Board of Directors
Delia De Mello has been with the Social Security Administration for over 30 years. She has been an agency Claims Representative and Technical Expert. She currently handles Public Affairs outreach in Southeastern MA, South Shore and the Cape & Islands, with a focus on Retirement, Disability, Survivors & Medicare benefits, and Social Security On-line Services. She has been a presenter speaker at many large conferences, including the annual Massachusetts Councils on Aging Conferences, among others. She is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. She is a regular contributor on Social Security topics to the South Shore Senior Newspaper, Patch and the Senior Scope. Her weekly column appears nationally in the Portuguese Times. She has also been a guest of Gregory Brasso and Patti Abbate on WATD radio of Marshfield. She has been a guest on WJFD radio in New Bedford, as well as on many local cable tv stations, including PACTV. She was a member of the Agency’s Office of Communications Multi-language Review Team, which provides online and printed versions of publications in various languages. She is a frequent guest on local radio and television. She is a contributor on 17 local Patch pages, as well A Praca magazine, among others. She has served on the Coastline, Money Management Program Board since 1997, currently as Chairperson. She has previously served as the Vice Chairperson on the Advisory Board, of Coastline Elderly Services, Inc. of New Bedford, and is presently serving on the Board of Directors.
Delia holds a B.A. from University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth.
Delia is married and has two children. She resides in Dartmouth.
Assistant general counsel of a Boston based technology company, with a demonstrated history of drafting, reviewing, and negotiating high level complex contracts. Skilled in strategic negotiations, securities regulation, telecommunications, cloud services and civil litigation with a strong business focused and entrepreneurial growth mindset.
Michael resides in East Freetown. He is currently the Vice President of Discovery Language Academy. He was also the former President of the Prince Henry Society and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Zeiterion Theater. He is very honored and proud to say that he was one of the initial founders of the Viva Portugal Festival.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, TREASURER
Susan A. Whitney, a resident of Rochester, MA came to the Discovery Language Academy as an adult Portuguese language learner. She is a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, A Master of Business Administration, and a post-graduate Certificate Studies in Professional Writing. Her career spanned twenty-five years in the banking industry encompassing three main segments, retail, corporate, and wealth management. Susan has served the non-profit community in leadership positions, working and volunteering in various roles, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Diane currently lives in Acushnet with her husband and 2 children. When she was 3 years old, she immigrated to the United States from the island of Sao Miguel, Azores from a small village called Capelas. She is extremely proud of where she came from and her Portuguese culture is extremely important. Seeing that her parents as well as other immigrants didn’t have many resources to help them because of the language barrier, she decided to get a degree in accounting. Diane is a self-employed business woman, owning her own Accounting firm for over 30 years. In the last couple of years, she has branched out to the Insurance and Financial fields. Her passion for helping others has lead her to be part of many non-profit organizations.
Gloria de Sá is an immigrant from the Portuguese Mainland who has lived in New Bedford since 1971. She has a PhD in sociology from Brown University and is a former (retired) associate professor of sociology and faculty director of the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Her academic research and publications intersect the fields of immigration and ethnicity, with a particular focus on Portuguese Americans. Over the years, she has worked with various community organizations serving immigrants, including the Immigrants Assistance Center and the Community Economic Development Center in New Bedford.
Lucilia lives in Acushnet and has worked at Acushnet Rubber Company since 1994 as a Lab Technician and Quality Auditor. She is extremely proud of her two daughters who both graduated for the Discovery Language Academy. She is a member of the Scholarship Committee for the American Maritime Heritage Society, as well as a member of the Board of Helping Hands of Farmers, which is a partner of St. Jude. Lucilia is also a member of several Rowing and Sailing teams in the area. She enjoys volunteering in the community and is extremely proud of city and it’s Portuguese Culture.
Lilly resides in Dartmouth with her husband and family. She has been a Cosmetologist for over 30 years. She graduated from LaBarons Academy in 1986. After graduation, she wanted to further her education in the field of color artistry and decided to attend the Clairol Institution in New York City. In 1994, Lilly decided to purchase an old pharmacy building and make her dreams come true by opening her very own Cosmetology School which she named, The Hair In Motion Academy. The goal of the school is to teach other Cosmetologists that with hard work and dedication, they can one day accomplish their dreams and own their own business as well.
Carlos resides in Rochester with his wife Lucy and 4 children. He has been involved with the Discovery Language Academy for several years. He graduated from the school in 1987 and became a member of the board in 2006. Carlos has a passion for his Portuguese culture and heritage, which lead him to become a former President of the Discovery Language Academy.
Jennifer Cardoza brings over 8 years of experience to her Human Resources background. She has strong interpersonal skills, and is able to work effectively across diverse, multigenerational workplaces. She serves on the Governance Committee and is Chair of the Hub 128 Committee and committed to the future of DLA.
Stephen currently lives in New Bedford with his wife. He has been a realtor and Notary Public for over 30 years. In the past Steve has held several Presidencies in different organizations, most recently as President of the Discovery Language Academy where he had been a board member for several years. He was also President of the Prince Henry Society from 2013-2015 and the New Bedford Festival Theater. Steve is a recipient of the 2015 Portuguese Heritage Award. Steve has a passion for helping others in the community and is part of many non-profit organizations.
Sandra immigrated to the United States at the age of two. She grew up in New Bedford, Ma.
She earned her education at Bristol Community College. Patricia is a certified CNA, as well as a medical assistant; she has been in the medical field for over 25 years. She has worked with mentally challenged adults and autistic children, who hold a special place in her heart. Patricia has worked the last seven years in the dermatology field as a doctor’s assistant.
Currently, Patricia assists her husband in their family business ,JP Imports. She lives with her husband and daughter, as well as immediate family. She is an alumni of the Casa de Saudade/Portuguese United for Education School. She has been a member of DLA’s PTO for six years, and its lead member for the past four years. Patricia has been a director of DLA’s Board of Directors for five years; she was also a member of the Day of Portugal Committee. Patricia is a devoted and a firm believer of DLA’s mission to provide skill development and training opportunities in the areas of language acquisition, cultural understanding, and career education to achieve personal, professional, and vocational goals to the residents of the Southcoast Community, and beyond.
Judite resides in Dartmouth with her husband Tony and daughter Simone. Along with her husband, they own Inner Bay Cafe in New Bedford, MA. She is extremely involved at Discovery Language Academy doing fundraisers and being the homeroom mom for her daughters class. She is a member of the PTO as well as the Assistant Coordinator for the Discovery Language Academy Folkloric Group.
Jimmy is Bank Five First Vice President-Retail . He has 29 years of banking experience in a variety of positions. Prior to joining Bank Five, he was Vice President at Santander Bank, serving in roles ranging from District Executive to Area Manager to Branch Manage.
Jimmy, who resides in Dartmouth, MA, with his wife and three children, received a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese language and literature from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He obtained a certificate in Portuguese history and culture from the University of Lisbon, and is certified to teach Portuguese in Massachusetts.
He is Vice President of Friends of St. John the Baptist Church. He is past Vice President of Portuguese United for Education (now Discovery Language Academy), and was involved with St. Vincent DePaul Society/Junior Achievement.