Meet Our Team

Rebecca Boxx, Director

Rebecca Boxx is a builder, creator, coach and learner. As the architect and founder of Children and Youth Cabinet (CYC) Rhode Island, Rebecca has leveraged her skills of teaching, relationship building and community organizing to bring a nascent non-profit to a $2M operation in less than a decade. Rebecca is above all committed to ongoing learning, with an instinct to bring community voice and lived experience to the table in everything she does. It’s Rebecca’s community-first perspective that supports CYC’s leadership in culturally-relevant investments and implementation.

Rebecca leads with values of equity and community process, making sure the voices of those she serves are not only represented, but centered in the solutions she helps design. As the founder of CYC Rhode Island, Rebecca has secured over $15 million in funding over the last decade to invest in community-identified priorities and programs. Rebecca established CYC’s Resident Advisory, a group of community resident experts with lived experience who guide the work of CYC.

Rebecca is also a talented fine artist. Her dedication to “giving people power to build community, and bringing the world closer together” resonates both through her leadership, and through her art. She is bilingual in Spanish, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island.

Matthew Billings, Deputy Director

Matt Billings is a change-maker, facilitator and inclusive, community-driven leader with expertise in program design and implementation science. Matt’s career has been shaped by and continues to hinge on the engagement of diverse voices in the design and implementation of solutions to a diverse range of opportunities and challenges.

Matt has served as Deputy Director of the Children and Youth Cabinet of Rhode Island (CYC) since 2014. In this role, Matt has helped grow CYC from a $200K organization to a $2M organization, overseeing the installation and initial implementation of the CYC’s entire portfolio of evidence-based programs and strategies. Matt has also led the conceiving, designing, and convening of the CYC’s National Race Equity Implementation Center; presents and facilitates/coaches nationally on race, equity, program design and implementation; and always ensures a relentless focus on authentic participant engagement and cultural relevance. Matt was previously the program director at Inspiring Minds (IM). A Providence College grad, he also spent two years as program director for City Year Rhode Island, and respective one-year assignments with AmeriCorps Habitat for Humanity in Durham, North Carolina, and AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps in Washington, D.C.

Jerron Seymour, Finance Director

Jerron is part of our Senior Leadership Team, leading finance strategy, vision and fiscal health of the organization. A native of Miami, he received a degree in finance from Vanderbilt University. His experience as a college athlete balancing a full course load and a rigorous training schedule contributed to his team ethic and discipline.

Jerron has worked in various positions in youth development and finance including summer camps in North Carolina and Connecticut and in positions in the gaming industry.

Amanda Fixsen, Senior Implementation Specialist

Amanda Fixsen has a background in Applied Behavior Analysis, Social Work and Social Research, and Implementation Practice. For more than 15 years Amanda has worked to understand how human and health services can be effectively implemented and scaled-up in real world contexts. Amanda leads in her work with her values of community, compassion, and joy.

Amanda most recently served as Vice President of Programs and Implementation at the intermediary Invest in Kids in Denver, Colorado working to ensure the high quality delivery of evidence-based programs in early childhood throughout Colorado. Previously, Amanda worked at the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress serving mental health sites nationally through consultation on methods of effective clinical training, and of the implementation of trauma-focused evidence-based programs.

Elizabeth Guillen, Senior Implementation Manager

Elizabeth was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the Unites States at age six. As the 1st person in her family to graduate college, she holds a B.S. in Community Health and Wellness from Rhode Island College.

Elizabeth has over ten years of experience in community education and outreach with diverse populations. During that time she has advocated for students and parents, engaged parents to improve educational goals for students, facilitated diversity trainings, and developed/implemented after-school programs for youth. She serves as the Implementation Project Manager at the CYC.

Ashley Reyes, Senior Implementation Manager

Ashley serves as CYC Project Manager supporting the implementation of evidence-based implementation since 2017. She has over 10 years of experience working with children ages birth to 18 in both the State of New York, where she holds a teaching certificate, and Rhode Island. During her time at the RI Association of Education of Young Children as a Program Assessment and ECE Specialist, she earned certificates in early childhood rating scales. This led to developing teaching qualifications standards for the states quality rating improvement system, BrightStars.

Ashley has also managed youth programs for the Greater Providence YMCA. She oversaw community partner collaborations, grant funded summer camps, afterschool programs, employee training, and developed enrichment programs for all ages. She enjoys leading community projects and supporting the development of community youth initiatives.

Dahiana Rodriguez, Implementation Manager

Dahiana heads up the implementation of Familias Unidas, an evidence-based program focused on improving outcomes for Hispanic adolescents. As a Dominican immigrant herself, she has a deep passion to serve the Latino community and remove the barriers to equal opportunity. She’s seen what a huge impact the right services can have in allowing these hard-working communities to become self-sufficient.

With degrees in psychology and social work, and multiple certifications in addressing domestic violence, trafficking, unaccompanied minors, and mental health training, she also brings a research-backed rigor to her approach combined with the practical knowledge gained from her previous work with immigrant populations at Dorcas International Institute.

Bryant Guillen, Finance and Operations Specialist

Bryant serves as our Finance & Operations Specialist. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Providence, he has a deep passion for celebrating his Afro-Latino roots.
Bryant has a robust background in sales and technology, paired with an unwavering commitment to community. His dynamic energy and combined experience working in for-profit and non-profit companies has enhanced his versatility in executing projects with maximized results. From exceeding sales margins to advocating for and empowering youth, Bryant strives for the best outcomes by listening and meeting people where they are.

Khamhoung Keophakdy, Administrative Specialist

Khamhoung serves as our administrative specialist. Born in Laos and immigrated at the age of four to the United States, she has a strong commitment to preserving her Laotian culture. She’s a first generation college graduate with a B.S in Management whose technical and interpersonal skills aid in her ability to implement different projects and operations in support of the CYC. Growing up in Woonsocket Rhode Island, Khamhoung’s past experiences volunteering with diverse groups has developed her passion for advocating in mental health within youth and strengthening education within communities.