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 perspectives and practical experience to the table in everything she does. It’s Rebecca’s community-first perspective that supports CYC’s leadership in responsive investments and implementation.
Rebecca leads with values of community process and practical problem-solving, making sure the perspectives of those she serves help inform 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 who guide the work of CYC.
Rebecca is also a talented fine artist. Her dedication to helping people 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 community-centered leader with expertise in program design and implementation science. Matt’s career has been shaped by and continues to hinge on the engagement of community, provider, and system partners in the design and implementation of solutions to a wide 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 CYC’s entire portfolio of evidence-based programs and strategies. Matt has also led the conceiving, designing, and convening of CYC’s Evidence For All organization; presents and facilitates/coaches nationally on community engagement, program design, and implementation; and always ensures a relentless focus on meaningful participant engagement and service 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.
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.
Liz Guillen, Senior Implementation Manager
Liz brings a personal and professional understanding of the strengths and challenges experienced by families and communities navigating complex service systems. She brings over a decade of experience in community education, outreach, and program implementation, and was instrumental in launching and sustaining evidence-based programs and strategies at CYCRI. At Evidence For All, she applies her passion for meaningful engagement, practical implementation, and community-centered work to advance the organization’s efforts, combining her personal experience and professional expertise to help ensure programs meet the needs of the communities they serve.
Dahiana Rodriguez, Implementation Manager
Dahiana heads up the implementation of Familias Unidas, an evidence-based program focused on improving outcomes for adolescents and families. Her work is grounded in a deep commitment to helping families access effective services and reduce barriers to support. She’s seen what a huge impact the right services can have in allowing children, youth, families, and 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 families and communities navigating complex service systems at Dorcas International Institute.
Erica Maddox, Implementation Manager
Erica serves as the Implementation Manager for a family-strengthening evidence-based program dedicated to enhancing family communication, fostering family strengths, and supporting youth in recognizing their positive qualities.
Born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, Erica maintains a strong connection to her community. With a deep passion for perinatal education, she is particularly committed to supporting teen parents through educational initiatives. Erica developed and leads a workshop program focused on providing perinatal education to adolescents expecting to become parents.
In addition to her community work, Erica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Leadership and Change. She believes that meaningful connections and a commitment to community service are essential to fostering growth and creating lasting impact. Her ability to listen actively and relate to others is one of Erica’s key strengths, making her an invaluable asset to both her community and the organizations she serves.
Khamhoung Keophakdy, Administrative Specialist
Khamhoung serves as our administrative specialist. Raised in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, she brings strong technical and interpersonal skills to her work supporting CYC’s projects and operations. She holds a B.S. in Management, and her technical and interpersonal skills aid in her ability to implement different projects and operations in support of CYC. Khamhoung’s past experiences volunteering with community organizations has developed her passion for supporting youth mental health and strengthening education within communities.