisor for the National Football League (NFLPA), Cedric is co-founder of the C-Town Spirit and Entrepreneur Foundation, and former board member of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Deborah R. Bowman
CPA
Debbie earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from Northeastern University in 1992, passing the CPA exam on her first sitting in November of that year and officially became a CPA on June 23, 1995. She has been passionately serving clients with their tax, budgeting, financial, accounting, and business consulting needs since that date.
Deb Bloomberg
Financial Literacy Program
Deb Bloomberg has worked in the field of economic education and financial literacy for 30+ years, much of that time as an outreach educator for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Deb conducts workshops and classes with youth and adult groups, and trains other educators, with the goal of building core financial literacy skills as well as an understanding of the economic concepts that underpin them. Deb grew up in Boston, and earned her B.A. at Emmanuel College, her M.A. at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and her Ed. M. at Harvard University. Deb serves as a pro-bono consultant to the Empower Yourself Program.
Brianna Watts
STEM Director
Brianna was is a second-year Bioengineering Honors student with a minor in Mathematics. She was born and raised in New Jersey. For most of her life, she has always had interests in STEM-related school subjects and often competed in competitions for science and math. Most recently in senior year of high school, she and her classmates were invited to NASA in Houston to talk about their project for the NASA HUNCH competition. Brianna has also loved working with children as a babysitter, camp counselor, and Teaching Assistant for a Saturday STEM Academy. She wants to further study Bioengineering and its intersection with affordable public health and/or kinesiology. She also wants to help introduce and foster a love for STEM-related fields of study for K-12 students.

Board Of Directors


Brad Artery
 (Board Chair): Launch Trampoline

Nelia Arruda: Eastern Bank

Jennifer Rivers Bernasconi: Branch Manager Citizens Bank

Claudette Blot: Bentley University

Jennifer Dooling: Executive Vice President at Bank Five

Dean Richard Harris: Northeastern School of Engineering

Dr. Fred Mckinney: Economic Professor at Quinnipiac, University in Connecticut

Dr. Robert S. Peterkin: Emiratis Harvard University School of Education