YouthBuild Boston Welcomes New Executive Director Danyson Tavares
Boston, MA - YouthBuild Boston announces the appointment of Danyson Tavares — designer, educator, and community changemaker — as its new Executive Director. Beginning April 1, 2024, Tavares will lead the nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting career pathways in the building industry for Boston’s youth of color.
With his extensive background in architecture, and a longstanding commitment to community engagement and advocacy for universal design access, Tavares brings a valuable perspective and broad expertise and credentials to his new role as Executive Director.
Mr. Tavares joined Youthbuild Boston in 2022. As Project Development Manager, he has spearheaded affordable housing projects and community initiatives, laying the groundwork for design education courses. He is actively involved with the Boston Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects and American Institute of Architects, and has been an adjunct faculty member at Boston Architectural College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Rhode Island School of Design. Tavares is also a trustee of the Sasaki Foundation, a Board Member of the Boston Society for Architecture, and recipient of the 2023 Alumni Inclusive Excellence Award from Wentworth Institute of Technology.
Before joining Youthbuild, Tavares earned both a Bachelor and Master of Science in Architecture from Wentworth Institute of Technology, with a focus on the role of architecture in community building. His work since has centered on addressing diversity issues within the architecture, engineering, and construction industries.
Tavares was unanimously selected to become Executive Director by YouthBuild Boston’s Board of Directors after a 6-month executive search process. He replaces interim executive director John Williams, who joined the organization in September 2023. His appointment is part of a strategic infrastructure shift at YouthBuild that includes the promotion of staff member Nathan Polk to become Director of Programs and Partnerships.
"Danyson's appointment as Executive Director is a well-deserved recognition of his outstanding contributions to YouthBuild Boston and to the field," said Shaun Leonard, YouthBuild Boston Board of Directors Co-President, and Vice President of Vitality & Resilience at Rise Development and Construction. "His visionary leadership and dedication to our mission will undoubtedly launch YBB to new heights. We are excited to see the impact he will make in his new role."
Mr. Tavares expressed his enthusiasm for the new position, saying,
"I am thrilled to step into the role of Executive Director at YouthBuild Boston. I am deeply committed to our work helping Boston’s young people find their pathway to professional and personal success in the building industry, and can’t wait to work with our talented team to propel YouthBuild into our fourth decade of success and impact.”
About YouthBuild Boston
In Boston, where neighborhoods like Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan contend with a history of segregation, deeply entrenched institutionalized racism has impeded predominantly Black communities’ access to revitalization efforts, strategic urban planning, and wealth accumulation. YouthBuild Boston’s work counteracts this historical inequality through targeted reconstruction that addresses the challenges of economic hardship, violence, poverty, and systemic racism. By focusing on Boston’s unique context, YouthBuild fosters positive transformation and equity within these communities for youth and their families.
Founded in 1990, YouthBuild Boston’s mission is to empower and assist young people of color with the essential social, vocational, academic, and life skills necessary to navigate a positive pathway to self-sufficiency, neighborhood responsibility and careers in the building industry. YBB envisions a city rich with opportunity for all young people, and a building trades sector that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We envision a region with a strong supply of affordable housing and an economy which provides pathways for everyone to thrive. Over the past 33 years, YouthBuild Boston has served over 2,000 young men and women from Boston.