Administrators

Nichole Argo, PhD., co-Director

Dr. Nichole Argo lives in Needham with her two elementary school children. She is the Director of Research and Field Advancement at Over Zero, a DC-based nonprofit that supports societies to resist division and create long-term resilience to identity-based violence. A social psychologist by training, Nichole has published research on intergroup dynamics in top political science and social psychology journals. She believes in merging science and practice and has consulted with local and national governments, media groups, school systems, and policy think tanks around issues such as DEI, political violence, and storytelling initiatives around local lived experiences and upstanding. In 2020, Nichole co-founded the Lived Experiences Project in Needham (livedexperiencesproject.org). Her forthcoming book is titled: Human Bombs: Understanding Social Identity and Political Violence (Beacon Press, 2023). Nichole holds degrees from Stanford, MIT, and the New School for Social Research.

Beth Pinals, Ed.D., co-Director

Dr. Beth Pinals is a psychologist with practices in clinical psychology and wellness & equity consultation. In addition to a 25-year clinical psychology practice with a focus on family systems and adolescent care, her consultation includes trainings with family businesses, primary care medicine, community entities, school districts, and youth organizations. Beth’s facilitation and skill-building in these settings aims to transform systems and promote both emotional wellness and equity, training and elevating each individual as a gatekeeper in identifying needs, available skills, and resources. Fifteen years ago, Beth created an emotional wellness initiative called Own Your Peace, emerging from work on the steering committee of Needham’s Suicide Prevention Coalition, which has since been replicated in other youth organizations and schools (see ownyourpeaceconsultation.org).

Jennifer James, MHA, Program Administrator

Jennifer James has worked in health care for over 25 years and has assisted nonprofits such as the Cancer Patient Support Foundation and the Vermont Child Improvement Program with their administrative needs, event planning, and program development.